Purchase Decision

Consumers (and corporate buyers) go through a mental process before finally deciding to buy something. This process is called the buying process aka buyer journey, buyer cycle or buyer funnel. To successfully perform their job of encouraging leads and customers to (eventually) buy their offering, marketers and sales people analyze their customer's current stage within this process. 

Knowing the market's current stage within the buying process, as well as the associated barriers to purchase, aka sales objections, allows marketers to strategically influence customers to advance further through the buying process. 

Uses

• Marketers use this knowledge when deciding on appropriate communication messaging through social media posts, product packaging design, your brand tone, the focus of the sales pipeline and so on. It is a matter of adaptation to avoid wasting time or losing the lead. Example(s).
• If a pre-launch survey discovers customers are at the 'evaluation of alternatives' stage but would need to know your brand better to feel more trusting of it, you will know that you must pay special attention to generating pre-launch product and brand reviews. 
• If a survey discovers that your market is in the 'information search' stage but perceives your products to be technical and hard to understand, you may focus on instructional  or demonstration content, perhaps using videos, labels, handbooks and so on in ways that your target market can understand. 
• Marketers use knowledge of the process to prepare a set of appropriate responses for each phase. That way, they enter into any sales situation well prepared.
• Marketers can use the knowledge to remove business friction. In this context, business friction refers to anything that prevents or dissuades prospects from buying or advancing naturally through the purchase funnel. Examples of friction include insufficient information, untrustworthy presentation, long wait times, products being out of stock. 
• Assuming that you have already figured the normal number of engagement touchpoints required to convert leads, you can predict customers' conversion time and plan accordingly, perhaps aligning them with tentpole events. BTW, As a rule of thumb, more expensive and B2C products require more touchpoints.

The consumer's stages of the purchase decision.

1. recognizes the problem / need
2. searches for information about solutions. 
3. Evaluates alternatives
4. Decides to buy
5. Evaluates the quality of the purchase decision after the purchase. 

Stage 1. Problem / Need Recognition (Awareness)

This stage relates to customer's recognition of the existence of a problem and their consequent need for a solution.

Some problems have clear triggers that force your target to recognize their problem. For instance, when someone becomes ill, the discomfort of their illness is a clear trigger that they need to resolve a health problem. They can be anything, like; emotional states (sadness, joy, jealousy, guilt and so on) which are 'internal triggers'; ad advertisement or other forms of marketing or 'external triggers'; a car breaking down; an acne breakout; plans to have a wedding, seeing the experiences of others that somehow peak one's interest and so on. Marketers often take advantage of predictable triggers. This is the essence of tentpole marketing like seasonal or other events that include back to school preparation, wedding anniversaries, Christmas and so on. In short, marketers should get to understand customer triggers.

However, sometimes, marketers can even generate needs in the minds of consumers. Marketers can encourage consumers to see their current product solution as inadequate by showing how a newer product can fill a gap of an unconsidered need. In other words, marketers create the need and trigger customers. Example(s)

A consumer who already has a pair of pants may be shown an advertisement in which a more modern style of pants feature strategically positioned pockets that add convenience and security in ways that the current product solution does not.

Skilled marketers do NOT consider their products as solutions for only functional problems / needs. Specifically, marketers often appeal to Maslow's hierarchy of human needs with very emotionally-triggering forms of marketing. For example, luxury products are commonly used to fabricate needs include of feelings of belonging to social groups, sense of actualization, respectability and success. Needless to say, triggering emotional needs are stirred with the use of techniques like the principles of influence and lifestyle marketing. While not necessarily the case, this is a likely approach for marketing products whose attributes alone are unlikely to make it strong in the market.

B2C Case(s)

• Brands like Coca Cola is a classic example of the use of emotional marketing because the focus of communication does not even relate to the drink. Marketing focuses instead on human emotional needs for connecting with others socially as a means of happiness. Read the full case study about Coca Cola's emotionally-triggering advertising.  

The same applies to B2B customers. In other words, know the business needs to which you can offer a unique value proposition (UVP) through your careful brand positioning. Spend time to study and create a profile to intimately understand your target market. To think of your offering to them narrowly in terms of products a and b may be as uncompetitive as discussing features rather than benefits to B2C customers. Since products are only means to an end, they have hardcore business needs like 'sales velocity' aka 'pipeline velocity' (Sales velocity relates to how quickly your products can move through the retailer's sales pipeline / process while generating revenue within a set sales cycle period (commonly 1 month). Its measurement involves 4 key variables, namely 1- number of qualified leads aka 'opportunities', 2- average value of sales, 3- the conversion rate of qualified leads and 4- the length of the actual sales cycle ). Wherever possible, offer retailers opportunities to enhance as many of the 4 elements of the equation to in turn enhance their overall sale velocity. Sales velocity relates to internal drivers. Most common external divers include technological changes in operational processes like online ordering and payments.

B2B Case(s):

• Wholesale buyers (retailers of your FMCG). They are unlikely to be passionately interested in your products. So do not focus on simply selling products. Rather, do several things; illustrate how your products are a good fit within their market; as part of your sales pitch to them, share market research on your product that suggests additional creative placements (aka 'increased sales opportunities, an element that improves sales velocity). For instance, 
• share with the retailer that female respondents to your market research reported an unexpected use for your product to remove makeup. You can then offer regular or, appropriate size for bundling with or placement next to a market leader's makeup (to increase opportunities of qualified leads). To do this effectively, seek out alternate placement opportunities by studying your customer's retail website catalog collections or brick & mortar planogram.   
• Perhaps several of your products can be volume bundled together or you can recommend cross selling options (to increase the average 'deal value')
• Perhaps you can create differently colored seasonal variants that, in addition to going in its usual boring aisle placement, it can make it to coveted end cap presentations, thereby increasing number of opportunities). 
• Offer an additional size for your consumer who has the pain point but with less frequency and not to the same degree as the target for whom the pain point is urgent and persistent (to increase the number of opportunities).
• Offer shelf talkers that communicate effectively, thereby freeing up time of the retailer's sales people. (This essentially reduces the retailer's sale cycle). 
• Offer your wholesale customers to use reviews from your research or earlier sales. They can display these on their websites and or as part of the POP display.
• Avoid stocking out your wholesale customers. Otherwise, the 0 sales will lower your overall sales velocity.

