By John Sisson (President)
I’ve heard that the easiest way to tell if someone is a Pioneer is to look for the arrows in their back.
It is true that if you forge a new path, not only will there be obstacles, but there will be legions of detractors, skeptics and naysayers.
Because of our pioneering effort to leverage behavioral science in marketing, we at Wilde Agency often hear that our efforts are counter to the norm and therefore can’t be effective.
We can argue about the details around what we do and how we do it – and I hope you’ll contact me to do just that – but in this post, I want to tell you what it takes to be successful in an environment of those skeptics and detractors I spoke about earlier.
For us, success in our pioneering efforts comes down to three behavioral economics principles – Cognitive Fluency, the Authority Principle and the Von Restorff Effect.
1. COGNITIVE FLUENCY
Cognitive Fluency holds that when we communicate, in words and design, simplicity is key. In fact, people will believe what we say to be truer based on our simplicity of presentation. Better put? If your marketing is confusing and hard to digest, people will think you’re hiding something.
From a pioneering perspective, to me, this is about clarity of purpose. As a Pioneer, you need to be able to communicate quickly, succinctly and fluently who you are and what you do.
At Wilde Agency, for instance, we say “We drive engagement with Science”. Simple really. We may still get skeptics, but we have a flag to press on with – a simple, cognitively fluent statement that guides our continued action.
2. THE AUTHORITY PRINCIPLE
The Authority Principle holds that people will respect and often do what those in authority tell us to do. We automatically assume that more educated or powerful people than us “know better”.
As a Pioneer, you need guides. They may blaze the trail or keep watch on the flanks, but these guides make all the difference in keeping the journey as safe as possible, the aforementioned arrows notwithstanding.
At Wilde Agency, we’re fortunate to have brilliant Behavioral Economists and Social Scientists to rely on as our authorities. Dan Ariely, Richard Thaler, George Loewenstein, Gerald Zaltman. The list goes on and on.
I’m not trying to imply that these authorities work for us, but their research and writing acts not only as a guide, but as proof that the impact of our work deploying behavioral science in marketing can be effective. We occasionally even get recognition from them for having blazed the trail by bringing behavioral science to marketing.
3. THE VON RESTORFF EFFECT
Lastly, the Von Restorff Effect holds that we will notice what’s different or out of place, and we react and remember it more readily than things that are normal.
Now, as a Pioneer, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go out in the middle of an open field with a big red target on your back, because the truth is, that you will be shot at for taking a unique approach.
Yet, being different and noticed is really necessary, independent of the negative consequences. We all want our business to be differentiated and noticed, and in our case, behavioral science helps us do that.
So, we do have skeptics, but there’s nothing more satisfying as a Pioneer than to overcome the objections of the skeptics, defy the naysayers and convince your detractors that what you do, even though it’s new, is effective and right for the times.
From one Pioneer to all others, go get ‘em!
John Sisson is the President of Wilde Agency. Previously, he’s written posts about customer advocacy and the power of infographics. If you’d like to discuss these topics, pioneering or anything else marketing-adjacent, he can be reached directly on Twitter, @JohnSissonUW.
To learn more about Wilde Agency’s pioneering effort to leverage behavioral science in marketing, please feel free to contact us now at info@wildeagency.com, or follow us on any of our social media pages for additional content – LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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