Why Your Marketing Might Not Be Getting You The Results You Want

"I am working so hard on creating XXX but just don't seem to be getting much back. What's going on?"

I hear this a lot in my line of work. I wish I was telepathic so I could ease the feelings of disappointment and discomfort of my clients, but instead of being able to predict the future, I invite them to consider the theory of Hedonic Adaptation.

Have you heard of it?

Hedonic adaptation describes how humans become insensitive to new stimuli, and quickly readjust to an emotional baseline. We do it without realising - that new outfit that was going to be THE outfit that makes you feel amazing? Three or four wears later and meh, it looks okay, but what I really need to make it pop are some new shoes...

Or how about that new class you started? Oh my god, the rush you get afterwards makes you feel SO accomplished, until six sessions in and it becomes too easy, or boring, or too much effort to get there in busy traffic after work.

"Hedonic" describes the pleasure or displeasure of a thing or experience. Research has shown that people who win the lottery tend to return to roughly their original levels of happiness after the novelty of the win has worn off. Some even end up less happy because of changes in relationships that can occur. There is an initial influx of joy and excitement of course, but after about a year, people in their day-to-day lives experience the same general sense of happiness.

So what does this have to do with marketing?

Well, say your customer LOVED the last meal they had with you, but it's been a while (maybe 2-3 months) and they can no longer taste how tangy that salsa was, or they have forgotten just how spine-tinglingly good the live performance was they went to see at your venue. The ebbs and flows of daily life have set in, and though they remember their last visit as a positive experience, they typically need to be prompted to remember it. The "I went for such a great meal last weekend at XYZ, you should try it" urgency has naturally worn off and your customer is back to baseline with regards to your brand.

If we apply the Hedonic Adaptation theory to your marketing, the stimulus needed to create an emotion—like happiness or excitement—needs to be more intense than the last stimulus in order for someone to feel its effects.

So maybe that 10% off isn't really touching the sides because 10% off doesn't bring back how delicious their meal was with you. It prompts the memory and a possibly even a "I should totally go there again" but the impetus to book right now? The stimulus isn't there.

Stimulus, in other words, is an incentive, it's motivation, it's a stimulant to take an action. It might help to think of levels of stimuli response as percentages when planning your marketing messaging.

For example:

10% off all week - roughly 10% excitement sounds like a fair assumption to me.

Free shipping and 10% off all week - 30% excitement

Free shipping and 70% off today only - *clicks link* 60-70% excitement because of scarcity principle

Let's think of a different example and apply the same thinking.

"Come and visit us this week at our pop up store in XYZ" - 10% excitement. I have plans that weekend/I'm too busy

"Our pop up store is in XX for one weekend only, don't miss your chance to win an outfit by subscribing to our newsletter" - 20-30% hmmm worth a try

"We know how much customers love to try our clothes before they buy, which is why we've organised a pop up shop this weekend, by appointment only. We'll be bringing sale items and our new collections. Sign up now to reserve your place." - 80-90% I love XXX brand, let's see what times they have.

Humans become insensitive to new stimuli, and quickly readjust to an emotional baseline. We do it without realising and subconsciously it can have a big impact on how we do, or don't interact with brands. Of course it would be impossible to predict what the best stimulus is for your business, but a bit of trial and error might just prove an interesting exercise.