Be Distinctive to Better Stand Out to Shoppers

What Hijacks Your Decisions?

It’s been another long day at work, and it’s only lunchtime.

You struggle through the afternoon, then you get a text from a group of friends. They are getting together at your favorite bar after work. You smile and text back that you’ll be there. As the day ends, you smile as you pack your stuff. Last time you went to the bar you discovered a new beer that has since become your favorite – Castle Danger Cream Ale.

You’re practically giddy at the prospect of enjoying your favorite brew with friends.

Fast forward to the bar. The waiter goes around the table, taking orders and your excitement builds further. Miller Lite, Fat Tire, Pinot Noir, Budweiser, Stella Artois, Blue Moon, Michelob Ultra, Castle Danger Cream Ale, Bud Light.

Then it’s your turn, so you order…a Sam Adams.

Wait, what just happened?!? It seems your brain hijacked your decision making.

The Science Behind How Our Brain Works

Believe it or not, the above example is the subject of psychologist and behavioral scientist research. Despite the “nerdy” bias towards academia, it turns out researchers love their beer as much as everybody else.

(Editors Note: If you conduct a Google search for “beer psychology experiment,” it returns over 8,600,000 results in just over 1/2 a second. Cheers!)

In 1960, Psychologists Howard Fromkin and C. R. Synder pointed out this typical inclination, suggesting that our desire for uniqueness is a “prevalent determinant of behavior.”

People have a psychological bias towards – and are attracted to – distinctive things. Our need for uniqueness influences our behavior. Beyond just your desires and preference, context matters, too.

Research has shown that if other people in a group order your preferred beer first, you will be less likely to order it. This is true even if that beer is something you order every other time and, even if you don’t like the other item as much.

Our brains are wired to novelty, and we are attracted to differences in our surroundings. In other words, you are likely to prefer variety for the sake of being distinct from others in your group.

What this Means for Marketing

Ideally, we’d share everything about our brand, but that’s not practical, given the interests of shoppers and the immense array of competing marketing messages. Too many messages about any brand become mere noise.

Take advantage of the fact that our brains use context to make sense of the world. We process information relative to our current context and past experiences.