Five Ways to Create a Campaign Using Human Behavior

Make Your Campaign Difficult to Ignore

Your campaign could have all the right ingredients for success — such as customized creative, an unmatchable offer and spot-on target messaging — but still have trouble attracting attention. What gives?

We all encounter a high volume of advertising messages. We’re bombarded all day long with marketing messages through mail, email, signage and even subliminally through product placement. The natural instinct is to ignore or filter the majority of these messages — it’s just human nature to protect ourselves from overstimulation!

There are a few ways we can use these natural instincts for, and not against, a marketing campaign. These tips will increase the likelihood of consumers paying attention to your message or better yet engage with your brand.

1. People make decisions based on emotions. Sell a feeling or emotion then justify it with logic if needed. One example of this is the recent 2014 Super Bowl Budweiser commercial.  The commercial is selling beer, but it’s also selling friendship. And puppies. Who doesn’t love puppies?!
2. Humans are naturally curious and inclined to engage if they can interact. Make your creative different and intriguing so that your target can experiment.  The Lynx Angel Ambush campaign — which superimposed “angels” alongside real people in real time — was unlike anything the public had seen before.  It was dramatic and interactive! (Side note: probably doesn’t hurt that the girls are basically Victoria’s Secret models.)
3. People are patriotic and tend to respect authority. Design your campaign to have a patriotic tie or look official to make the consumer pay attention, even if it’s not directly related to the government or military. If Jack Daniels can capitalize on patriotism, so can you.  Let’s go ‘Merica!
4. People care most about themselves. Focus the message on your target not your product.  The 2013 Ram Trucks “Farmer” Super Bowl commercial is the perfect example.  Not once does it  say the word truck — but it does paint a very clear brand message!
5. Use the power of limited time only or an exclusive offer. I know a certain member of my family is obsessed with pumpkin spice lattes. So when the pumpkin spice lattes role around in fall we make more Starbucks trip than any other time of year! People want what they can’t have, or at least what we perceive to be scarce.