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Advertisements comprise thirty percent of the material aired on television, and many of us will view more than two million commercials in our lifetimes. Advertisements, however, do more than entertain and sell more than just products. They suggest standards of normalcy, of coolness, of sexiness, of happiness, and so on-standards that shape the way that we view and interpret the world.

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Neighborhood Branding & Identity - Southeast Uplift

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Neighborhood Branding & Identity - Southeast Uplift

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The Psychology And Philosophy Of Branding, Marketing, Needs, And Actions

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The Psychology And Philosophy Of Branding, Marketing, Needs, And Actions

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Consumers build brands, not companies. This is a fundamental marketing truth that cannot be denied. Consumers give brands value by developing perceptions and expectations for those brands. Companies enhance the value by delivering consistent brand experiences that consumers can trust.

Human psychology and how it affects consumer behavior is the foundation of brand building. What do consumers need? Do they really need those things or do they just think they do? What drives them to actually take action and buy once a real or perceived need is identified?

The key words are needs and actions, and the best brand marketers paid attention to their marketing, psychology, and philosophy professors. They have seen through experience that Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Aristotle's Seven Causes of Human Action can be directly applied to consumer behavior and brand marketing. You'll never really "get" marketing if you don't "get" the psychology of needs and the philosophy of actions.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
In 1943, Abraham Maslow wrote a paper called A Theory of Human Motivation in which he identified five human needs and ranked them in a hierarchy:
Physiological
At the bottom are the things people need to survive such as food and water. These are physiological needs.
Safety
The second level includes safety needs, which are things that give us a sense of security in all aspects of our lives. They include health, family, a job and so on.
Love and Belonging
The third level of the hierarchy includes love and belonging needs. These are needs humans have related to relationships, family and friendships.
Esteem
The fourth level in the hierarchy is esteem needs, including self-esteem, confidence, respect of and by others, and personal achievement. Like the need for love and belonging, the need for esteem is very emotional and happens in both our conscious and subconscious minds.
Self-actualization
At the top of the hierarchy is the need for self-actualization, which refers to personal growth and realizing full human potential. It is this need that Maslow believed people are always striving to satisfy but few achieve. It is very subjective and highly personalized.

Notice as you travel up the hierarchy, each need becomes less essential for survival and more emotional. The goal for a brand marketer is to understand each level of needs for a target market and develop marketing communications and initiatives that clearly address those needs for consumers. As they travel up the hierarchy, marketing communications must create perceived needs in consumers' minds. Communications must differentiate the product from competitors and position it as the only solution, the best choice for the consumer, and the brand the consumer needs. Of course, the majority of this need is perception-based, not survival-based.
Aristotle's Seven Causes of Human Action
One of the most important aspects of any marketing communication is a strong call to action, but aligning a marketing call to action with one of the seven causes of human action defined by Aristotle thousands of years ago is essential to getting the best results and maximizing return on investment. According to Aristotle, the seven causes of human action are:
1. Chance
The saying, "leave nothing to chance," applies here. Don't just hope that consumers understand what you want them to do. Make sure they understand with no room for confusion. After all, confusion is the number one brand killer.
2. Nature
Human nature and environmental nature play important roles in motivating consumers to take action. Make sure the actions you tell them to take align with their natures.

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The Psychology And Philosophy Of Branding, Marketing, Needs, And Actions

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Consumers build brands, not companies. This is a fundamental marketing truth that cannot be denied. Consumers give brands value by developing perceptions and expectations for those brands. Companies enhance the value by delivering consistent brand experiences that consumers can trust. Human psychology and how it affects consumer behavior is the foundation of brand building.

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Marketing local identity: Journal of Urban Design: Vol 2, No 1

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Marketing local identity: Journal of Urban Design: Vol 2, No 1

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15 Psychological Studies That Will Boost Your Marketing

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15 Psychological Studies That Will Boost Your Marketing

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How does your audience decide what it wants to click, share, favorite, and purchase?

Understanding a bit of behavioral psychology can go a long ways toward a better understanding of your audience and why they do the things they do on social media and on your website.

There's tons here for marketers to discover, and t he psychology of human interaction can lead to some quick wins in the way you compose your social media updates and communicate online. I've collected 15 of my favorite psychological studies and how they might relate to what we all do online. I'd love for you to take a look and let me know what you think!