Your response:

• Find out your market's (internal and external) triggers. Find out your target's needs, not only as they relate to your specific product or service offering but also in terms of your 'extended offering'. For instance, after establishing all the decision-making roles within B2B customer organizations, find out the needs or pain points of each role. Specifically ask something like, 'What attribute(s) do you use for selecting suppliers of [__name of your product  or service]". In other words, you may be able to tip the scale in your favor in multiple ways. Similarly, also survey your B2C to also know how to improve their sales velocity.
• Perhaps Coca Cola asked consumers open-ended questions about the life events that encouraged them to buy soft drinks. They likely also asked about the positive benefit consumers got from those experiences. While everyone would have worded the benefits differently, Coca Cola's researcher likely saw lots of positivity, observed many faces turn to smiles as respondents reminisced and then concluded that the common thread could be summed up in one word; 'happiness'. I imagine that, at first, some non-marketing professionals not yet understanding the power of psychology in marketing scoffed at the idea, saying, 'but it's just a sugary drink!' Today, Coca Cola continues to be a global leader against the odds of strong trends towards a healthier diet. Their Christmas tentpole marketing is an example of how this brand 'increases opportunities of qualified leads' who are thinking of love and reunions with family and friends at that time of year. 
• If your target does not recognize its need, seek to inform your market of its existence. Needs are arguably the most important step because needs create the interest and will to act. (B2C & B2B)
• Address sales objections as a means to make sure the (perceived) need can stick. To this end, find out any biases your target may have (that may become sales objections) like being used to a specific brand, specification type and so on.
• Qualify leads (in a fully designed sales pipeline). If unsure, do not shy away from asking B2c and B2B leads directly about their greatest challenges. B2B are likely even more articulate than consumers. Remove non-qualifying leads as they will encourage you to waste time and lower your overall sales velocity.
• B2C case(s)
• Products announce their qualification criteria with statements like 'children from 5 to 12 years old'. 'sexually explicit content, viewer discretion advised' and so on.
• B2B case(s) 
• One of my B2B clients has a webpage contact form that asks consumers qualifying questions as a condition to initiating a live chat call or leaving any type of message.
• Introduce your brand with its clear UVP. This essentially qualifies or disqualifies you to leads.

2. Information Search (research)

After customers recognize their problem, they seek information. This often simply involves seeking out solutions. However, in some cases, a remedial approach also involves seeking deeper insight into the problem, especially if it is one that is technical. 

In either case, this research most commonly takes the form of internet searches and asking people within their circle (for details about their experiences and advice). Example(s) 

• If a customer's car broke down, he may learn more about his car to know what car part was problematic. He may also begin to learn that cars can be repaired with new car parts, replaced with new or second hand ones, public transport, car pooling, biking or  walking might be possible options.

Your response

• Create advertisements that provide enough information that peaks the interest of consumers. Also consider that the product benefit may not be the focus of the messaging but subconscious needs. The expectation is that leads are likely to then dig for deeper details in the next stage.
• Coca Cola provides information not about the product but of \happiness' and what it looks like when consuming the drink.
• A car manufacturer's advertisement may focus on showing how reliably their car functions, perhaps showcasing how owners of their cars are always on time for social events (social needs for belonging), work (self actualization and esteem needs) and so on according to the motivating needs of the market.
• Use search keywords in online communications (website, social media, advertisements and so on).
• Provide only relevant information. Extraneous information can be a distraction and turnoff. 

3. Evaluation of Alternatives (consideration)

At this stage, customers compare and contrast competing solutions on the basis of attributes they subjectively consider important. At some level, your target is engaging in product or brand positioning. (See how you business can engage in branding positioning very strategically).

Needless to say, a strong influence is the lead's attitude towards his or her 'level of mental involvement' into the evaluative process. Specifically, this relates to the time and effort spent comparing numerous products or brands versus evaluating only alternatives within one company or immediately in front of them.

• New ventures should showcase positive reviews whenever possible to build consumer trust.
• I think that it is wise to use POP displays that are as persuasive as possible for low involvement leads. Given the fact that they arrive at the store without much or any prior knowledge, they rely heavily on the in-store experience to complete this stage of evaluation.
• Cosmeceuticals. In my personal experience, consumers with lower levels of involvement are sometimes not among your most valued target market. For instance, if you sell acne products, low involvement persons includes those with 'normal' skin who experience the acne pain point only once in a while as a relatively mild form of acne. Furthermore, the breakout may even last for a shorter period than average. In such cases, their demand can be described as 'irregular' (ie only when they have a breakout or 'seasonal') or the demand may be 'negative' (in that there might be resistance as the perception of it is similar to that of medicine). Consequently, you must rely more heavily on product packaging, POP displays and maybe advertisements that keep your brand in people's minds during their 'off-season' periods. Communication must consider that such segments are likely to have not even established their own personal set of must-have attributes for comparison between brands, product or brand preferences and so on. They might either decide against worrying with getting a solution or, if they do not have a secondary pain point like price-sensitivity, would evaluate alternatives based on something like size because such consumers need a smaller size for the relatively short-term breakout. In short, findings like this may motivate you to provide variants in product sizes or advertisements.
• People going to buy soft drinks, especially in large volumes, usually do so for social gatherings. It is therefore a stroke of genius on the part of the Coca Cola branding managers to have fabricated a strong association between the drink and social connections as a doorway to happiness. Ultimately, at some subconscious level, shoppers may consider Coca Cola for fitting (than Pepsi) for making their party more enjoyable. Shoppers mentally replay scenes of the joyful events in advertisements but , at the point of purchase, inserting themselves and friends into the scenes.

Your response.

