December 1, 2015
We’re not in the business of changing human behavior – we can’t change the fundamental human motivations – physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, discovery and aesthetics. What we can do is understand these motivations and the behaviors they drive to enable brands to connect with their audience. Through this understanding we can give consumers what they want (even if they don’t know what that is yet), when and where they want it.
Modern manufacturing methods and development techniques are ensuring that today similar products generally are just that… similar; they are well made, they do what they are meant to do and they are affordable. It is only the perception of the brand and the experience of buying/owning that marks the difference – and these facets are usually driven by marketing.
While established brands refine their product/service offerings it is their marketing innovation that really propels them forward. We understand there are brands and products who need to encourage a 'behavior change', eg. don't use water and sponges to clean your bench, use an Enjo; but we believe that human behavior is innate and largely resistant to change, therefore the key is to understand the motivations for behaviors so we can leverage those needs and genuine human truths to better market products and services.
Only in the very rarest of instances will human behavior truly change (often associated with true innovation, such as touch screen phones vs old push button) but even then, if the product is good enough to serve the benefit of the user, then behavior change is automatic because humans are always looking for easier ways to do things.
Our philosophy is to challenge this buzzword groundswell toward the need to change human behavior. We believe that we shouldn't (and usually can't) change human behavior, but we can understand the motivations behind the behavior and leverage those insights to change the perception.