15 Psychological Studies for Marketers to Know

1. The Endowment Effect

When we own something, we tend to value it more highly. If we have to sell it, we want more than it is really worth.

The research: A study at Duke University found that students who had won basketball tickets valued the tickets at $2,400. Those who had not won tickets would pay $170. Similarly, a study by Daniel Kahneman of Cal-Berkeley found the same effect with study participants and the price of mugs. Value doubled for those owning a mug (perceived worth $10) compared to those looking to purchase (willing to pay $5).
Marketing takeaway:
Your customers attribute a higher value to things they already own. Help increase their ownership in your product or brand by encouraging feedback and suggestions ( UserVoice is a great option) or asking for involvement on social media (chats or open office hours).

2. Reciprocity

We feel obliged to give back to people who have given to us.

The research: In 2002, a team of researchers of found that waiters could increase tips with a tiny bit of reciprocity. Tips went up 3 percent when diners were given an after-dinner mint. Tips went up 20 percent if, while delivering the mint, the server paused, looked the customers in the eye, and then gave them a second mint while telling them the mint was specifically for them.

Another fun example: BYU sociologist Phillip Kunz sent Christmas cards to 600 completely random strangers. He received 200 Christmas cards back in response.

Marketing takeaway:

Give something of value to get something in return. In our case at Buffer, we've found that acting on the lessons from How to Win Friends and Influence People, at the heart of which is kindness to others, we've received many happy returns in terms of opportunities and affinity from others.

3. Consistency Principle

We like to keep consistent what we think, say and do, and will change to ensure this is so.

The research: Princeton researchers asked people if they would volunteer to help with the American Cancer Society. Of those who received a cold call, 4 percent agreed. A second group was called a few days prior and asked if they would hypothetically volunteer for the American Cancer Society. When the actual request came later, 31 percent agreed.

Marketing takeaway:

Help current customers and potential users create an expectation of what they may say or do. For instance, get users to opt-in to a marketing course and offer tools at the end that are used by expert marketers. Subscribers may wish to stay consistent with their stated goal of improving their marketing, and signing up for recommended tools will fall right in line with this expectation.

4. The Foot-in-the-Door Method

When asked to make a small commitment first, we are more likely to agree to a larger request later.

The research: The first study on the foot-in-the-door method was performed in the 1960s by Jonathan Freedman and Scott Faser. Researchers phone a number of homemakers to inquire about the household products they use. Three days later, the researchers called again, this time asking to send a group of workers to the house to manually note the cleaning products in the home. The women who responded to the first phone interview were two times more likely to respond to the second request.

Marketing takeaway:

Ross Simmonds of Clarity.fm has a great take on what this means for marketers: "The more frequently a customer opens your emails, downloads your content or goes along with your request, the more likely they are to comply with a larger request like sharing your content & inviting their friends."

5. Framing Effect

We react to a situation differently depending on whether we perceive the situation to be a loss or a gain.

The research: Researchers Amos Tverksy and Daniel Kahneman polled two different groups of participants on which of two treatments they would choose for people infected with a deadly disease.

Treatment A: "200 people will be saved."

Treatment B: "a one-third probability of saving all 600 lives, and a two-thirds probability of saving no one."

The majority of participants picked Treatment A because of the clear and simple gain in saving lives.

In Group 2, participants were told the following:

Treatment A: "400 people will die."

Treatment B: "a one-third probability that no one will die, and a two-thirds probability that 600 people will die."

The majority of participants picked Treatment B because of the clear negative effect of Treatment A.
Marketing takeaway:
The words you use and the way you frame your content has a direct impact on how your readers will react. Whenever possible, frame things in a positive light so that readers can see a clear gain.

6. Loss Aversion

We feel the negative effects of loss more strongly than we feel the positive effects of an equal gain.

The research: Chicago Heights teachers received bonus payments as part of a loss aversion research study. One group of teachers stood to receive bonuses based on the performance of their students on standardized testing. Another group received their bonus at the beginning of the year and stood to either keep it or lose it based on the results of their students' tests. Per the results of the study, the prepaid bonuses-the ones that could have been lost-had a bigger impact on teachers.
Marketing takeaway:
Discover your customer's challenges and reservations, and alleviate their concerns up front. Risk-free trials and money-back guarantees are one way to deal with loss aversion. Remove the fear of loss from the equation.

7. Conformity and Social Influence

We change how we behave to be more like others.

