You are not so smart- Applying lessons to Branding
"You are not so Smart" is a book written by Davdi McRaney, about human psychology. In simple words, the book says,"You think you are right when most of the time you might not be". Perhaps, it says "You are not"!
From the first day of being introduced to marketing concepts, I could sense how deeply and intricately psychology is linked with marketing. (Again, like the book says, my perception could be a fallacy ;-) )Since then, whenever I come across a psychology concept, I try to understand it from the perspective of a marketer. One such concept from the book which caught my eye, is Illusion of Assymetric Insight.
The Illusion of Asymmetric Insight refers to the tendency for individuals to believe they understand others better than others understand them (I know them better than they know me). If we look at this from the lens of 'Johary Window' concept, it should probably fall under the 'Hidden area'-known to self, not known to others.
How is this bias a problem?
It tends to make us overestimate about how well we can perceive and predict others' thoughts and actions, ignoring our own behavioral complexities.
How does this affect branding?
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Branding, is such a great tool when used wisely. It is a strategic tool to position one's product in consumer's mind with an identity.
Let's consider the example of how Crystal Pepsi had failed. The decision to launch a colourless drink rised from the trend to launch 'healthy drinks' (laughs and tears) The Crystal Pepsi was made colourless, as they thought a colourless drink was the answer to the trend. But, we humans tend to associate taste with colour and people were not sure how this pepsi should taste like.
(You can read more about it here in this article, written by Fernando Arendar ?? : https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/reason-why-pepsi-crystal-failed-fernando-arendar/)
Brands tend to believe they have a clear and in-depth understanding of their audience and then continue to develop customer personas. But, this could be biased.
Now that you have read this article, would you like to think when was the last time you were through the 'illusion of assymetric insight'?
Transforming future business leaders through impactful marketing education and leadership training.
12 个月Rightly said. Sometimes in the process of understanding the audience better, we rely on stereotypes or generalizations rather than digging deep into the specific needs, preferences, and behaviors of a particular customer segment which actually leads us making wrong branding related decisions.??
Pursing (PHD) &Healthcare aspirant Turned Educator, Bridging Industry Wisdom with Business Insight at Vishwa Vishwani Institute of Management - Hyd
12 个月Great work Bhavana Kambhammettu Yes , This illusion can lead to Misunderstanding, Conflicts and Difficulties in communication, Recognizing and understanding. Not only marketing perspective but also Teachers / Health care professionals like us should also needs to take this seriously as we often communicate complex ideas to students .. Great Information ??
Neuropackaging | Packaging Design Through Consumer Behavior | International Speaker | Founder Nitid Studio
12 个月Interesting article. Thanks for including mine as a quote.
Graduate Student @ Spears School of Business - OSU | MS MIS @OSU
12 个月Great read!