In a high-energy keynote at Intuit Mailchimp’s From Here, To There Conference, Bri Williams, managing director and behavioural expert at People Patterns, took attendees on a journey through time and behaviour, advocating that the core principles of marketing remain unchanged, even as the tools and technologies evolve.
“So while it feels like everything has changed, or is changing, I’m suggesting that perhaps not as much as we think has changed,” Williams declared in an inspiring opening. She posited that while it feels like everything in marketing is changing, the fundamental behaviour patterns remain the same, arguing that we have merely transitioned from using physical elements (plants) to digital ones (pixels) to achieve similar goals.
The current chaotic state of marketing, Williams suggests is often compared to a game of Whack-a-Mole, with new technologies, influencers, and trends constantly emerging.
“There’s a new technology popping up every time, of course; it’s AI at the moment. There are all sorts of different AI. It’s a different influencer; it’s a different hashtag. Our lives feel very chaotic, and this isn’t how you get ahead, this is how you get a headache in marketing if you’re playing the game of Whack a Mole,” Willians said.
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To illustrate the gap between perceived and actual knowledge, Williams asked the audience to draw a bicycle in 45 seconds. The exercise highlighted the “illusion of explanatory depth,” a cognitive bias in which people believe they understand complex systems better than they actually do.”Researchers at Yale had a lot of people come into the lab and describe things and describe how confident they were in how the world worked. Do you know how the toilet flushes? Yes, I do. Great. Explain it to me in detail. Suddenly, people weren’t as confident because there was a gap between what they thought they knew and what they actually did,” said Williams.
As anticipated, this B&T reporter, who perceived herself to have a strong knowledge of a bicycle, did not have enough “actual knowledge” to draw an accurate representation of one.
This demonstration served as a metaphor for the complexities of understanding consumer behaviour. “Now we’re talking about human behaviour today. And just like the bicycle, you might not exactly know where the chain links to the wheels for example. It’s the illusion of explanatory depth,” Williams explained.
Williams explained that marketers’ primary objective is to move people from point A (current behaviour) to point B (desired behaviour), such as from not opening an email to opening it or from not buying a product to making a purchase. However, achieving this is not as straightforward as it may seem.
Williams explains that the disconnect between what people want and how they actually behave is known as the Do vs Say gap and it largely comes from people truly not knowing what they want. “It is quite familiar to us. People say they want to switch utility companies, banks, and insurance, and yet very few of us actually do. So, the first mistake we make when we’re trying to get people from A to B is asking them what it would take,” Williams explained.
This is relevant, of course, because so many businesses will use customer feedback, wants, needs and desires to structure their marketing plans and offerings. However, most will end up untimely trusting their gut instincts, even if all data and insights point them in the other direction. “People say they’re data-driven, so you give them the data, and they say, not That’s not the data I was wanting. It doesn’t reconcile with my gut feeling”.
To bridge the gap between current and desired behaviours, Williams introduced the principles of behavioural science, particularly behavioural economics, which relies on observed behaviour through experimentation. She stressed the importance of moving beyond self-reported data, which can be unreliable, to observed data that reveals actual behaviours and patterns.
Williams distilled the complexities of behavioural economics into three main reasons why people do not move from A to B: laziness, confusion, and fear.
1.Laziness: The Path of Least Resistance
People tend to follow the path of least resistance, driven by system one thinking, which is fast, intuitive, and effortless. Williams advised using salience and sequence to capture and maintain attention. For example, using contrasting colours for call-to-action buttons and leading with user benefits before the required action can significantly improve engagement.
2. Confusion: The Paradox of Choice
Too many options or poorly organised information can overwhelm customers, leading to inaction. Williams highlighted the importance of clarity in communication, whether through limiting options, using ticks and crosses to differentiate features, or simply reassuring customers with clear, direct messages.
3. Fear: The Weight of Decision-Making
Fear and hesitation can be mitigated by building trust and reducing perceived risks, often through testimonials, guarantees, and transparent communication.
Williams encouraged marketers to appreciate the evolutionary aspects of human decision-making. By understanding and leveraging these timeless behaviours, marketers can create more impactful campaigns that resonate with customers on a deeper level, outlasting the latest trends and technological shifts.