• Know the key product attributes on which customers compare and contrast brands. Also know where your competitive brand position. Stress that unique selling proposition / unique value proposition as the better option over your competitors.
• Reviews on home page and product pages.
• Community Q&A forums.
• When dealing with B2B customers, be proud of your premium prices. In fact. a good strategy is to offer the following 3 price tiers. If you present your brand as worthy, you may get the surprise premium sales.  
• low-cost level for the most basic offering
• the mid-level option that you think they are likely to accept and then 
• the premium option (that you are unsure whether they will take).

4. Purchase Decision (conversion)

This is the point of conversion, aka the point at which the prospect finally converts him or herself into a paying customer through a purchase.

Your response

• Make the transaction as easy as possible.
• Use selling tactics. For instance, use images of people whose eyes are visible, use editorial images of people enjoying the product and fulfilling even subconscious benefits ie versus images with white backgrounds. These techniques trigger emotions. Emotions are essential in enhancing conversion because they trigger action. (Emotionless transactions run the risk of indifference to the offering).
• You have a process for recapturing abandoned cart cases.
• Eliminate distractions. For instance, do not have links away from the checkout.
• Some sellers show reviews of the business' site and customer experience. There may be important assurances like of tracking services.
• Be as transparent as possible with the price and additional costs like shipping and taxes.

5. Post-purchase behavior / evaluation

This stage involves the post-purchase stage in which customers ask themselves, "Did I make the right buying decision?". Unfortunately, these doubts may lead to cognitive dissonance aka buyer's remorse, especially for high ticket items or anything that can have a considerable impact on the consumer's life. Cognitive dissonance is the state is psychological and mental discomfort because of some type of misalignment a customer's perceptions of what they would get and what they actually got. To resolve this discomfort, customers may return products, ask for refunds and give bad reviews.

A marketer's response:

• Reinforce the purchase decision, especially for high ticket items like a personalized 'thank you' card congratulating customers for having bought the product and reiterating the benefits. This is intended to minimize potential customers' cognitive dissonance.
• Request feedback from customers. They are more likely to actually give reviews if you ask.
• Include promotional items in order packages. Customers are highly likely to repurchase from the brand.

CONTENT RELATED TO THE PURCHASE DECISION

• Point of purchase (POP) displays should be informed by the consumer's buying decision.
• Tribal branding is the ultimate level of brand affinity that your customer can have with your brand. This type of branding ensures that your customers make favorable purchase decisions based on an emotional bond with your brand.
• Social media management
• Sales funnel 101.
• Sales objections
• Sales pipeline
• Map your customer lifetime journey




• B2B and B2C 'customer personality' traits that you should consider when selling.
• Social media 101 - Social media is the ultimate means for customer engagement
• Instagram 101
• Facebook Groups
• Unique selling proposition (USP)
• brand positioning
• Wholesale payment terms
• Customer relationship management
• B2B
• B2C
• Abovementioned case studies in other content
• Coca Cola
• Cosmeceuticals industry

Packaging Design 101

Packaging design refers to the design of a product's container. Although this so-called 'container' serves a utilitarian purpose of protecting and prolonging its contents, its higher purpose as a retail salesman is the primary focus of this post. On that basis and for the purpose of this post, packaging design can therefore be understood as a promotional opportunity for consumer packaged goods (CPG) aka fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) products. In short, your package must say 'buy me' in the best possible way.

Package Design Objectives 

To sell effectively, package design must always meet the following 3 generic objectives.

1. Be sensorially appealing (this often refers to the visual)
2. Communicate
3. Persuade

These generic objectives should be developed and customized according to brand-specific and sales-related pain points and needs. For instance, a brand manager's common pain point is that consumers might miss the implortant cues related to brand differentiation, brand positioning and the unique selling proposition / USP in a packaging the pre-existing design.

• Example. There is a desire to portray a rich back 'story'. This typically involves details about a special way in which materials are sourced, manufacturing process, region and history (the USP).
• Example. The packaging needs to better establish consumer expectations. Perhaps the labeling information is not sufficiently descriptive for the consumer's level of product knowledge.
• Example. The brand already has legacy in the form of a pre-existing logo or logo idea that the business owners want to retain in the new package design.
• Example. The owners wants to elevate the perception so that the brand can be seen as premium so it can appeal to high end boutique retailers. Afterall, customers do not buy products, they buy feelings.

 

To be effective, packaging design also appropriately adapts to the product's stage in its life cycle and the stage within the decision making process of your target customer whose profile (avatar) you have already established. (The buying decision process has 5 stages: 1. Problem / need awareness, 2. Solution options research, 3. Consideration / evaluation of alternatives, 4. buy decision and 5. post purchase evaluation). The abovementioned 3 generic objectives have overlapping elements. Consequently, use them as a type of checklist to double check the adequacy of your approach of each objective. ...

Your package design process

Ground 0

In short, before tackling these 3 objectives, collect background brand (related) information that will motivate the design. This includes visual (and other sensorial) inspirations and conceptual research. Examples of 'conceptual research' include knowledge about the brand's sociocultural or geographic setting that will appeal to consumers. 

1. Be sensorial! (ie be appealing to the five senses which mostly involves the visual and tactile appeal)

Make it easy for consumers to notice or find your product on a shelf amidst noisy competition. To this end, use visual assets related to your brand personality like logo, mascots, color and even packaging materials. Considering what design trends already work for competitors, ie without copying the competition, collect samples of competitive brand packaging for analysis. Considering your target market's avatar psychographics, what visuals will resonate with a consumer with his or her specific problem x?

Among other things, visibility may respond to the degree of your market's 'awareness', ie of the brand awareness, the product and even the problem. Consider the product life cycle and your market's buying decision stage. For a new product, especially one for which there is little to no awareness of the product and even the problem, the 'visibility' objective deserves even more of your attention than otherwise. If your market is not already aware of their problem, your visuals will need to focus on highlighting the problem. Consider not only the obvious needs but subconscious ones that motivate the obvious motivator. For instance, consumers often seek after physical beauty products because they feel a need to comply with social beauty standards in order to be liked and belong. This is why advertisements may use abstract imagery like people attracting the opposite sex or connecting with friends even though the product is not directly related to these concepts. 