The research: Would you give a wrong answer if you knew it was wrong, just because everyone else was giving it? Solomon Asch found this to be true for a large percentage of people in a study he performed in the 1950s. He hired a group of actors to participate along with students in answering quiz questions. The actors were told to give the wrong answer. The majority of students followed suit, even though the correct answer was obvious.
Marketing takeaway:
Key influencers and industry leaders can help your product appear more valuable to others. Invite-only networks get the boost of this effect, too.

8. Acquiescence Effect

We give answers based not just on a rational consideration of what is being asked but also in consideration of how we will appear to others.

The psychology website Changing Minds explains three scenarios when we are most likely to acquiesce to the request of others:

1. They seem to be a superior in some way.

2. They have a need whereby we can easily help them.

3. Answering the question fully seems like hard work.

Leading questions are one way that the acquiescence effect impacts the answers that one gives.
Marketing takeaway:
Be aware of the leading questions you may be asking in customer development calls, surveys, or questionnaires. People can be easily swayed to answer in a certain way if the question seems tilted in a certain direction.

9. Mere Exposure Theory

The more we're exposed to something, the more we like it.

The research: Robert Zajonc showed Chinese characters to non-Chinese-speaking participants. He showed each character 1 to 25 times, asking participants to guess the meaning of the characters. The more often a participant saw a character, the more positive meaning they gave.

This theory has a quick effect, too. Researchers Kunst and Williams showed their study participants a picture of an octagon for only one millisecond. Later on, though the participants could not explicitly remember seeing an octagon, they showed an increased affinity for the shape.
Marketing takeaway:
Don't be afraid to repeat your message. This can work well for social media sharing, as reposting helpful content can have a direct impact on your audience.

10. Informational Social Influence

When we do not know how to behave, we copy other people.

Alex Lasky of Opower ran an experiment to see which type of messaging would best encourage others to save energy:

1. You can save $54 this month

2. You can save the planet

3. You can be a good citizen

4. Your neighbors are doing better than you

The first three led to no increase in energy saving. The fourth message worked, leading to a 2 percent reduction in household energy usage.
Marketing takeaway:
Use the experience of others to help people see the benefits of your product or company. There's a close tie here with social proof.

11. The Decoy Effect

Consumers tend to change their preference between two options when a third, less attractive option is presented.

An old subscription page at the Economist stated:

Web Subscription - $59

Print Subscription - $125

Web and Print Subscription - $125

Seems like a super deal for web and print, right? Professor Dan Ariely tested this model with students at MIT, asking them to choose a subscription option among the three choices listed by the Economist. The results:

Web Subscription - $59 (16 students)

Print Subscription - $125 (0 students)

Web and Print Subscription - $125 (84 students)
Total revenue: $11,444

When the print subscription was removed, the results looked like this:

Web Subscription - $59 (68 students)

Web and Print Subscription - $125 (32 students)
Total revenue: $8,012

That's a 30 percent difference in sales for the Economist by using a decoy price of a print subscription.

Apple's pricing method also seems to take advantage of the decoy effect. In the below example, the 32GB option is made to look more appealing in comparison to the other two models.
Marketing takeaway:
You can put the decoy effect to good use with your pricing strategy as well as any time you are comparing different options. The inclusion of an option that is "asymmetrically dominated" (a plan that seems out of whack or a feature list that doesn't quite add up) will make the other options more appealing.

12. Availability Heuristic

When evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision, we favor options that bring to mind immediate examples.

On a Quora thread about psychology facts, Alex Suchman offers a clear example of the availability heuristic in action. How many times do you think that a seven-letter word with an "n" as the sixth letter would appear in this post? How many times do you think a word ending in "ing" would appear?

Most people, when answering quickly, will say that "ing" words are more common than the other when in fact, seven letter words with "n" as the sixth letter would include all "ing" words as well. Since our mind struggles to come up with easy examples for the first question, we then perceive the second question to be more likely.
Marketing takeaway:
Make your product or service easy to grasp by providing examples of the actions you want users to take.

13. Buffer Effect of Social Support

People who feel supported by others feel less stress. If you know your friends will support you and there is someone with whom you can talk things through, somehow stressful situations are more tolerable.

The research: In a study of pregnant women, researchers found that 91 percent of those with high stress and low social support suffered complications whereas only 33 percent of pregnant women with high stress and high social support suffered complications.
Marketing takeaway:
Be consistent with availability and support for your customers. Constant support-in the form of email communication, blogging, in-app messages etc.-may help others feel more comfortable and less stressed.

