How to Shape Human Behavior

behavioral economics, cognitive bias, critical thinking, heuristics, james randi, logic, psychology, Ray Hyman, University of Oregon, videos

To create great work you should be making up your own beliefs as you go along, changing them one day to the next, always pushing against the boundaries of current thinking, trying to escape the confines of conventional… Read More

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, bbh, behavioral economics, cognitive bias, communication, creative brief, design, fashion, graphic design, heuristics, illustration, packaging design, philosophy, product design, sir john hegarty, typography, web design

The research interview process does more than merely ignore critical components of why people behave as they do, it changes how and what they think. Consumer.ology by Philip Graves

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Joshua Smith

analytics, behavioral economics, business model, cognitive bias, consumers, creative brief, customer relationship management, heuristics, marketing research, misconceptions, philip graves, strategic planning

When we have strong positive emotions about a brand we seek supporting evidence and ignore contradictory facts. 7 unconscious errors we make when buying brands by Douglas Van Praet

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Joshua Smith

behavioral economics, branding, cognitive bias, competitive advantage, consumers, customer relationship management, douglas van praet, emotional branding, heurstics, influence, manipulation, persuasion, sales ambassador, unconscious

Our rational mind is always looking for evidence to support our dominant beliefs… the stronger the emotion, the stronger the belief, and the greater the tendency to seek out supporting evidence. This confirmatory bias is why we often… Read More

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Joshua Smith

behavioral economics, branding, christianity, church, cognitive bias, competitive advantage, consumers, customer loyalty, customer relationship management, douglas van praet, emotional branding, heurstics, logic, misconceptions, religion, unconscious

We draw conclusions based upon how the information is presented—not the actual information itself. An ad for cream cheese that states 95% fat free is more likely to convince us than one that says it contains 5% fat…. Read More

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, cognitive bias, communication, copywriting, cream cheese, douglas van praet, foodie, heuristics, influence, manipulation, marketing, persuasion, propaganda, sales ambassador, social networking

One of the great problems of (advertising) is how oblivious we are to our own prejudices and our own illogical behaviors. We seem to be able to recognize it in everyone but ourselves. Bob Hoffman on The Golden Age of… Read More

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, bob hoffman, business model, cognitive bias, heuristics, influence, misconceptions, persuasion, prejudice

Rather than simply stating the facts most advertisers typically embed their message into creative contextual devices that evoke feelings and bypass rational resistance. This is why advertisers use stories, poems, slogans, songs, jokes, pictures, symbols, characters, roles, and… Read More

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, cognitive bias, communication, competitive advantage, consumers, customer relationship, douglas van praet, graphic design, heuristics, illustration, influence, manipulation, marketing, metaphor, music, packaging design, persuasion, photography, poetry, product design, propaganda, storytelling, web design

Loss Aversion: we hate losing what we’ve got. When we copy, we justify it. When others copy, we villify it. Most of us have no problem with copying – as long as we’re the ones doing it. Everything… Read More

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, business model, cognitive bias, copyright, creativity, design, everything is a remix, heuristics, illustration, kirby ferguson, law, legal, loss aversion, misconceptioins, music, music videos, packaging design, product design, software, technology, troll, videos, vimeo, web design

The more we are exposed to a brand the more we like it. The number one drive in human behavior and biology is homeostasis, or the seeking of the same stable, balanced, predictable state. All consumers find a… Read More

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, biology, cognitive bias, competitive advantage, consumer insight, consumers, customer loyalty, customer relationship management, douglas van praet, heurstics, homeostasis, marketing, science, social media, social networking, web design

We make assumptions about the world around us based on sometimes incomplete or false information. Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Joshua Smith

behavioral economics, cognitive bias, consumers, customer relationship management, heuristics, influence, misconceptions, persuasion, propaganda, simon sinek

You can be conditioned through advertising to choose logically inferior options. We can even become conditioned to find great pleasure in things that harm us. 7 unconscious errors we make when buying brands by Douglas Van Praet

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, cognitive bias, communication, competitive advantage, consumers, customer relationship management, design, douglas van praet, heuristics, influence, manipulation, marketing, misconceptions, persuasion, psychology, public relations, sociology, youtube

Whether it is ‘two for one’ or ‘free toy inside,’ promotions are such common manipulations that we often forget that we’re being manipulated in the first place. Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Joshua Smith

behavioral economics, cognitive bias, competitive advantage, consumers, customer relationship management, heuristics, influence, manipulation, sales ambassador, simon sinek

Advertising works by a process of Unconscious Behaviorism. We are being conditioned by the media on a deep unconscious level and it is this implicit associative emotional conditioning that drives our brand preferences. We make decisions by emotional… Read More

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, branding, cognitive bias, competitive advantage, consumers, customer relationship management, douglas van praet, emotional branding, guerilla marketing, heuristics, influence, manipuation, misconceptions, persuasion, social media, unconscious, viral marketing

Creativity is an intellectual process, but it is also one driven by the heart. ‘What the heart knows today, the head will understand tomorrow.’ Hegarty on Creativity by Sir John Hegaty of BBH citing James Stephens

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, bbh, behavioral economics, cognitive bias, communication, consumers, creativity, emotional branding, heuristics, ireland, irish, james stephens, logic, marketing, sir john hegarty

Asking a consumer about something overrides the natural state that thing occupies in his or her experience. It’s very hard to preempt what people will find interesting or attention worthy – which makes it very risky to presume… Read More

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Joshua Smith

analytics, behavioral economics, cognitive bias, competitive advantage, consumers, customer relationship management, heuristics, industry analysis, misconceptions, philip graves

The conscious mind will leap to conclusions, forming a coherent narrative based upon partial information. This strong tendency to draw conclusions from incomplete information is a cognitive rule called ‘what you see is all there is.’ Consistency and… Read More

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, branding, cognitive bias, communication, consumers, creativity, customer loyalty, daniel kahneman, douglas van praet, emotional branding, graphic design, heuristics, influence, manipulation, marketing, mind control, persuasion, propaganda, social media, storytelling, unconscious

People’s relationship with your brand affects their likelihood to notice communications from your brand. The Participation Paradox by Martin Weigel

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, branding, cognitive bias, communication, consumers, customer relationship management, emotional branding, heuristics, logical fallacies, marketing, martin weigel, misconceptions, persuasion, public relations, social media

Recognizing the irrationality of our decisions can help us make more informed, sensible choices and save money. 7 unconscious errors we make when buying brands by Douglas Van Praet

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Joshua Smith