An option is to also use a disruptive style by exaggerating elements. 

Example: extreme colors, shapes, sizes, fonts. Sexy clothing for Valentines may come in red packaging because red is associated with amorous passion. Retailers sometimes stock competing brands next to each other on shelves if their colors are highly contrasting. Consider doing this with your market leader, especially if your product quality is already on point.  

Example: emotive images. 

Example: minimalism. Beware that minimalism carries brand risk in that it compromises your ability to meet the next objective of communicating your brand's message. 

Case: The Apple computers brand has such high levels of brand awareness, often 'unaided brand recall' that its packaging can afford to be highly minimalistic in ways that competing brands with less brand awareness can not afford to be. Its brand is so well known that it no longer needs to communicate its benefits to consumers.

Case: 

Example: Your market may be unaware of side effects of current products. In some cases, this is because the side effects occur insidiously, like plastic packaging that has nowhere to go after being dumped or even recycled. Although this problem is extrinsic to the product, for some target markets, it is noteworthy because it resonates strongly with their core values. Brand managers may use compostable packaging and or symbols to highlight the problem or suggest they offer the solution. Three leaves that resemble arrows and arranged in a circle are often used to replace the symbol of 3 arrows in a circle to suggest a product's packaging is recyclable. 

Having said all the above, when undertaking this process, save yourself time! Rather than attempt to complete the perfect visuals upfront, focus on completing a basic template called a 'design skeleton'. Function before form! The skeleton should use a single basic font and only grayscale tones. 

The skeleton applies basic brand information from insights research (like brand name, taglines, key claims and other key messages) to the basics of the form (like the package shape and dimensions). It is only after establishing the design skeleton should you consider the color, imagery, pretty fonts and so on. 

2. Communicate for the brand!

Communicate the following 4 messages. However, whenever possible, do so within the context of keywords that your target uses to research information related to solution options.

1. your brand. Example. When surveyed, consumers cite large legible brandnames as one element that makes brands recognizable.

2. functional benefits. Example: If you are selling an acne treatment, your target market is likely to use search keywords (online or in a store) like 'how to get rid of pimples?', 'how to control excess oil on my face?' and 'best exfoliants'. When the packaging plays a functional role in the consumption of the product, the experience of using it also influences product and brand perceptions. Examples include cosmetic product pumps, flip versus screw caps. BEWARE of restrictions imposed by regulatory bodies for labeling claims in your industry.

3. reason to trust the brand. This often involves using the influence principle of authority, ie highlighting associations and credentials like training and other accolades that are widely considered authorities in the industry. Case: One way in which CeraVe influences buyers is with their tagline 'made with dermatologists'. Example: FDA approved. Other ways in which trust is built is through social proof; cause-related core values for mission-driven brands. 

Example: Tagline! Your purchase helps us to employ mothers who are unable to go out to work.

4. emotional benefits & end result 

Communication should be consistent with your brand personality. Examples include premium cues like dark colors, shiny accents. 

3. Persuade!

This objective overlaps with communicating the brand in a trustworthy way. As previously mentioned, it is ideal to apply principles of influence.

Persuasion is typically achieved with key purchase motivation factors. These are often the UVP that differentiates and positions the brand in a favorable way relative to the competition based on a key attribute.

'voted #1 [key role]'; 'voted most [key attribute] by the [industry experts]';

Recap of steps for product package design

1. Conduct background strategic brand research. This research should include: brand personality especially as it relates to: visual inspirations (which may be external, as from Pinterest, movies, competition, etc) and conceptual research. Collect and analyze samples of successful direct competitors. Gather various ideas so that your graphic artist can create different design options from which you can select. Also know the life cycle. This step may require a lot of collaboration between the graphic designer and brand manager. Create a list of keywords, taglines, etc for submission to your graphic designer for inclusion in the label content.
2. Expressly agree with all involved in your process on the 3 design objectives within the context of the brand manager's pain point(s).
3. Create design skeleton or ask your graphic artist to do this for you. When handing over details, parties should reconfirm understanding along the way. One way of ensuring this is for the recipient of information to (re)assure the other that (s)he understands, often by repeating details just provided.
4. Using brand research, have your graphic artist propose several rough design concept options in the 'first round'. A 'first round' is a presentation of usually 3 - 4 options. It is a survey that seeks to to eliminate less desirable versions. Respondents are the business owner or brand manager. If you are doing the design on your own, your respondents may be your brand team and even beta testers (in new product development) from your target market members. The artist should have proposed the number of permissable edits beforehand and will advise whether your edit requests are possible. Whenever possible, avoid first rounds with only 1 concept option because that does not provide safety nets if the brand manager does not like a proposed concept. For creative motivation, perform an (in)formal demand matrix, a positioning tool for sales channels based on the price level and how many customers are likely. Complete this task with competing brands, including leaders. Look at the packaging designs of successful competing brands in your desired quadrant for packaging design ideas (which has been very strongly related to price elasticity of demand for certain types of locations).
5. The design should go into the refinement stage in which edits are done based on the graphic artist's proposed options.

CONTENT RELATED TO PACKAGING DESIGN

• The 6 Principles of influence
• Consider your target market avatar's 'buyer personality type' ('assertives', 'analyticals', 'amiables' and 'expressives').
• Brand voice and tone
• Social media management
• Brand positioning 
• Use a brand style manual to communicate your brand with graphic designers.
• Before proceeding, gather as much insight as possible about the branding. This includes establishing the brand personality, positioning in the competitive landscape, main communication objectives, etc.
• In-store / Point of purchase displays / POP displays
• Brand style guidelines 
• Color palettes 101 & setting the rules for the brand style guidelines
• Fun fact. The chocolate brand Cadbury;s, received many complaints that their dairy milk bar no longer tasted how it used to. However, the only thing that had changed at all was the shape of the chocolate bar. No changes had been made to the recipe.
• As pictured below, dielines are 2D pre-press (ie pre-printing preparation) representations of your 3D package design. A dieline looks like a disassembled box whose seams have been unglued so that the entire structure lays flat. It serves as a guideline for printers. For instance, it shows 'bleed lines' (often in green), 'cut lines' (often solid red or black lines) and the 'safe zone line' (usually in blue). Bleed lines extend just slightly beyond the edge of a panel. The edge of images or other visible media should be set up against these lines as a safeguard, ie just in case the printer shifts. This ensure that such slight printer errors will not result in panels with unprinted edges. The safe zone line is a guideline to ensure that anything that absolutely must be visible is placed within its boundaries, thereby preventing cuch content from being missed by minor printing errors.