14. Ben Franklin Effect

When we do a person a favor, we like them more.

The research: Jim Jecker and David Landy tested the theory by inviting participants to take part in a test in which they could win money. The test was administered in a rigorous way by an actor playing the role of scientist.

At the end of the study, 1/3 of participants were asked by the scientist if they would be willing to return the money to him. Another 1/3 were asked by the secretary of the study if they'd return the money. A third group was not asked to return the money. All participants then filled out a questionnaire, including a spot for how much they liked the scientist. Of the three groups of participants, the group who gave him the money gave him the most likable scores.
Marketing takeaway:
We like to justify our actions-in the case of the Ben Franklin effect, we feel a need to believe we did a favor because we liked the person. Don't be afraid to ask for favors from your customers, users, and audience. If they're willing to help out-answering surveys, checkout out content, resharing-their opinion of you will likely go up.

15. Propinquity Effect

The more we meet and interact with people, the more likely we are to become friends with them.

The research: Tenants in a small two-floor apartment had closer friendships with their immediate neighbors. Least likely friendships were between those on separate floors. And tenants who lived near staircases and mailboxes had friendships on both floors.
Marketing takeaway:
Be a constant present on social media and in the inbox of your subscribers.

Further reading

These 15 psychological studies for marketers are just the tip of the iceberg. There are a huge number of additional theories and effects that could help improve your online marketing. For more, I'd recommend checking out the following websites and articles.
Which psychological studies piqued your interest? Are you aware of any of these in the marketing you're doing currently?
I'd love to hear how psychology impacts your marketing. Please do share in the comments!
Image sources: The Noun Project, Blurgrounds, Franklin Templeton, Quora, Death to the Stock Photo

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15 Psychological Studies That Will Boost Your Marketing

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How does your audience decide what it wants to click, share, favorite, and purchase? Understanding a bit of behavioral psychology can go a long ways toward a better understanding of your audience and why they do the things they do on social media and on your website.

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Marketing Psychology: 10 Revealing Principles of Human Behavior

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Marketing Psychology: 10 Revealing Principles of Human Behavior

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One key part of being a great marketer is understanding how (and why) people think and act the way they do. It's much harder to create compelling content marketing, for example, if you don't know why it would be compelling to your audience in the first place.

Before you jump into the tactical nitty-gritty of marketing, it's really helpful to understand how people operate ... which is essentially what the entire field of psychology attempts to explain. Understanding some key principles of psychology can take your marketing from good to amazing, all because the right audience is reading and identifying with it (and most likely converting on it, too).

To help you attract, convince, and convert more people with your marketing, you should know the following lessons about psychology.

Psychology and Marketing: 10 Important Principles of Psychology You Should Use

1) Priming

Have you ever played the game where one person says a word, and the other immediately responds with the first thing that comes to mind?

That's kind of how priming works. You're exposed to one stimulus, and it affects how you respond to another stimulus. Psychology Today gives the example of two groups of people reading the word "yellow" followed by either "sky" or "banana." Because people have a semantic association between the fruit and its color, the "yellow-banana" group will recognize the word "banana" faster than the "yellow-sky" group recognizes "sky."

What's this got to do with marketing? Lots. Using subtle priming techniques, you could help your website visitors remember key information about your brand -- and maybe even influence their buying behavior.

It's been tested before. In a study by Naomi Mandel and Eric J. Johnson, researchers manipulated the background design of a website to see if it'd affect consumers' product choices. Participants were asked to choose between two products in one category (like a Toyota vs. a Lexus). According to Psychology Today, "they found that visitors who had been primed on money (the website's background was green with pennies on it) looked at price information longer than those who had been primed on safety. Similarly, consumers who had been primed on comfort looked at comfort information longer than those primed on money."
Source: Journal of Consumer Research
So if you're trying to make use of priming in your marketing, think about the small details. They could be the difference between someone buying your highest product price point and bouncing from your page.

2) Reciprocity

Introduced in Dr. Robert Cialdini's book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, the concept of "reciprocity" is simple -- if someone does something for you, you naturally will want to do something for them.

If you've ever gotten a mint with your bill at a restaurant, you've been the victim of reciprocity. According to Cialdini, when servers bring a check to their patrons without a mint, the diners will tip according to their perceptions of the service given. With one mint, the tip jumps up 3.3%. Two mints? The tip jumps "through the roof" to roughly 20%.

