How Behavioural Science Affects Marketing & Advertising

How humans behave and why we do what we do can be explained by something very useful indeed: behavioural science. This is pretty handy when it comes to deciphering consumer habits, which can be hugely beneficial in creating effective campaigns that are more in tune with your target audience. So, if you want to understand more about how to influence a change in consumer behaviour through behavioural science marketing, then this is the low-down you’re looking for.

What Is Behavioural Science In Marketing & Advertising?

Understanding the thought processes behind human decision-making comes down to two important elements: the individual ‘self’, and how these selves react to the world around us. If we study this connection between us, and our physical and social environment, we can form frameworks to explore how we are able to effectively shape and influence behaviours. This may sound a little, as the kids would say, “shady”, but actually, behavioural science is more than just forcing consumers to make particular purchase decisions, and engage with certain products and services. It’s actually a powerful force in bringing about positive social change and improving consumer behaviour for the better - as you’ll soon see…One example of behaviour science marketing frameworks is ‘EAST’, which is often used in policy-making in the UK. It aims to improve public policy through friendly, approachable, not at all coercive ‘nudges’, social engineering, and psychological and economic methods. The EAST framework emphasises four key elements:

1. It focuses on making actions easy for people to complete, removing barriers and simplifying the user experience and processes.
2. It recognises the importance of attractiveness: using attention-grabbing incentives to promote desired behaviours.
3. It also harnesses the power of social influence, acknowledging that the thoughts and approval of others shape behaviour.
4. Finally, it emphasises the significance of timing, ensuring policies are implemented when people are going to be most receptive to them.

Delving a little more into this, behavioural science expert and author of ‘The Choice Factory’, Richard Shotton, formed the CREATES framework to demonstrate how marketing and behavioural science can be applied in campaigns. It consists of several key elements:

• Firstly, an understanding of the audience's social, cultural, political, and economic context helps to shape effective messaging.
• Relativity shapes comparisons and influences people's willingness to pay for something.
• Framing involves presenting information in a more attractive way to enhance its impact.
• Timing is essential in predicting when habits are most likely to change.
• Messages must be easy for the brain to process quickly and effortlessly.
• Finally, social proof, the idea that people are influenced by what they perceive to be the normal or popular course of behaviour, plays a significant role. Shotton suggests social proof is a main area open to experimentation and exploration in marketing strategies.

By incorporating these frameworks and principles, marketers can apply behavioural science to craft compelling campaigns that resonate with their target audience and drive desired consumer decisions and outcomes.

Why Have a Behavioural Science Marketing Strategy?

After reading this, you may be wondering how exactly marketing and behavioural science can be used to help companies achieve real, tangible benefits and make a positive impact. Well, it’s actually quite simple, we’ll have you know. By including behavioural insights into your marketing strategy, you can craft effective messaging that drives the desired changes you want to see in consumers. Through exploring people’s cognitive, emotional and social needs and perspectives, you are better able to connect to, and impactfully communicate with your target audience. According to Dan Monheit, CEO of Hardhat (a platform for Ethereum software development), grasping human behaviour is now essential for marketers. Before the advent of behavioural sciences way back in the 1950s, he says, consumers were often seen as rational decision-makers, and marketers tried to optimise decisions based on this assumption. However, embracing behavioural science means acknowledging that humans are irrational and dynamic - as anyone who’s ever travelled on the tube will know all too well. This opens the doors to a whole new world of possibilities that marketers might not have thought about before.Behavioural change models ultimately boil down to two things: desirability and ease. Consumers don't always require the "absolute best" option; sometimes, "good enough" is sufficient. Most people are simply seeking something that provides safety and security, without consuming too much time or effort. These consistent and predictable quirks in decision-making often lead to choices that may not seem rational on the surface. But largely, if you want to change consumer behaviour, you can make products more desirable by enhancing their appeal, or make it easier for people to adopt a certain habit or action.

Behavioural Science Marketing & Advertising Examples

Using behavioural science in marketing isn't just a handy tool; it's a game-changing strategy in today's fast-paced business world. By harnessing its power, businesses can effectively engage with their target audience, understand their needs and preferences, and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly. It allows companies to move beyond conventional methods of categorising consumers based on demographic factors, and instead delve into the intricacies of consumer behaviour and psychology.How this works in reality may be a little tricky to grasp, but we will walk you through some examples of how campaigns address important issues through looking at the underlying motivations and behaviours of consumers.A prime example would be the impactful anti-smoking campaign by the British Heart Foundation, which triggers a deep emotional response by tapping into that very familiar human instinct of disgust to dissuade people from smoking.Eliciting an entirely different response, Dove's "Embracing Real Beauty" campaign uses behavioural science marketing to challenge mainstream cultural perceptions. They celebrate diverse body types and promote self-acceptance to challenge society's narrow beauty standards. By using authentic messaging and relatable stories, the campaign sparks conversations and inspires positive shifts in attitudes towards body image. It demonstrates the transformative power of behavioural science marketing in shaping social perceptions and promoting inclusivity.CALM's (Campaign Against Living Miserably) 'The Last Photo' campaign effectively included behavioural science. Their goal was to start discussions which challenged the misconceptions surrounding suicide by looking at the inaccurate images we often associate with a suicidal person. They did this by showcasing a compelling series of photographs capturing the last images taken by people who later tragically ended their own lives. Through this thought-provoking approach, the campaign aimed to raise awareness and reshape our understanding of suicide.In the same way, the video 'Think you understand me?' by Don't Panic, working together with Caviar and Childline, used real stories to show and challenge what people think about ethnicity and racism, specifically highlighting the experiences of young people.Finally, behavioural science marketing has also shown promise in driving community change, shown in the Westminster bins campaign. The campaign harnessed the power of influencing behaviour by changing the design of bins to encourage desired actions. By making it easier for individuals to dispose of waste properly, the campaign aimed to foster a cleaner and more environmentally-friendly community, proving that behavioural science is just as effective on a topic as sexy as bins.Although the campaign didn’t achieve huge success, it did provide valuable lessons for future behavioural science marketing initiatives. It highlighted how behaviour change is a complex and ongoing process, and while behavioural science marketing offers great potential, it requires continuous learning and adaptation to navigate the influences on human behaviour.