Brand Awareness & Brand Awareness Strategy 101

What is Brand Awareness?

Brand awareness refers to the (level of) consumer familiarity with a brand, its concept and the value it offers. However, a more comprehensive definition also considers the consumer's level of ability regarding 'the awareness Rs', ie level of brand Recognition and brand Recall. 

Brand recognition helps customers to find your brand while brand recall helps customers to be loyal. Brand awareness is most important in a very competitive aka 'noisy' market.

Degrees of Brand Awareness (Brief Intro, Examples below)

As suggested by the definition, brand awareness can range in strength. As consumers' awareness strengthens, their awareness advances beyond basic knowledge of the brand concept to the following.

• Recognition (among competing brands in a noisy market place based on the brand's distinctive qualities like its name, mascot, logo, color, modus operandi, tagline or other elements of the brand personality). - STRONG   

• Recall. 
• aided with brand-specific visuals or other clues. - VERY STRONG 
• unaided - STRONGEST

More on Brand Recognition

Example: If you forgot your shopping list on which you wrote the brandname of cake mix you want to buy, would you recognize the brand among all the other options, even if you can not remember the name? If you can recognize the brand because of the label's colors, the packaging style, etc, you will have some amount of brand awareness.

Seth Godin once said that a well established brand should remain recognizable to customers, even if you removed the logo and all other signage. Consumers passing such tests despite the lack of the most commonly recognizable brand identifiers have an even higher level of brand awareness. 

If your brand fails this test, it is more of a commodity and less of a brand. (Read about how commodities differ from brands). Brand awareness may result from one or several factors that stick in people's minds like unique packaging, striking advertisements, outstanding quality, great customer service, sustainable practices, pricing or brand positioning.

Example: Would you recognize your favorite hotel brand if you awoke in one of their rooms which had no branded materials? Why? With which brands are you able to do this? Why? 

More on Brand Recall (1 - Aided Recall & 2 - Unaided Recall)

Aided Recall

• Example. If customers recognize the Disney brand when tested with only a clue aka 'trigger' like the Mickey Mouse logo. 

Un-Aided Recall

• Example. If customers say 'Disney' when tested on the Disney brand with a clue aka 'trigger' like the question, 'Where would you go to have lots of family fun?' In other words, customers can remember the brand by name even without recognizable elements of the brand. 

Where do you start brand awareness strategy?

Place your target market at the epicenter of your efforts. You should have already defined your target's profile based on what they value in each part of the marketing mix. (Read about target market avatars and buyer personality types). Integrate brand awareness into each component of the marketing mix. For instance, regarding 'promotions', your design process for packaging and point-of-purchase / POP displays should consistently apply a palette as per the brand style guidelines.

CONTENT RELATED TO BRAND AWARENESS

• Brand awareness measurements
• Arguably, brand awareness goes only so far. Since it does not necessarily engender an emotional relationship, tribal branding is necessary to improve the customer's brand affinity.
• Brand awareness hack: 
• Brand collaboration. See how curated social media content might open up opportunities to strategic brand collaborations.
• Brand Positioning - Strategy:
• Decommoditize to achieve stronger branding
• Unique Value Proposition (UVP)
• Lifestyle branding strategy
• Brand Positioning, Strategy
• Product branding (ie product level branding to allow single products to stand out as stand alone brands)

• Packaging design strategy
• Brand Style Guidelines (Color 101)
• Social media content management

Principles of Influence / Persuasion & How to Suceed If They Fail

This post discusses the 6 principles of influence, aka 'persuasion science' by Robert Cialdini. Persuasion is one of the most practical skills that anyone can master in their professional and or personal life. It can make the difference in whether you can actually convert leads into buying customers, sell your de-commoditized product at a higher price, get a favor, get a spouse and so on. More critically, it can be a game changer when dealing with persons who have opposing views. 

After discussing the 6 principles, the post also provides a caveat and suggestions for dealing with exceptions to the rules. 

At the very least, understanding persuasion science makes you more capable of recognizing when it is being used against you manipulatively. This is noteworthy when considering that deep subconscious drivers often override one's conscious awareness and weariness of potential manipulation. 

1.  Principle of Reciprocity 

I called a friend to ask her whether she wanted any katuk and gotu kola cuttings for her garden. While she would have had other opportunities to offer me oranges from her garden (which I did not even know she had all along), she never did until then. People generally feel a psychological sense of obligation to give back (in kind) when you give something not required to them first. Essentially, if you initiate an interaction of reciprocation, you essentially attempt to enforce an uninvited debt onto the other person. When under feelings of obligation, individuals are much more likely to say 'yes' to a request. This is why restaurants offer mints after dinner. As ridiculous as this sounds to the average unsuspecting person, the small gift or 'extra' actually increases the likelihood that dining patrons will give and increase tips in return. A study showed that a mint increased tips by 3%. Two mints quadrupled the tip increase to 14%. NB the gift usuallly accompanies the Call-To-Action (CTA), in this case the bill through which the client gets the chance to reciprocate. Most significantly however is the scenario in which, after the first mint is provided with the bill as usual before the waiter returns unexpectedly to say, 'for you nice people, 'here is a second mint', the tip can increase by nearly 8 times to 23%. In other words, marketers can extend the customer experience, ie exceed customer expectations to increase the probability of customer good will. Read how a blue bow on a bigger size of my order did this. Even outside of marketing, it is a matter of providing value that excedes expectations of what is normal or expected. Furthermore, the more of that gift you give, like 2 mints rather than 1 mint, has been shown to increase the value of the tip. In short, reciprocity works best if you are the first to give and the gift is personalised and unexpected.

