For many decades now agencies have been selling a user journey that is simply not true to how audiences behave:
Awareness > Consideration > Purchase > Loyalty > Advocacy
If this journey was true, then our job as marketers would be pretty easy. But let’s face it, it isn’t. The problem is that this journey was created based on the assumption, made by standard neoclassical economic analysis, that humans make rational decisions. The truth is, they rarely do.
Michael Fishman, an expert in the behaviour and psychology of the consumer, said, “Most people can’t answer the simple question of why they want the things they want. That’s because our brain drives our decision-making process in ways that we’re not really aware of.”
Today people will make judgments and talk about a brand’s credibility even if they’re not in the market for a particular product. This behaviour, in turn, influences those who are actually in the market to purchase. A prime example of this was seen recently when Jean-Claude Van Damme did the splits while cruising on the side-view mirrors of two Volvo trucks. Now, I’m not sure about you but at the point of clicking that share button I was certainly not in the market for a truck. I still don’t own one now. But The Wall Street Journal reported that sales of Volvo trucks had risen by 31%. So, why is this?
One of the principles of behavioural economics states that, “Other people’s behaviour matters”. So, the more people advocate Volvo’s campaign, the more people will agree it’s a pretty cool truck. The point is, the consumer jumped from the ‘awareness’ phase, straight to ‘advocacy’. Which then influenced the qualified audience to enter the ‘consideration’ and ‘purchase’ funnel.
So perhaps we need a
new consumer journey. One that is true to today’s audiences, that is more
beneficial for our clients, and that gives agencies the chance to do work that really
connects with people.