Behaviour Change and Advertising
Opinion
I am speaking at a conference on Behaviour Change, and I’ve been asked to speak as a representative from the advertising industry. There is a perception out there that advertisers know how to change peoples behaviour. From what I’ve seen this assumption needs challenging. Let me explain….
There are some very clear models developed by psychologists on how to change behaviour, and the stages of change in behaviour. However, I’ve never seen anything equivalent developed within the advertising world. Further, I’ve never met anyone in advertising who has a robust opinion on how to change behaviour. Normally they’ll start talking in very vague terms about ‘emotional engagement’ and other such rubbish such as love.
At Naked Communications, over the last year or so we’ve taken the concept of how to change behaviour seriously, and it’s changing the way we do things. We have begun to develop some strong models and processes that we think, when applied correctly, will be much more effective in changing behaviour. Why the obsession with behaviour change? Well it’s at the core of marketing – any and every project undertaken will have, as an end game, the desire to change behaviour.
Behaviour change is an endlessly complex area of study. Anyone who says ‘we have the answer’ must be looked upon with suspicion. However, so too must anyone who works in advertising who hasn’t a clue on the subject.