Example 1 - Philadelphia’s ‘Love Your Ends’ Campaign

Behaviour science has been applied in many other marketing strategies to shape or influence consumers’ decision making or perspective. The first case study we will look at is Philadelphia’s ‘Love Your Ends’ campaign that harnessed the power of behavioural science to create meaningful change. The starting point was the statistic that 1.2 billion end slices of bread are discarded annually. The team’s focus was to encourage more sustainable behaviour through highlighting the inherent wastefulness of throwing away perfectly good slices of bread. They aimed to convey that a shift in behaviour would not only benefit individuals, but also contribute positively to the world. To emphasise Philadelphia's role in enhancing the bread-eating experience, the campaign positioned themselves as the perfect companion for environmentally-conscious bread lovers - truly society’s real upper crust.The results of the campaign were impressive. Philadelphia experienced a huge growth of 0.9% in its market share. But more importantly, the campaign donated £19.7k to its charity partner FareShare, who tackle food waste and hunger, demonstrating Philadelphia's commitment to its consumers and the community, and further showcasing the power of behavioural science in driving meaningful change.

Example 2 - The Lemonade Giveback

Lemonade Insurance has also successfully utilised behavioural science in their marketing efforts. By tapping into people's understanding and perception of insurance, they managed to flip the narrative and position themselves as the opposite of the typical "evil" insurance company - no mean feat! Their mission, to transform insurance from a necessary evil into a social good, focuses on bringing out the best in people.Social good is integrated into their operations; any surplus money that isn't used to pay claims is donated to charities chosen by the customers themselves. So far, they have made substantial giveback donations totaling $6,164,548.Behavioural science involves identifying and understanding common patterns of human behaviour and successful brands use this knowledge to their advantage. Companies like Lemonade, Who Gives A Crap, and Thank You Water prioritise the long-term impact of their actions and invest in communities and causes, demonstrating a commendable commitment to the future well-being of society, and using brand purpose to encourage engagement with their company.

Example 3 - Missing People Charity

On International Missing Children's Day in 2022, the charity, Missing People, launched a captivating campaign in London. Their mission was to raise empathy, boost engagement, and increase the likelihood of passersby taking action to help find missing individuals.The campaign featured digital posters put outside Westfield shopping centres. The posters were unique and innovative in their use of behavioural science principles. Each digital poster showed a "live image" of a missing person, enhanced and animated through AI technology. The images included moving eyes, smiles, and dynamic facial expressions, creating a powerful emotional connection with viewers. By evoking emotions through the live images, the posters aimed to leave a lasting impact on viewers' memory and increase their engagement.To prompt a proactive response, they made it easy for viewers by including a QR code, allowing people to quickly share the information and increase awareness. The campaign used behavioural science learning by recognising the importance of simplicity and ease in encouraging action. Language also played a crucial role in the campaign. Rather than using the traditional "missing person" phrasing, the posters included more action-oriented language, such as "help find." This framing aimed to attract attention and prompt immediate action from viewers.

Example 4 - GambleAware: Let’s Open Up About Gambling

In April 2023, a groundbreaking campaign was launched by GambleAware. Recognising the power of personal stories, the campaign featured ads with real stories and lived experiences. By putting these narratives front and centre, the campaign aimed to challenge societal perceptions and fight the stigma associated with gambling addiction.The campaign's media planning and buying agency, Omnigov (OMD), developed a strategic framework based on behavioural science principles. It helped create a multi-channel plan that effectively reached vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.The campaign's approach involved modelling and persuasion techniques, strategically interrupting the target audience with timely interventions to encourage action. By tapping into behavioural science insights, the campaign aimed to inspire affected individuals to seek support and initiate conversations about the emotional impact of gambling.

We Can Help You Plan An Advertising Campaign Backed By Behavioural Science

Understanding behavioural science and how to navigate using it in your marketing strategy can be tough, but our team is here to help! We have the skills and expertise to help you understand your consumers better, driving positive change through our use of research and tailored engagement strategy, as well as being unafraid to change our tactics if they don’t immediately ensure success. You can see the proof of this by checking out the pudding (our work) here.So, please do get in touch and let’s have a chat about how we can form a truly beautiful partnership, all backed up by behavioural science.