true or fake?
Our perception of whether something is true or not is due to a number of factors.
Imagine to watch a t-shirt ad that states that it will help you tone up your muscles.
What is your first thought?
Well, you might think you are a smart person and that you do realize if an ad is a fake.
We believe that misinformation is something that only affects other people.
But in fact, it is not rare to find consumers that fall for misleading and fraudulent claims.
Also, with the advent of social media, false information has grown wider than ever.
So, how do we interpret the credibility of an information?
four bias that underlie beliefs
According to a research carried out at Duke’s University, there are four psychological principles of cognition or bias that underlie belief.
These four principles impact when, why, and how we come to believe something we have been told is true or false.
Let’s see them in detail:
- Truth bias: we tend to assume that what we are being told is true. It is human nature to believe others despite evidence to the contrary. This phenomenon allows society and commerce to run efficiently. Otherwise, people would spend a huge amount of time checking information provided by others.
- Meaning extraction bias: people always look for meaning. This to fill in the gaps when information is scarse.
- Source reliability: based on strong evidency, a reliable source is one that provides a thorough, well-reasoned theory. We strongly rely on the source to evaluate the credibility of information.
- Processing fluency: this is a cognitive bias in which our opinion of something is influenced by how easily our brain processes and understands it. The easier information is to process, the more truthful it seems to us.
cognitive bias and consumer behavior
When it comes to product and service advertisement, marketing experts should keep the above-mentioned principles in mind.
But let’s take a look at an example.
A hair shampoo brand promises not to add chemicals but only natural ingredients in its product.
This shampoo works as it says backed up by science.
However, only few people believe it because they’re used to other more harsh products with great results.
In this case, the shampoo brand should apply the four psychological principles or bias.
This way, the brand would be able to
increase the chances of people believing their claim of ‘washing hair with nature’.
In fact, in this case, truth bias doesn’t apply.
People already have doubts since they’re used to the effectiveness of other shampoos containing chemicals.
Regarding meaning extraction bias, the brand will have to provide all necessary information about the shampoo.
Thereby, people won’t have to fill in any gaps themselves.
With reference to source reliability, the brand could work with some influencers to create a credible source with authority.
Furthermore, to enhance fluency, the communication of the brand should carry out visual and auditory marketing campaigns.
cognitive bias and marketing strategies
In conclusion, understanding cognitive bias is very important for marketing and consumer behavior.
In particular, it gives a good prediction of how consumers will react to advertisements and help you tailor your marketing strategies more effectively.
Interested in knowing more? Send me an email at mb@marcobaldocchi.com .
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