Examples:

• In sales; when fulfiling an order, include a small free gift of value that was unexpected. Do this at a point at which customers can respond to an Call to Action (CTA). Remember the case study of after dinner mints above. The free gift can be a sample of a new product you are launching with a CTA to make reviews in time for the launch. CTAs may involve enrollment into a loyalty rewards program or for a subscription box. 
• If you wish to make an unusual request of a service provider, let's say a frequently under-appreciated government service provider, you are more likely to meet their willingness if you give the 'gift' that exceeds expectation like recognition and sincere appreciation of their work, especially at the critical moment when you require their action (whatever that is).
• Sending customers a hand written personalized thankyou note or request notes (that requests survey participation, etc) shows an extra-ordinary investment of time and effort and therefore a gift. 
• Businesses sometimes use the 'reciprocal concessions' aka 'rejection-then-retreat' technique. This involves giving tghe illusion of a gift by pretending to offer a concession. For instance, if you wish to offer a product for $100, you may begin by offering a competing product or size that is $200, which is clearly less desirable for being 'higher' than what you expect the customer to want to spend. When the customer rejects that initial unattractive offer, the seller then offers what the seller really intended. (S)he does this in a way that conveys the idea that the 'new' offer is a gift or concession. Consequently, the customer is more likely to feel obligated to repay the apparent concession with a purchase. BEWARE! Avoid using this type of technique in an unscrupulous way. 

3.  Principle of Authority

Human psychology shows that people are very likely to follow the advice or lead of experts, ie others they perceive to be credible and knowledgable. In short, authority relates to trust. In business, this can translate into as much as a 15% rise in conversions to a sale. In the service industry, it led to a 20% rise in appointments. Not surprisingly, when presenting themselves, professional service providers tend to display their credentials like training certificates and accolades. Others wear official uniforms or customary clothing, resulting in the public trusting and following even life altering instructions from otherwise complete strangers. As illustrated in the example below regarding requests you may wish to persuade your target to make based on research, each field, community, sub-culture, etc can define trustworthiness and or authority uniquely. How does your field define authority? Commit extra time to research this question. In short, before trying to influence your market, establish your trustworthiness & / authority in a way that is recognizable by the target market. 

Examples:

• Service industry or sale of some products. Encourage your receptionist to introduce you in a way that establishes your authority. For instance, the receptionist can say "So you need to resolve your pain point X?! ... Ok! Please wait while I connect you with Jessica who has helped countless people [with key target market profile characteristic] to resolve X pain point [and other specific as of the unique value proposition]". 
• When requesting any type of commitment to a proposal based on quantitative research, the 'Findings' section of that proposal  must establish authority by demonstrating strict compliance with principles of reliability and validity in all aspects of the research design and its methodological execution. Conversely, in the case of qualitative research, compliance with alternate principles that establish trustworthiness is required. These contrasting ways in which quantitative and qualitative research defines authority highlights the need to research what applies to your field. The medical field is likely to require generalizable evidence with strong statistical results before agreeing to a drug. This is why pharmaceutical drugs, new technologies and so on take considerable time to reach the market.

4.  Principles of Commitment & Consistency

This principle relates to the social psychological finding that human beings like to conform or be consistent with something (like a promise, stated attitudes, beliefs, etc) to which they have already committed. Consistency is important to avoid an unpleasant state of cognitive dissonance, ie a mismatch between actions and commitments, which is associated with undesirable moral and intellectual weakness. Consequently, influencers (whether marketers, educators, religions and so on) try to use this principle of influence by encouraging their target to make an insignificant commitment, not only personally but, if appropriate, even publicly. The probability of consistency increases by also having the target even describe past transgressions (or discuss potential consequences in their personal circumstances). Writing the commitment further enhances the consistency factor.  

• Example. Ask your customers to write out their commitment to a action-driven solution. To enhance the probability of consistency with the commitment, customers may even discuss the commitment, publicly on social media.   
• Example. To reduce appointment cancelations, service providers  often request that their market make a (written) commitment by filling out the details of the agreement themselves (ie rather than have the service provider or representative do it). This has been done for medical appointments cards. I have asked clients to set alarms on their phone and to even call within a given period of time to reconfirm their planned attendance and thereby secure my commitment to them for that appointment. Even asking to commit to calling to cancel has also proven useful. 
• Example. Provide material for new products and then ask your customers to publicly discuss the reasons they love using your (type of) product. Their reason could relate to one of the motivation factors.

5.  Principles of Social Proof & Consensus

When uncertain how to buy, behave or feel, people look for cues from others who are like-minded or otherwise similar to them. This principle relies on the deeply ingrained need for social belonging and conformity. It also relates to the tendency to yielding to peer pressure and desiring harmony through herd behavior, even contrary to one's individual penchant. 'Consensus' refers to the herd agreement while 'social proof' relates to hard evidence or proof that consensus has truly occurred. NB. Customers find social proof more trustworthy because the public disbelieves much of what businesses say. Social proof is therefore a sine qua non for referral marketing. Social proof can take various forms that include celebrity proof, expert proof, customer proof, crowd proof and personal social circle proof. As a slight side note, social proof even enhances search engine optimization / SEO. 

As you will see in some examples, since businesses recognize that leads are more likely to convert if they think others are already following the call-to-action (like buying), they may even create the illusion of social proof. In fact, it is highly attractive to businesses because social proof has been shown to be one of if not the single most potent of the 6 principles, especially for people feeling most vulnerable like those feeling unsure of themselves and how to make decisions, lack sense of life direction, are experiencing heightened levels of stress and or can be easily swayed by someone they like. Unfortunately, this can easily be used for nefarious causes as well as good.  

