Use Confirmation Bias in Your Marketing
People tend to find evidence to support their existing beliefs, and ignore evidence that goes against those beliefs. Confirmation bias is what causes parents to ignore the fact that their teen is a derelict who drinks alcohol and focuses on the fact that their little angel attends church every Sunday. It is the concept that causes the placebo effect – if you think it does then it does. If you think a pill will help you focus your attention then it does and if you don’t take the pill you can’t focus as well.
Knowing about the confirmation bias can help you as you craft your marketing campaigns because you can set your prospect’s beliefs and then supply the evidence to support these beliefs. If you point some aspect out that normally goes unnoticed and label it as fantastic your customers will take notice. If you have set their beliefs the customers will begin to look for evidence that support those beliefs.
Here’s an example. In the early 1900’s Claude Hopkins visited Schlitz where he was shown the beer making process. The water came from 4,000-foot deep artesian wells, to guarantee its purity. Special wood pulp filters took out all the impurities of the brewed beer. Special rooms were filled with filtered air so that the beer could be cooled without impurities. Pumps and pipes were cleaned twice daily to avoid contamination. The glass beer bottles were even steam cleaned four times before being filled.
Hopkins was fascinated by both the complexity and the quality of the standards involved in the process. He asked the Schlitz executives why they didn’t tell this story and their response was that all the other beer makers had a similar process. Hopkins countered, “Yes, but the others have never told the story.” Hopkins went on to create an advertising campaign that pointed these details out. The brand went from 5th place to tied to first place in less than a year.
Find aspects of your business, service, or product that you can point out, let confirmation bias take over, and let your customers' perceptions change.
Knowing about the confirmation bias can help you as you craft your marketing campaigns because you can set your prospect’s beliefs and then supply the evidence to support these beliefs. If you point some aspect out that normally goes unnoticed and label it as fantastic your customers will take notice. If you have set their beliefs the customers will begin to look for evidence that support those beliefs.
Here’s an example. In the early 1900’s Claude Hopkins visited Schlitz where he was shown the beer making process. The water came from 4,000-foot deep artesian wells, to guarantee its purity. Special wood pulp filters took out all the impurities of the brewed beer. Special rooms were filled with filtered air so that the beer could be cooled without impurities. Pumps and pipes were cleaned twice daily to avoid contamination. The glass beer bottles were even steam cleaned four times before being filled.
Hopkins was fascinated by both the complexity and the quality of the standards involved in the process. He asked the Schlitz executives why they didn’t tell this story and their response was that all the other beer makers had a similar process. Hopkins countered, “Yes, but the others have never told the story.” Hopkins went on to create an advertising campaign that pointed these details out. The brand went from 5th place to tied to first place in less than a year.
Find aspects of your business, service, or product that you can point out, let confirmation bias take over, and let your customers' perceptions change.
Posted by Cal Tingey at 10/15/2011 9:06 AM 
Categories: Marketing
Tags: Marketing Confirmation Bias Claude Hopkins Schlitz Schlitz Beer Cal Cal Tingey Tingey customers perceptions change perceptions perceptions
Categories: Marketing
Tags: Marketing Confirmation Bias Claude Hopkins Schlitz Schlitz Beer Cal Cal Tingey Tingey customers perceptions change perceptions perceptions
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