Written by Jennifer Slinger
Strategist
Our role as marketers is understanding how and why our prospects behave in a certain way – what do they care about, what are their challenges, what makes them tick? But what we really want to know is how our creative campaigns can talk to all of these things and spark that interest to buy our products.
We analyse endless marketing stats and engagement strategies, but do we ever take a step back and think about the psychology behind why our prospects behave in a certain way?
As much as we try to align our messaging and creative with certain ‘standardised’ aspects of our prospects’ behaviour, the human brain is more complex than that. Something which really can’t be proven through a stat about how many touchpoints it takes a buyer to go from research to purchase.
One of those stats is the fact that B2B buyers don’t believe brands are engaging them with their creative on an emotional level (LinkedIn Collective).
This might seem a bit harsh considering how much work goes into perfectly crafting that artwork and message. But studies show that people rely on emotions, rather than information, to make decisions. In fact, emotional responses to a marketing campaign actually influence a person’s intent and decision to buy more than the content of the actual ad (Psychology Today).
But do we, realistically, ever think about how our creative triggers a certain aspect of our brain, based on scientific research? Probably not.
Not only is the human brain incredibly complex, but we also have a limited amount of space in our short-term memory. Actually, we only have something like a 3 second memory span and can only remember seven pieces of information at any one time. A marketer’s nightmare!
Bearing in mind a first impression only lasts for a few seconds, we really want to trigger an emotion with our creative instantly. Seems pretty simple right?
So how do we engage that emotional response with our creative?
There are a number of clever ways to trigger that inner emotion, with my top ones being:
Childhood memories
Remember those round paper kaleidoscopes you could spend hours twisting, seeing the images creating a magical, symmetrical pattern?
In the ABB Infinitus campaign, we’ve tried to speak to that inner child through a kaleidoscope perspective, bringing back the memories of an immersive world of endless possibilities.
Humour
Science shows that when we experience something funny, it also activates the brain’s emotional center.
In the ‘Naked Truth’ – a sustainability campaign for Finnish composite manufacturer Exel, we’ve put a funny angle to sustainability through what Finn’s know best – sauna bathing. As our naked, sauna-ready guide highlights aspects of what Exel is doing to improve the environment, his delivery is unmistakably Finnish – dry and deadpan with a dash of humour.
And finally my all time favourite,
Animals
These living, breathing things we all love can more easily help portray a familiar and human angle.
This campaign for ABB’s AirPlus instantly take me back to BBC’s Planet Earth with the epic scenes of animals migrating, and the harmonic music – purposely chosen to have a rousing and uplifting effect.
As much as we might want it to, our prospects may not notice that sponsored ad the first time they see it on LinkedIn. But if we can find a way to get our audience to trigger that emotional response and make the connection (like on a Sunday night watching David Attenborough) then we’re in for a win.