Brand Teams, Need Help? Don’t Ask An Expert!

(But do seek an outside opinion with fresh perspective!)

Quick Introduction:

I'm not a literary star. I never was, never will be. But there are thoughts & ideas that I'd like to express that I hope will strike a chord with some of you – if you stick with it! And, I will plough on in the hope that this article might be useful to some, and might even spawn a level of debate, and who knows, might inspire more articles of random thoughts over the months and years ahead...it might even draw the odd rye smile or even a chuckle (at me, or with me - either is fine). It might even Nudge some of you to doing things differently & follow some of your peers…

This article will look at how we all need a little extra help from our (critical) friends (apologies to messrs Lennon & McCartney)…or as Richard Thaler (a contemporary of Daniel Kahneman and author of Misconeption & Nudge Theory) calls it, a “Choice Architect”. And this outside help, it has been argued, should NOT be an “expert”…

Now, a prologue:

From my time at school and university as a student of classic economics I was often torn between my attraction to simple models to explain complex entities and situations - a malaise I still endure - and the complete nonsense, or so it seemed to me, of some of the conflicting models and central tenets of classic economic theory. I was, after all, a student at the time of Reagan/Thatcher supply side economics and Laffer curves etc! One major economic theory pillar is the role of the consumer - the rational consumer - who work to optimise their resources – this concept seemed convenient for a theory but somewhat difficult to align with the other academic passion of my life, which became my major focus for degree’s & then my career; Marketing.

Many questions whizzed around (often without me developing cogent answers):

·   How can all consumers act in a rational way, free from bias, and yet there could be a multitude of different customer segments that act in similar ways to others in their segment but differently to other segments?

·   Are they all being utterly rational in all situations at all times?

·   How do they manage to be constantly rational & emotion-free?

·   Where, in the rational consumer concept, is the human passion that drives strong brand allegiances?

After the prologue, “The Bridge”…

I'm not sure I knew at the time the name of the emerging movement that would help me square away my own academic conundrum, in fact, it was many years after graduation that I truly grasped the wider concept and researched it thoroughly, but it has become commonly known as Behavioural Economics.

Now a short Disclaimer…

I do not profess to have the intellectual ability of the architects/experts of this movement, nor the time served in research to further explore it, nor the deepest recall of all elements therein. I do hope that the understanding I've gleaned & retained is sufficient and that maybe the way I've tried to apply it to my career, and now to those select (read as small number of - but clearly very discerning!) clients that use my company's services is different enough, sufficiently innovative to add value to their roles...(we are lucky to have some very, very happy partners – thank you to them!)

Central Discussion:

I have to profess that I do not like the word "expert" (or Key Opinion Leader – but that is a whole different story!), or rather it is perhaps the connotations, definitions and/or conclusions we draw if we feel we have listened to, or read articles from, undoubtedly clever and dedicated members of specific areas of specialty (or in shorthand, "experts").

And, this distrust is not that experts would be always and catastrophically “wrong”, but that we are all biased (“experts” included). No one is immune or infallible in this regard. But with the “expert” title maybe we convey some type of cure all.

One of the central points in behavioural economics, and the major reason why the trailblazing Daniel Kahneman won the Noble Memorial Prize for Economics in 2002 (based on much work with collaborator, Amos Tversky) is, as they elegantly described their research into our very human behaviour, that we all use "shortcuts" or "biases" in the way we see things, the way we make judgments and decisions. They called them heuristics. You could also consider them to be “lenses” that colour an individual’s view of the world.

We all do it. Myself included, “experts” also. It is important to re-emphasise, it is not wrong. It just is. But there is a relatively simple “fix”…

“...We are often confident even when we are wrong, and an objective observer is more likely to detect our errors than we are.” “Questioning what we believe...is difficult at the best of times, and especially when we most need to do it, but we can benefit from the informed opinions of others.” (Hahneman)

Behavioural Economics theorists assert that experts also use these "biases" and "shortcuts" (indeed the concepts of “overconfidence”, “the law of small numbers”, “anchoring” & “science of availability” might even be stronger on occasion in these expert groups), and the most troubling aspect for me has always been the fact that we are all mainly oblivious to it (these heuristics are also called “cognitive illusions”), and if pushed/questioned by others (let’s say a brand leader by other members of a brand team, or even by senior executives) we would defend our objectivity and ambivalence to bias (who doesn’t want to believe they have been completely objective?).

So, as brand teams enter the planning cycle and the time for strategic decision making and judgment of who to listen to, which data to consider, which insights can form the basis of a new competitive program, and so on; if you need help, even if you don’t think you need help, Ask. And, maybe consider asking someone you don’t know, not an expert, but an outsider, a (critical) friend, a “choice architect” who can help you/your team navigate the decision-making process and build even greater plans.

In Conclusion:

I wish to offend no one. My communication style often tries to move toward the black & white poles of the grey scale to make a point clearly. But, I do believe that we all need to step back sometimes (myself included, Step One is always awareness & acknowledgement!) from our key projects, major processes, important decisions and have someone else, from outside the team/organisation, "kick the tyres" or as we suggest, take "A Fresh Perspective", this is assuming the role of “choice architect” described by Richard Thaler is welcomed in your team/organisation/culture. And, try to make that outside observer not an “expert”. ??

If you have any comments, I'd love to hear from you. I have not referenced all of the various academic work alluded to & quoted here. I'd be happy to share references with anyone at any time (just not here to save space!). Thank you, Robin