In your marketing, there are a lot of ways to take advantage of reciprocity. You don't have to be rolling in dough to give something away; it can be anything from a branded sweatshirt, to an exclusive ebook, to a free desktop background, to your expertise on a difficult subject matter. Even something as simple as a hand-written note can go a long way in establishing reciprocity. Just be sure you're giving away the free thing before you ask for something in return.

3) Social Proof

Most marketers are aware of this concept already, but it was too important to leave out from this list. If you're not familiar with it, social proof is the theory that people will adopt the beliefs or actions of a group of people they like or trust. In other words, it's the "me too" effect. Think of this like an awkward middle school dance -- few people want to be the first one on the dance floor, but once a few people are there, everyone else wants to join in. (Keep in mind, this desire to conform doesn't go away when you get older and less bashful about your dance moves.)

One easy way to make the most of social proof is on your blog. If you're not already, use social sharing and follow buttons that display the number of followers your accounts have or the number of shares a piece of content has. If those numbers are front and center and you already have a few people sharing your post, people who stumble on your post later will be much more likely to share.

4) Decoy Effect

You'll often see this effect in pricing models -- one price point is intentionally included to entice you to choose the most expensive option.

In Dan Airley's famous TED talk, "Are we in control of our own decisions?", he describes an ad from The Economist outlining their latest subscription packages. Here's what they offered:

Online subscription: $59

Print subscription: $125

Online andprint subscription: $125

Crazy, right? You could get the print only subscription and the online and print subscription for the same price. Why would they offer that?

That's what Airley thought, too. He reached out to the folks at The Economist, but he never got a straight answer from them.

So he decided to run his own study with 100 MIT students. He gave them the pricing packages outlined above and asked which one they'd want to buy. When all three options were there, students chose the combo subscription -- it was the best deal, right? But when he removed the "useless" option (the print subscription for $125), the students preferred the cheapest option.

Turns out that middle option wasn't that useless after all -- it gave students a frame of reference for how "good" the combo deal was and enticed them to pay more for that deal.

So if you're looking to increase conversions on a landing page with two options, you might want to add a third. It could help increase the conversion rate of the option you'd ultimately want people to take.

5) Scarcity

Ever gone to buy airline tickets and seen a tagline that says "Only 3 seats left at this price!" Yup, that's scarcity (another Cialdini concept). This psychology principle goes back to the simple formula of supply and demand: The more rare the opportunity, content, or product is, the more valuable it is.

In 1975, Worchel, Lee, and Adewole conducted a study to see how scarcity affected people's perception. At the start of the study, they asked people to rate chocolate chip cookies. According to an article by my colleague Lanya Olmstead that describes the experiment, "[The researchers] put 10 cookies in one jar, and two of the same cookies in another jar. The cookies from the two-cookie jar received ratings twice as high as the 10 cookie jar even though the cookies were exactly the same."

But if you want to properly use this principle, you need to be careful how you word it. If you approach the scarcity concept as if there used to be a ton of a product or service, but due to popular demand there's a few left, people will be very receptive. On the other hand, if you approach it from the angle that there are only a few products total, so get it now, the principle won't be as effective. Check out this post from Nir and Far for a deeper explanation on why that distinction is important.

6) Anchoring

Ever wondered why it's so hard to resist a sale at your favorite clothing store?

Often, it has to do with anchoring -- people base decisions on the first piece of information they receive. So if my favorite store typically retails jeans for $50, but I find them on sale for $35, I'll be ecstatic. "I just got a crazy deal on these jeans," I'll think. I'll probably even buy them. But if my friend typically shops for jeans that are $20, she won't be nearly as impressed.

For marketers, anchoring is important to know -- especially if you're ever running a sale. You'll want to clearly state the initial price of the product (this is "setting" the anchor), and then display the sale price right next to it. You might even explain how much of a percentage off your customers will receive with the sale.

7) The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

Ever heard about a product and then start seeing it everywhere you look? You can thank the The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. It starts happening after you encounter something for the first time, and then you start noticing it cropping up in everyday life. Suddenly you see ads for the product every time you watch TV. And when you go to the grocery store, you happen to walk down the aisle and spot it. And alllllll of your friends all have the product.

It's weird right? Here's why you're suddenly seeing this new thing everywhere.

