CXL’s Digital Psychology and Persuasion Minidegree review [part-7]
Tags: Marketing, Bias, Cxl Institute, Neuroscience, Psychology

Biases & Marketing

Section 1: Too Much Information

Availability Heuristic

This bias is based on the fact that for us what is easier to remember is more important. It is human tendency that when we think about something, the examples that strike us first are more relevant for us even if the truth is far from it.

For example, when we see several news related to car theft, we perceive it as vehicle theft is very common even in our own area, but the chances are very slim that something like this ever happens with you.

Another example, airlines see a significant drop in booking if any flight faces a crash or other unwanted issues. This is because survival mechanism of brain keeps record of it current and this makes people perceive air travel unsafe, even if the chances of something like happening with them is negligible.

Availability Heuristic Marketing?

Content marketing is an easier way to keep information related to you or your brand anew.

Try using vivid stories and images

Make your message available or easier to recall.

Mere Exposure Effect

The mere exposure effect is the tendency of people to prefer things that they are most familiar with. It is also know as familiarity principle as it is based on the familiarity of things.

Mere Exposure Effect: Familiar = Good

This effect works on the principle that, if something is exposed to someone often, it makes that thing more desirable.

Mere Exposure Marketing

Repetition: Use logo, brand name, etc in multiple places including your content strategy and in your ads

Use familiar names, imagery etc to make it related and memorable.

Bizarreness Effect

This effect works on the findings (from a study) that people tend to remember bizarre or unexpected things they face. We can use this effect by surprising the readers with the words, visuals or other such things that they weren’t expecting.

The End, thanks for reading. Good Bye :)

Bizarre Marketing

Use unexpected words in your copy.

Use unexpected visuals.

Use unexpected elements like a totally different color button in your theme to add sudden contrast.

Section 2: What should we Remember?

Peak-end Rule

The peak end rule cognitive bias impacts how people remember past events. Because of this bias our mind makes us remember past events in way that gives more importance to extreme positive or negative moments and the final moments of a experience.

for example, when you try to remember any past event, you most probably remember the most remarkable moments and the last moments of the event.

Peak-End Rule Marketing

Attract attention (for example by using colors, highlighting an element, using funny or catchy phrases to make things lighter or humorous etc)

Try delivering as many peaks as possible (for example — surprise gifts, personalized notes, happy birthday wishes, secret sales etc)

End with a strong memory (for example — give the customized good bye, give them surprise departure gift, offer some incentive to visit again etc)

Recency Effect

The recency effect is our tendency to remember the most recent information or fact that is presented to us.

for example: if we try to remember a list of items, we can more likely recall the last item in the list without any cognitive load because of the recency effect cognitive bias.

Recency Effect Marketing

Intentionally organize your content or information for positive ending

Conclude your campaigns, ads and articles on a good note

Have a conclusion and a Call to Action in your material, copy and other marketing material

Section 3: Not Enough Meaning

Bandwagon Effect

The bandwagon effect is our tendency to pick up a style, behavior, belief, ideas or even attitude just because everyone else is doing it.

for example: when people starts adopting some certain style of clothes, other people more easily pick that style and this trend put that style in fashion. Same happens with music and other trending things.

Bandwagon Effect Marketing

Feature customer testimonials with their pics

Highlight your numbers if you have big numbers (for example long list of previous clients, experience etc)

Try adding customer review along with products

Leverage association with a celebrity or a industry expert

Showcase real-time customer activity (really popular these days)

Cheerleader effect

The cheerleader effect is a cognitive bias that make us perceive individuals as more attractive when they are in a group. It is also know as the attractiveness effect.

Cheerleader Effect Marketing

Use this for your staff, testimonials, etc

Use group photos or photos in groups (photo montages)

Even a group of 4 helps in initiating this effect

Section 4: Need To Act Fast

Endowment Effect

This effect explains the increase amount of attachment people feel to items they’ve experienced or had some investment in. People perceive higher value of owed objects, often irrationally, than its market value because of the emotional bond.

Endowment Effect Marketing

Use free trials to employ this effect

Simply picking up an item also invoke this effect

Even imagining touching an object invoke this effect

Let your customers try or atleast touch your product

Use vivid images and sensory descriptions

Decoy Effect

It is a phenomena that makes people chance their preference between two choices when a third choice is introduced. This effect works on the principle that people always make comparisons.

Decoy Effect Marketing

You can add this effect by introducing a less attractive offer to boost sales of similar offer.

When offering two or more identical products, try keeping the price varied marginally. This helps customers in deciding a purchase easily.

IKEA Effect

It is a cognitive bias in which users perceive higher value of an item they partially created. But it is not like endowment effect, it expands on the process of developing an attachment or bond between the user and the product by promoting ownership and co-creation.

It is named after the Swedish manufacturer and furniture retailer IKEA, which sells many items of furniture that require assembly.

IKEA Effect Marketing