• Example: Tourists unsure which restaurant is the best often sacrifice their limited vacation time for the establishment with the longest line. They believe that the line is social proof that there consensus that that restaurant is best. 
• Example. Statistics showed that hotels saw significant towel re-use when they left a card in rooms that said "75% of guests staying in this room reused their towels" along with the suggestion to re-use towels. The significance of this is apparent when that compliance level was contrasted against that of influence attempts accompanied by reasons like saving the environment.
• Example: Statistics showed that restaurants say increases of 13% to 20% on specific items when labeling them "most popular dishes". Other similar terms used otherwise include 'fastest growing', 'largest ...' and other terms that use superlatives.  
• Example: Product reviews by peers, ie others of the target market.
• Example: The fable of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' highlights how consensus can lead to conformity, against the obvious and intelligence of individuals. While consensus is often achieved by people of power, the fable shows that it is a double-edged sword as it can also work against people of influence. Specifically, influential people who are surrounded by others that comply with a code of conduct of being agreeable with authority figures, even against their interest or that of others. Solomon Asch's scientific research on the impact of peer or other social pressure shows that conformity is highly probable, up to 75% of the time, even against clearly contradictory evidence. This principle is awesome but soberingly frightening. When considered for its potentially dark side, it is often called 'groupthink' ie a drive to consensus occurs at any cost and suppresses the dissent or appraisal of the alternative. Its influence has caused wars and other significant forms of human suffering. For this reason, formally assigning someone or a group the role of a devil's advocate is essential whenever the culture has a penchant for extreme consensus. Examples of the devil's advocacy role include an opposition political party, an organizational culture that encourages subordinate empowerment.   
• Example: Restaurants like to purposely leave their tip jars nearly full as 'social proof' that other customers are tipping.
• Example: Ghost audience background laughter used in sitcoms prompts the real viewing audience to laugh or at the very least to conform to the idea that the sitcom is funny.
• Example: To help children overcome their fear of dogs, they were encouraged to watch videos of dogs at play with other children. Not only was this highly effective in even encouraging the children to seek out opportunities to play with dogs but it was also shown to be even more effective when illustrations featured more individuals playing with dogs, (much like the relative lengths of lines to restaurants as indicators of likability). In short, social proof is useful to actively teach new attitudes and behaviors.
• Example: The administration of President Trump invested a lot of time and effort defending their argument that there was a large turn out at the inauguration ceremony. They realized that public reporting of a poor turnout could prove problematic for a new president's ability to lead a nation. 

5. Principle of Liking

Your audience is more likely to comply with your requests if they like you. The likeability that humans place on others correlates with several subconscious perceptions like physical attractiveness, similarity to oneself, how much the other party shows appreciation (or offers compliments), familiarity (or frequent contact) and or the use of an 'us against them' approach. 

For instance, humans correlate physical attractiveness with talent, kindness, honesty and intelligence. In short, your audience thinks that someone they consider 'good looking' is 'good'. This receptiveness regarding 'similarity' is not only about physical similarity but also in terms of opinion, personality, background and lifestyle. Compliments show appreciation for the other person and therefore enhance the likeability of the influencing party. Oddly, it is said that, even when the insincerity of your compliments are apparent, your audience still responds favorably to them, possibly because of the principle of reciprocity in that a compliment shows the gifting of social effort. I considered this in light of the fact that, its absence will definitely have a negative impact as with one person who is the only one among several who knows that (s)he did not receive the comment 'With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?' However, genuine and heartfelt compliments are known to really convert and are therefore more effective. Positive associations also enhance likeability. For instance, most people most probably like the icecream man who appears with their favorite comfort food shortly after the icecream van music plays nostalgic childhood music through the neighborhood. The power of this is evident by the converse case of metereologists who receive hate mail, even death threats because they are associated with interrupting regular television broadcasts to announce destructive weather. The hatred is even more intense during Christmas or other ocassions associated with positivity. 

In short, when using this principle of influence, establish how similar you are before your attempts at influence. 

• Example: Not surprisingly, global organizations make localized versions of single advertisements by using persons with the demographics and psychographics of the local target market and other relatable sociocultural characteristics.
• Example: It is a renowned fact that people tend to subscribe most to channels and news networks that espouse similar political ideologies.
• Example: If you encounter a salesperson who realizes that, like him, you are immigrants in a country that discriminates against such immigrants, he is likely to pander to your need for social belonging by making you feel like you and him share special membership by using the 'us against them' technique. He will ask friendly questions about country of origin, family situation and so on until he finds some common ground on which to focus.

6. Principle of Scarcity

Previously, I dedicated an entire post to discuss the persuasive power of scarcity marketing (as well as urgency and exclusivity marketing).   

Caveats

You can more likely than not expect certain success when you apply these principles of influence. However, as with any other scientifically tested social theory with highly predictive results, the albeit narrow probability of failure remains. In other words, the application of these principles may not always render immediate success. In fact, in some cases, your attempt to influence can entirely backfire and even make your audience more resistant than previously. This section discusses this type of outcome, why it can occur and how you may work around it. 

Can you identify the killer assumptions that rendered the abovementioned principles ineffective in the following. 

• Case study: Inappropriately applying the abovementioned principles of authority and of likability as it relates to similarity has failed in communities still under imperial rule and or considered 'third world'. When introducing new local management, it was assumed that the locals would naturally like and be easily influenced by someone like themselves. Consequently, the introduction was made just as it was with foreign managers. The previously unexpected reason was the adoption of racist imperial beliefs that had been internalized by the local communities. Communities readily accepted instruction and advice from foreigners than from their own. In fact, even if locals in managerial positions were more qualified and benevolent, they often faced more resistance and even personal sabotage.

Cases like this hopefully reveals that the angle from which you approach your audience is more influential when it is informed by your deep insight into your target market's psyche. 

