There were some extremely interesting points raised by Rory Sutherland in the area of behavioural economics during this morning’s IAPI seminar. For agencies it was a welcome articulation of the fact that pure logic based solutions to consumer problems do not properly account for the often seemingly illogical nature of people. The context in which people make decisions can create a situation where oblique thinking can have the most effective outcome for businesses.
One of the many points made which I found extremely interesting was in an area that Rory termed disproportionality. By this he meant the fact that relatively small details and initiatives can have a disproportionate effect on a person’s perception of a branded product or experience. A small, relatively low cost detail that is refreshing, different or innovative can be remembered and valued by consumers for much longer than costly, heavy weight activity coming from an obvious angle.
Such details can even out-weight negative associations. I recently ran a half-marathon in Limerick, which although very successful as an event, had some small practical errors based on the fact that it is a brand new event.
The roads were not closed, runners were given cups instead of bottles to drink from (almost impossible while running) and the distance of the 10k event had been miscalculated. However, despite these teething problems in the inaugural event, what many runners were focusing on was the fact that the first names of runners were printed above their displayed race numbers, instantly making the race more personal. This small detail, easily arranged through registration information, was hugely impactful and was focused on more than any practical details. It allowed supporters to urge people on by name and seemed the main topic of discussion after the event. Small details based on the right insight can have a huge impact. The breakfast seminar from IAPI was a really useful and held great insights for agencies.