According to PS Mag, this phenomenon (also called "the frequency illusion") is caused by two processes. "The first, selective attention, kicks in when you're struck by a new word, thing, or idea; after that, you unconsciously keep an eye out for it, and as a result find it surprisingly often. The second process, confirmation bias, reassures you that each sighting is further proof of your impression that the thing has gained overnight omnipresence."

For marketers, this phenomenon is precisely why nurturing is incredibly important. Once someone starts noticing your brand (aka clicking around on your website), you'll want to help them start seeing you "everywhere." Send them targeted nurturing emails and retargeting ads based on their behavior, and you could increase the possibility of them converting.

8) Verbatim Effect

According to a study by Poppenk, Joanisse, Danckert, and Köhler, people are more likely to remember the gist of what someone said, not the specific details. So when you attend a session on how to blog for your business, you're most likely going to remember details like "Have another person edit your work," not "Send a Google Doc three business days ahead of time to a peer so they can edit your work. Don't forget to use Track Changes so you know what you missed!"

They called this the "verbatim effect." And it can have a huge effect on how your content performs.

To begin with, people are spending less and less time actually reading online. According to data from Chartbeat, more than half of your visitors will spend less than 15 seconds on your site. So if people aren't reading your content and not likely to remember specific details, what's a marketer to do?

I'd recommend spending even more time than you already are on perfecting your headline. Not only should it be search- and sharing-friendly, but it should also accurately describe what's in your article. This way, when people are looking for more information on a given topic, they'll think of that one helpful article they read a while ago and Google the topic to find it again. If you've done the work, you should appear in the search results. If you need some help writing compelling headline copy, check out this post on our blog.

9) Clustering

People have a limited amount of space in their short-term memory. In fact, most people can only remember seven pieces of information (plus or minus two pieces in any given situation) at a time.

To cope, most people tend to cluster similar pieces of information together. For example, if you had a whole grocery list of random items, most people would tend to mentally group items into certain categories (dairy, grain, meat, etc.) to be able to better remember what exactly was on the list.

So when you're creating content, keep clustering in mind. How can you design and lay out your content to increase memory retention? One way to do it is by grouping similar topics together -- either under numbered bullet points or with different header sizes. Besides being much easier to scan, your writing will be much easier to remember and recall down the road -- especially if you're creating long lists of content.

10) Loss Aversion

Loss aversion means pretty much exactly what it sounds like: Once someone has something, they realllllly don't like to lose it.

When Daniel Kahneman studied this concept, participants were given mugs, chocolate, or nothing. Then, they were asked to make a choice, they were give two options: If they were given an object, they could trade their objects, or if they were given nothing, they could choose one of the two items. The result? Roughly half of the participants who started with no items chose mugs, but 86% of those given mugs to begin with stuck with that item.

Moral of the story? People don't like to lose what they've already gained.

Though this could open up some semi-sketchy doors for certain types of marketers, loss aversion could have a significant factor in freemium products and increased product adoption. For example, you could ungate a feature for the free version of your product for a certain amount of time. After that time period is up, that feature could be removed unless you upgrade to becoming a paying customer. While you certainly have to be careful how you play to this psychological need, loss aversion is a very important concept for every marketer to know.
What other psychology studies and concepts do you swear by? Share your favorites in the comments. Editor's Note: This post was originally published in July 2013 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

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Marketing Psychology: 10 Revealing Principles of Human Behavior

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One key part of being a great marketer is understanding how (and why) people think and act the way they do. It's much harder to create compelling content marketing, for example, if you don't know why it would be compelling to your audience in the first place.

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BBC World Service - The Psychology of Consumerism

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BBC World Service - The Psychology of Consumerism

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The Psychology of Consumerism - BBC World Service

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Consumerism & Affluenza – How Society Shapes Our Thinking about Happiness | Workplace Psychology

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Consumerism & Affluenza – How Society Shapes Our Thinking about Happiness | Workplace Psychology

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Within the past several decades, an alarming trend has developed, one that goes far beyond just "keeping up with the Joneses." You see, no longer is it enough to simply "keep up." It seems that in today's microwave mentality, we have to have things, and we have to have them right now. Everything becomes a necessity. We no longer eat to live. We live to eat. We no longer shop to survive. We survive to shop. Or as I heard it on the radio - shop til you drop, then crawl!