The disrespect shown to the local manager in the case above illustrates that the idea of the loca manager was not introduced to the audience (employees and other stakeholders) in a way that was agreeable. The only way to resolve this problem would be to recognize the key axioms that foreigners are more likeable and worthy of respect because they are inherently superior. Then figure which principle(s) and assumption(s) will be most influential when presenting the idea. For instance, you may consider the principle of 'commitment and consistency' in which you encourage employees to commit to the empowerment of local staff. In the mean time, education and other such measures can help to tackle racial biases as done through public service television announcments in some countries. As mentioned above, 'social proof' can be used to teach new attitudes and behaviors. Those announcements did just that with funny and relateable skits to encourage employees of the hospitality industry to serve locals clientel just as well as they do foreigners. Eventually, the principle of similarity can apply successfully.

Higo Mercier suggests that you conduct research that allows you to step away from the bias of your personal beliefs, trusted sources and core values if necessary to align your argument with those of your audience. This also involves your need to know your audience's objections / counter arguments. Use counter arguments to figure the best way of making your own argument more convincing (ie if it is still worthy after this analysis). 

1. Your audience's prior beliefs regarding what is fact (that relates to the issue at hand)
2. Your audience's perspective on trustworthiness through a source that is considered the authority
3. Your audience's core values (often useful when trustworthy authoritative sources of information is not available).

Ensure the type and source of evidence you use is trustworthy to your audience. For instance, if you wish to influence an audience that relies heavily on 'irrefutable statistical evidence' (like the police, courts of law, financial management and medicine), adopting the 'positivist' philosophy that determines arguments truthful and valid if derived from statistics and 'hard irrefutable evidence' is more likely to engender trust. Be careful however. Take heed from the case above of the failed application of the principles that made an incorrect assumption that is commonly accepted. Many people consider 'hard statistical evidence' the ultimate in all cases when, in reality, it is not. You need to adapt and keep asking questions about how your audience perceives information as trustworthy. For instance, some specific problems that involve new, little explored issues, hard nosed evidence can fail because statistics are limited in getting deep exploratory insight into the new area. Consequently, a more qualitative approach will be more trustworthy with stories of different experiences and so on. Such an exploratory approach would be better suited to resolving the case above involving local managers. For instance, employee interviews and focus groups can help to design the plan forward. 

Align your argument with the core values of your audience. For instance, if approaching right leaning republicans about easing certain restrictions on immigration, consider that their core values include free market capitalism and restrictions on immigration because they believe that pursuing these core values advance society. Consequently, discuss your argument from the angle of how the particular type of immigrant will help to develop key industries, (ie rather than discuss the opposing value for more relaxed immigration and greater diversity). Equally, if approaching more left leaning democrats about increasing the military budget, consider their core values include egalitarianism. Consequently, you can better influence democrats if you demonstrate how the military budget can create opportunities for education and jobs in a way that includes minority groups of different races, sexual orientations and religious groups.

Here are a few other general tips that may apply and help when applying any form of persuasion psychology. 

• When making a request, give a reason. Earlier, I showed how 'the reason' can ideally involve a principle of influence like social proof in the case above about the re-use of hotel towels. However, even when there is no foreseeable way of applying a principle in your reasoning, still use one anyway as it makes a difference. Your potential success will be enhanced if you make it as compelling as possible, especially if the request is significant. Example. Some years ago, I had the Heathrow airport and needed to get onto a connection flight whose gate was about to close within under 20 minutes. However, I needed to first go through a long, meandering line at a security checkpoint which was likely to take well beyond 20 minutes. Now I understand why I was able to get onto the flight regardless. Every so often, I stepped out of line at its kinks where I could get the attention of multiple people to whom I explained my predicament. After being allowed ahead, additional people who had already heard often called me forward. 
• Example. Use 'congruency' techniques. Somewhat like the concept of the 'law of attraction' in which you can encourage people to emotionally connect with a desired outcome before it occurs with hopes that they will subconsciously move towards it. 
• Example. Salesmen often allow prospective buyers to test drive a car or even overnight in a house. 
• Example. Since handshaking is often associated with closing a deal, salesmen often shake hands with the prospect while the latter is still trying to consider the sale.   
• Example. Listen very closely. This tip is somewhat of a repitition of the previous discussion regarding doing primary research. However, the importance of listening can not be overstated. Furthermore, it is wise to listen more and talk less during the exchange. This approach allows you to better understand the perspective of your counterparty and figure potential objections. (Read more about handling sales objections).
• Use the confirmation technique. This applies in different ways that depend on the context. For instance, repeating what the counter party has said in a way that really shows deep understanding shows that you are listening. In other circumstances, often used in courts of law, when trying to convince others (like jury members) of your argument by using aspects of an opponent's comments, practitioners (like lawyers) make a concise deductive statement that supports your core argument and then requests that the original commentator confirm whether you have understood their comment(s) correctly. Example "So you were the only one with the combination to the safe. Correct?" 
• Make a confident delivery with a more fluent speech style, more assertive phrases and body language. For instance, use more confident phrases like "Project A is better" rather than "I think Project A is better". 
• Example. Be polite and hospitable. For instance, be sure to use polite language like 'please' and 'thank you' and, if appropriate, offer a warm beverage or meal. Beware however that polite behavior may not be sufficiently powerful alone. However, their exclusion would certainly hurt your chances.  Other examples include nodding while your counterparty speaks. (Think Herzberg's research as it relates to 'Hygiene' factors, ie factors that have the effect on human health as hygiene. Specifically, they are can not ensure good health on their own and can therefore not be depended on as a primary motivational factor. However, they should not be excluded because, while they can not cause good health, they may well contribute to bad health).

CONTENT RELATED TO PRINCIPLES OF INFLUENCE /  PERSUASION

• Read a detailed discussion on scarcity marketing, one of the six principles of influence / persuasion.
  
• Marketers attempt to know their market through primary research and, from that, creating buying personality type(s) and customer avatars.
• When you conduct a strategic job interview to find sales staff, consider the extent to which candidates have the emotional intelligence and agility to execute these principles of influence as needed. 
• When onboarding new sales staff, include this information about persuasion.
• I wrote an earlier post on how to handle sales objections. However, consider how you can also apply persuasion psychology to further improve how you deal with sales objections.