Consumer to Behavioural Economist: Don’t nudge me too hard please!

Nudges, now almost a decade old, have been increasingly popularized as a consumer influence strategy and hence as a means to maximize the positive impact of marketing strategies. The marketing stimuli are generally situated against the context of response they might generate. But can nudges backfire? Not only there needs to be a clear cognizance of distinction between nudging and patronizing. But also between subtle nudging and nudging too much which might end up undermining intrinsic consumer behaviour and motivations.

For Eg: for a blog subscription , readers might be presented two choices

1. Yes, subscribe me to blog for latest updates
2. No, I do not want to stay updated. Thank you.

At the most apparent level, these two alternative seem to be nudging readers towards making a specific choice. However, while the choice architecture does not take away the freedom of decision making, but it presents the second alternative as stigmatic and condescending triggering a feeling of guilt if the first choice is not made.

This is just one example of poorly considered nudge, which are like ticking bombs in marketing and consumer outreach strategy hence soliciting a negative reaction.Hence, while marketing firms on varied platforms tend to resort to nudging consumers, but they need to be mindful of that their influence strategy should not be built on negativity and judgementalism. In a world where consumer Is a king stronger than ever before, achieving bigger sale number and having expanded market influence might not happen by de-meaning the intrinsic behaviour but by using motivational tools and strategies.

Thoughts?