We have, in fact, become a society of conspicuous consumption [spending lavishly on goods and services for the sole purpose of showing off] and consumerism [equating happiness with buying and consuming goods].

There is a name/description/label to this madness. It's called AFFLUENZA, formed from the words affluence (wealth) and influenza (also known as the flu).

Affluenza is defined as (1) The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses; (2) An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream (Affluenza, n.d.). Affluenza is the term used to explain the problems that occur "when individuals are in pursuit of money, wealth, and material possession at the expense of other sources of self-esteem and contentment" (Koplewicz & Williams, 2006, p. 1).

Although I originally wrote about this topic of affluenza (several years ago while working in the school system) to address the madness that parents go through to feed into their children's demands to have the latest and greatest material things, I am presenting it here now to shed light on this epidemic and its impact on adults.

Affluenza affects people across all age groups and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. "Contemporary affluenza researchers contend that if we do not begin to reject our culture's incessant demands to work harder, spend more, and buy more, our society will begin to pay later with significant effects thrust upon our offspring" (Koplewicz & Williams, 2006, p. 1).

The incessant pressure to acquire material goods can result in the following (Koplewicz & Williams, 2006): As you go through the list below, notice that it easily applies to both children and adults.

Inability to delay gratification or tolerate frustration

Difficulty maintaining interest in anything requiring effort

False sense of entitlement

Expectation of material goods without responsibility

Loss of future motivation

Life activities don't seem very real and nothing matters much

Low self esteem, self worth, and loss of self confidence

Approval dependent on possessions and status rather than on personal values

Preoccupation with externals and habituation for more material goods

Difficulty believing people like them for themselves rather than for possessions and status

Inability to trust prevents true friendships

Emotional energy becomes invested in material gains and sensitivity toward others declines

Here are some interesting tidbits (Affluenza...Diagnosis, n.d.):

Americans carry $1 trillion in personal debt, approximately $4,000 for every man, woman and child, not including real estate and mortgages. On average, Americans save only 4 percent of their income, in contrast to the Japanese, who save an average of 16 percent.

Since 1950, Americans alone have used more resources than everyone who ever lived before them. Each American individual uses up 20 tons of basic raw materials annually. Americans throw away 7 million cars a year, 2 million plastic bottles an hour and enough aluminum cans annually to make six thousand DC-10 airplanes.

Even though Americans comprise only five percent of the world's population, in 1996 we used nearly a third of its resources and produced almost half of its hazardous waste. The average North American consumes five times as much as an average Mexican, 10 times as much as an average Chinese and 30 times as much as the average person in India.

Americans on average spend only 40 minutes a week playing with their children, and members of working couples talk with one another on average only 12 minutes a day.

Back in December 2009, I wrote about the hyperactive workplace. I believe what lies at the root of the hyperactive workplace is affluenza - the "epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream" (Affluenza, n.d.). We work long hours and remain in a state of frenzy to pursue that elusive dollar to buy the things we and our families desire. And we do this day in and day out like the hamster running in circles in a cage.

In "Success Intelligence," (2005) Robert Holden wrote, "The rise of consumerism has certainly influenced our thinking about happiness and success...We are making every effort to 'buy, buy, buy!' our way to happiness and success" (pp. 110, 111). While buying things can temporarily bring short-term pleasure, our prior levels of happiness soon return. In other words, we can't buy our way to happiness.

"[W]e place all our faith in external things to make us happy. The danger here is that we lose sight of inner happiness...We forget how to be happy" (Holden, 2005, p. 112).

Imagine what your own work and workplaces would be like if you changed your views about overconsumption and what it means to be happy.

References

Affluenza. (n.d.). In Affluenza: PBS Program on the Epidemic of Overconsumption. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/

Affluenza...Diagnosis (n.d.). In Affluenza: PBS Program on the Epidemic of Overconsumption. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/diag/what.html

Holden, R. (2005). Success intelligence: Essential lessons and practices from the world's leading coaching program on authentic success. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc.

Koplewicz, H.S. & Williams, K. (2006). Affluence-Benefit or Handicap? New York University Child Study Center Letter, 11(2), 1-3. Retrieved from http://www.aboutourkids.org/files/articles/dec.pdf

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Consumerism & Affluenza - How Society Shapes Our Thinking about Happiness

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Within the past several decades, an alarming trend has developed, one that goes far beyond just "keeping up with the Joneses." You see, no longer is it enough to simply "keep up." It seems that in today's microwave mentality, we have to have things, and we have to have them right now.

