In the movie 'Bruce Almighty', while explaining His powers to Bruce
Nolan, God gives out a caveat: Bruce couldn't affect free will.
Affecting free will, or causing someone to change his behaviour, is
perhaps the most difficult goal to achieve. The reason is pretty simple:
the moment you try to influence it, the other person pushes back to
ensure it remains free will.
Because behaviour is so
difficult to change, this goal becomes the acid test for good
advertising. Consumers have their routines already set. They are already
making so many decisions day in and day out, that they will gladly go
for their 'default' choices wherever possible. They will habitually buy
the same toothpaste, shaving cream, shirt, and even tyres and engine
oil, unless something influences them to change those habits.
Now,
only if a brand makes choosing itself as a more convenient or a more
gratifying option than the default choice, it is able to show that it
understands the consumer, and stands a chance of being bought. This
proves to be beneficial too, since this brand will now be the default
choice till the next 'behaviour-changing' communication comes along.
So what kind of change in behaviour should the brand go for?
There
are multiple alternatives here. A brand (or brand manager) might
believe in cutting to the chase, and aiming straight for the brand
choice decision: switching from existing brand to new brand. This is
called the 'better mousetrap' approach. The argument (and even the ad)
usually explains rationally: 'Buy us because we are better'. Duracell
has been using this approach for years.
Some other brands want to
take a high ground and showcase the brand or users as ones that would
make the world a better place. Brands like Google and Coca Cola can make
these claims, and even deliver on them using their dominance in the
market, and omnipresence in consumers' lives. Procter and Gamble's
Olympic Games campaign was on similar lines - creating a new aura around
household goods brands.
These two approaches are at extreme ends
of a spectrum, and none of them are sure-shot ways of success. Research
and testing can help brands choose the right cues and ultimately help
create behaviour-changing communication. When they do, the result is
nothing short of extraordinary!
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Views and opinions are my own. They do not reflect my present or previous employers' stand on the topics.
