Behavioral research is used in advertising to understand and control consumer behavior. Behavioral research is also an important tool for an agile market researcher.
Brands want to attract the attention of potential customers and encourage them to buy their products. In doing so, they rely on specific strategies and techniques based on the findings of behavioral research. But how exactly do brands influence our behavior and what impact does this have on our purchasing decisions?
In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the application of behavioral research in advertising and take a closer look at the tricks and techniques used by brands.
Examples of applications of behavioral research in advertising:
- Social proof:
- TripAdvisor uses social proof by presenting reviews and recommendations from other users. For example, if a hotel has many positive reviews, it is more likely that a potential customer will book this hotel.
Source: The Influence of TripAdvisor Consumer-Generated Travel Reviews on Hotel Performance
- The L'Oréal brand uses social proof by showing celebrities such as Beyoncé or Eva Longoria using its products in its advertising campaigns. This suggests that these products are also suitable for normal consumers and can achieve a similar result.
Source: Eva Longoria Is the Hair Genie in L'Oréal Paris's Magic in a Bottle Campaign
- The online network LinkedIn uses social proof by displaying "recommendations" or endorsements from other users. For example, if a user has many positive recommendations, they are more likely to be seen as an interesting candidate by potential employers.
Source: 12 Ways to Build Social Proof on LinkedIn
- Shortage:
- The online platform Booking.com uses scarcity by showing on its website how many rooms are still available and how many other users have already viewed the same hotel. This creates a sense of urgency that the offer could sell out quickly and motivates customers to act quickly.
Source: Only one room left! How scarcity cues affect booking intentions on hospitality platforms
- The fashion brand Zara uses scarcity by producing its collections in limited quantities and offering rapidly changing seasonal collections. This creates a feeling of exclusivity and motivates customers to buy quickly before the collection sells out.
Source: The Secret Behind Zara's Success
- Emotional appeal:
- The article describes an advertising campaign by Nike celebrating basketball player LeBron James on the 20th anniversary of his career. The campaign uses an emotional appeal by emphasizing James' achievements, passion and determination to connect with customers and motivate them to buy Nike products.
Source: LeBron James takes on Father Time in a new Nike ad
- The Coca-Cola brand uses emotional appeal by often spreading positive messages in their advertising and showing encounters between people drinking Coca-Cola. In their "Share a Coke" campaign, they have also used personalized bottles with names and special messages to create an emotional connection with customers.
Source: What was the share a coke campaign?
- The Dove brand uses emotional appeal by showing women with different body shapes and skin tones in its advertising campaigns and promoting body positivity and beauty in diversity. The aim is to create a positive image that makes customers feel good and motivates them to buy Dove products.
Source: The 'Dove Real Beauty Pledge'
- Behavioral anchor:
- The online shopping platform Amazon uses behavioral anchors by frequently displaying the best-selling products in its recommendations and search results. This suggests that these products are particularly popular and could therefore be a good choice for the customer.
Source: How Amazon Uses Psychology to Drive Sales
- Kellogg's uses the principle of behavioral anchors to encourage customers to buy more cereal. Many Kellogg's packs contain price tags that indicate the price per portion. This behavioral anchor shows customers that the portions are cheaper if they buy more.
Source: Kellogg's unlocks new consumption occasions for breakfast cereal
- Personalization:
- The online retailer Amazon uses personalization by offering its customers personalized recommendations and offers based on their purchasing behavior and search history. The aim is to address customers in a more targeted manner and positively influence their purchasing behavior.
Source: Amazon Personalize
- The Netflix brand uses personalization by offering its customers personalized film and series recommendations based on their viewing behavior. This is intended to strengthen customer loyalty to the brand and positively influence purchasing behavior.
Source: How Netflix's Recommendations System Works
- The music streaming service Spotify uses personalization by offering its customers personalized playlists based on their musical tastes and listening habits. This is intended to address customers in a more targeted manner and positively influence their purchasing behavior.
Source: What Spotify does with our data
Recommendations for action for companies in the FMCG sector
Here are some concrete recommendations for action for companies in the FMCG sector based on the five applications of behavioral research in advertising:
Social proof:
- Use customer reviews and recommendations to increase potential customers' trust in your products.
- Show pictures of satisfied customers or famous personalities using your products to increase the credibility of your brand.
- Use social media to encourage your customers to share and rate your products.
Shortage:
- Use scarce stock or limited-time offers to increase the incentive to buy and create a sense of urgency among potential customers.
- Make sure your marketing reminds your customers that supply is limited to create a sense of scarcity.
- Use online tools such as countdown timers to increase the sense of urgency for offers.
Emotional appeal:
- Tell a story about your brand or your products that appeals to your customers and creates emotional engagement.
- Use images or videos that evoke an emotional response, such as joy, gratitude or solidarity.
- Use targeted messages that motivate and inspire your customers, such as "Discover the best of yourself with our products".
Behavioral anchor:
- Use price comparisons or "bestseller" lists to increase the perception of the value of your products.
- Use the principle of "anchor effects" by placing products with higher prices next to those with lower prices to make the price of your products appear more attractive.
- Use the "wipe effect" to increase the perception of the quality of your products by placing high-quality products next to those of lower quality.
Personalization:
- Use data analysis and technology to create personalized offers and recommendations for your customers.
- Use personalized emails, push notifications and ads to increase your customers' attention and positively influence their purchasing decisions.
- Use personalization also for your website and your e-commerce system to create a better shopping experience for your customers.
Behavioral research in advertising is a powerful tool for influencing the purchasing behavior of customers. Companies in the FMCG sector can benefit from this to make their advertising campaigns more targeted and effective.
Further reading
The application of behavioral science in advertising is an interdisciplinary topic that is studied by various researchers and experts from different fields. Here are some examples of researchers and experts working on the five applications of behavioral science in advertising:
Social proof:
Solomon Asch: Social psychologist who conducted experiments on social proof in the 1950s and investigated the influence of group dynamics on people's behavior.
Robert Cialdini: Psychologist who described the principles of social proof and other behavioral strategies used in advertising in his book "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion".
Shortage:
Herbert A. Simon: Economist who developed the concept of "bounded rationality" in the 1950s, which states that people cannot take all available information into account when making decisions. Scarcity can help to simplify this decision-making process.
Emotional appeal:
Paul Ekman: Psychologist who taught at the University of California in San Francisco and is known for his work in the field of emotion recognition and expression. His research has shown that people all over the world use similar facial expressions for emotions.
Antonio Damasio: Neurologist who teaches at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He has conducted studies that show that emotional reactions are an essential part of decision-making.
Behavioral anchor:
Daniel Kahneman: Psychologist and economist known for his work on behavioral economics and decision-making. In his research, he investigated the influence of reference points on decisions.
Richard Thaler: Economist known for his work on behavioral economics and nudging, which aims to steer people's behavior in a certain direction without limiting their choices.
Personalization:
Joseph Pine and James Gilmore: authors of the book "The Experience Economy", in which they emphasize the importance of personalized and tailored experiences for the success of companies.
Tom Fishburne: Marketing specialist and author of the book "Your Ad Ignored Here: Cartoons from 15 Years of Marketing, Business, and Doodling in Meetings," in which he emphasizes the importance of personalization to the effectiveness of advertising.
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