Consumer Psychology: How Brands Influence Your Choices

Posted on Dec 17, 2024 in Arts and Humanities

Consumer Psychology: How Brands Influence Your Choices

1. Expectations

If you think something will be great, you might actually experience it as better, even if it’s not. This happens automatically without you realizing it. For example, if you drink water from a fancy bottle, you might think it tastes better than the same water from a plain cup because you expect it to.

2. Goals

Brands can make you want to achieve something, like being healthy or saving time. Just having that goal in mind can feel good, even if you don’t fully achieve it. This can be conscious or unconscious. For example, seeing an ad for gym clothes might motivate you to feel fit, even if you only buy the clothes and don’t work out. The Goal Gradient Hypothesis says people try harder as they get closer to a goal. In the image, Card B (with 2 bonus stamps) feels easier to complete than the one with no stamps, even though both need the same purchases. The “head start” motivates people to finish!

Differences Between Expectations and Goals

  • Expectations: Shape how we think and feel about a product before we use it.
  • Goals: Motivate us to take action or buy something.
  • Awareness:
    • Expectations: Often happen without us realizing it.
    • Goals: Can be something we know (a goal we set) or don’t know (a brand triggers it).

Difference: Expectations shape how you feel about something (like “Will it taste good?”), while goals are why you want it (like “I want to be healthier”).

3. Fluency

When something feels simple or easy to understand, people like it more. They enjoy the “smoothness” of it. This usually comes from familiarity or what feels right. For example, a snack with a name that’s easy to say might seem better than one with a complicated name, even if they taste the same.

4. Values

If a product represents something important to you (like being adventurous or eco-friendly), you might buy it because of that value. It impacts the amount of effort people put into a task and their ability to have self-control. For example, someone might choose a reusable water bottle, not because it’s the best, but because it shows they care about the environment.

Conspicuous vs. Inconspicuous Consumption

  • Conspicuous Consumption: Buying flashy products to show wealth or status (e.g., luxury cars, designer clothes). The goal is higher peer recognition and higher social status.
  • Inconspicuous Consumption: Spending on non-obvious things (e.g., education, art, unique experiences) to improve life and status subtly. Focused on long-term quality of life, not just showing off.

How to Build a Brand in the Brain

  1. Grab attention: Use something new to stand out.
  2. Create familiarity: Repeat the brand so people recognize it.
  3. Build associations: Link the brand to positive feelings (e.g., Nike = hard work).
  4. Create habits: Encourage routine use (e.g., morning coffee from Starbucks).

Growing Brain-Friendly Brands

  1. Visual links: Pair the brand with its idea (e.g., Red Bull = energy).
  2. Positive emotions: Use happiness or excitement in ads.
  3. Tie to moments: Connect the brand to holidays or events (e.g., chocolates for Valentine’s Day).

Positioning vs. Branding

  • Positioning: Focuses on facts, logic, and rationality (why your product is different). Example: “This phone has the best battery life.”
  • Branding: Focuses on emotions and feelings. Example: “This phone makes you feel connected and powerful.”

For a New Product to Stand Out

  1. Be visually distinct: Use unique design, color, or packaging to grab attention.
  2. Signal a goal: Show how it helps the customer (e.g., health, convenience).

Standing Out vs. Blending In

  • Standing Out (Novelty): New or creative ideas grab attention and are exciting and interesting. Too much novelty can overwhelm or confuse people. Example: A futuristic gadget might seem exciting but hard to understand.
  • Blending In (Familiarity): Familiar concepts feel safe and comforting. Too much familiarity can make a product seem boring or unoriginal. Example: A plain coffee cup design blends in but might not excite customers.

Balance: The best approach is some novelty (to stand out) with some familiarity (to feel approachable). Example: A phone with a sleek, new feature that’s easy to use combines both.

Example = Netflix Recommendations: Netflix shows you movies or series that are similar to what you like (blending in) while also suggesting something slightly new or different to keep it interesting (standing out). This balance keeps you engaged without overwhelming or boring you.

Distinctiveness

  1. Bottom-up attention: Things that grab attention naturally, like bold packaging or bright colors.
  2. Packaging attributes:
    • Color: Can trigger emotions or moods.
    • Shape: Can suggest stability, lightness, or energy.
    • Position: Eye-level placement is more noticeable.
Color (Red)
  • Symbol & Meaning: Love, passion, danger, urgency.
  • Emotions: Excitement, energy, or tension (if overused).
  • Associations: Love (roses), urgency (sales), or danger (stop signs).
  • Effect: Red increases heartbeat and makes you alert or hungry (e.g., fast food).
Shape (Triangle)
  • Symbol & Meaning: Represents sharpness, direction, balance, and progress.
  • Emotions: Feels dynamic, focused, and energetic; can also feel tense.
  • Associations & Use: Seen in warning signs (danger) or symbols of progress (upward movement).
  • Effect on Body: Sharp angles grab attention and create a sense of alertness and direction.

Beauty

  1. Objectivist: Beauty is in the object (e.g., symmetry or simplicity).
  2. Subjectivist: Beauty depends on personal feelings (“eye of the beholder”).
Comes From
  • Object: Simplicity, symmetry, and clear contrast make objects pleasing.
  • Subject: Familiarity, ease of understanding, and personal preferences shape what we find beautiful.