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Why Do Marketers (Continue to) Get Gender Wrong? | PreparedU View | Bentley University

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Why Do Marketers (Continue to) Get Gender Wrong? | PreparedU View | Bentley University

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Why do marketers continue to get gender wrong? While many women's gender roles have changed in the last 50 years, you would never know it from the types of ad appeals and product innovations companies are rolling out in order to capture the lucrative women's market.

My work on motherhood in particular has uncovered several difficult truths about women and the marketplace. Impending motherhood is a liminal state between identities where consumers are particularly vulnerable. Yet, marketers continue to market goods and services to these new mothers using fear appeals. What new mother will choose the cheaper, less safe child car seat?

This multi-billion dollar industry feeds off the fears of new parents with buzzwords like safety, security, and protection. Yet fear is only one way in which marketers appeal to women. Marketers use self-esteem, motivation, and values to appeal to all consumers, not just women. But it is women who are more negatively impacted by these appeals, as evidenced by the disproportionate amount of self-esteem related diseases such as eating disorders and excessive plastic surgery.

Creators of marketing strategies and their collaborators in advertising continue to create sexist reflections with no apparent "soul-searching" about the potential negative impacts. Sometimes it backfires spectacularly: A recent Nike ad where a woman outruns her rapist was only shown once before it was pulled. But where were the people (men and women) along the way in the creative process concerned about this ad's portrayal of women?

Three recent examples show that marketers continue to get gender-based targeting wrong. Honda recently revealed a pink car with special window tinting to combat wrinkles. Bic pens released Pens for Her, which was subsequently skewered by Ellen DeGeneres and the clever commenters on Amazon. And an amazing array of Halloween costumes are themed for men and women, with the female version being the "slutty" or "sexy" version, everything from profession-themes such as "sexy police officer" to the more obscure themes, like "sexy banana."

There are many theories why marketers continue to get gender wrong. Pat Flynn and her team would probably argue it's because of the lack of women on corporate boards and the C-Suite. Other scholars would point to the patriarchal nature of capitalism. I have another theory: ignorance.

First, marketers are constantly conflating the separate constructs of sex, gender, and sexuality. They assume female means feminine means heterosexual or male means masculine means heterosexual. They assume all women are feminine and would like a pink car. They assume women's hands are daintier and would need an anatomically correct pen, and they assume women want to dress up as slutty version of virtually anything for Halloween.

Second, marketers continue to drop gender stereotypes into ads because they fail to see these stereotypes are by and large outdated and untrue (if they ever were true). While there are women who prefer pink, and it has become the official color of breast cancer, the NFL has since created more realistic jerseys for its female clientele.

Third, marketers are ignorant to the diversity of preferences among women because they have long used male and female as catchall categories for segmentation. While fashion marketers have further segmented the consumer using additional demographic categories such as age and income, other industries have not followed suit. The automobile industry habitually misfires when it tries to use sex as a demographic category while doing much better using lifestyle and social class classifications.

The gender gap in the recent election, particularly among unmarried women, demonstrates that marketers aren't the only ones getting gender wrong. To stay relevant marketers, along with political parties, must learn to adapt to modern female consumer/citizens whose wants and needs reflect a new set of gender roles.

Susan Dobscha is an associate professor of marketing at Bentley University.
See all posts in Women and Business.
This story originally appeared in Advertising Age.

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Why Do Marketers (Continue to) Get Gender Wrong?

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Why do marketers continue to get gender wrong? While many women's gender roles have changed in the last 50 years, you would never know it from the types of ad appeals and product innovations companies are rolling out in order to capture the lucrative women's market.

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Marketing Through Architecture - JL LIster Architects Blog

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Marketing Through Architecture - JL LIster Architects Blog

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Here’s Why Salads Feel Feminine and Nachos Seem Manly | TIME

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Here’s Why Salads Feel Feminine and Nachos Seem Manly | TIME

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Here's Why Salads Feel Feminine and Nachos Seem Manly

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A study shows that food is marketed to each gender with healthiness overtones because that's how we respond.

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Where does architecture end and marketing begin? | Thinkpiece | Architectural Review

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Where does architecture end and marketing begin? | Thinkpiece | Architectural Review

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Where does architecture end and marketing begin?

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Design decisions are increasingly directed not by architects but by marketing executives, writes Crystal Bennes