The Power Of Emotional Engagement

What the latest research in behavioural economics says we should do to improve marketing messaging.

Chloe Foy is a Human Behaviour and Happiness researcher at the London School of Economics. I wanted to speak to Chloe because she has published research examining the impact of context on human behaviour and productivity. Having studied psychology and behavioural economics, I was keen to learn how her research can help us understand decision-making.

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What factors influence people’s daily decisions?

We make between 2,000 and 10,000 decisions daily, so influences can come from various places. The most significant impact is from other people, our ‘social norms’. Friends, family, and colleagues shape our behaviour — not that we like to admit it. In some ways, humans are like sheep. Bearing in mind human evolution, we want to fit in and follow the tribe.

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So, how easily influenced are we?

Very. The fascinating thing is that we don’t know we are being influenced, because it’s unconscious. The brain is essentially lazy, as it’s always trying to conserve energy, making shortcuts that mean it will look for environmental cues. When tired, we tend to ‘go with the flow’ a bit more.

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What affects our ability to make decisions?

If it’s about making ourselves happier or helping others, then it depends on how easy you make it to do those things. Behavioural science is rooted in making things easier for us to do, so the easier you make it for the decision to be made, the better.

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From a marketing perspective, what could companies do to better influence their customers?

Keep it simple. Really simple. With a world constantly vying for our attention (and we know our attention spans are shortening at a frightening rate), it becomes a classic case of less is more. Make the call to action easy and obvious. Get an outside perspective and test, and learn what works for the customer.

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What common mistakes do companies make that create a negative impact on decision-making?

Unclear messaging will put people off. Overloading customers with information is a no-no. Aiming for social proof and keeping it simple is not just smart but better aligned to human behaviour.

Whether it’s a single-minded proposition, or a vision for the whole business, clarity matters. As Chloe mentioned, sometimes an outside view can help identify the elements of your communications that resonate — and what can be dropped.

If you would like to continue the conversation, then get in touch. We have helped organisations of all sizes find the clarity that ensures their message is easy to understand, recall and share.