MRS BIG conferenceMay 2014
2
Our industry is not obsessed enough by the new
Our brains are wired to be biased against the new!
3
Status quo biasWe fear change; it’s easier to stick with
what we know
Herd instinctWe prefer to
follow and copy what we think
others are doing
AnchoringWe look for anchor / reference points to
adjust from
Sunk cost fallacyWe continue
investing when we have already
invested
HeuristicsOur brains use shorts cuts and heuristics to be
cognitively efficient
Confirmation bias
We only see what we believe
It is NOT the Emperor’s new clothes…
4
If research is fundamentally about understanding and
influencing behaviour
Then we have learnt more about the science of
behaviour and behavioural change in the last five years
than in the previous 145!
Behavioural and cognitive psychology is on fire
Behavioural Economics
Neuroscience / brain science
Cognitive psychology Behavioural Science
…it’s the Emperor’s new SPACESUIT!
5
A more scientific approach to how we think about behaviour and how we design research
New frameworks and concepts to understand the blueprint of current behaviour
but also how to change it
Science is on our side
This new deeper behavioural & psychological understanding challenges…
6
How we structure research methodologies and analyses
The questions we ask…and how we ask them
Pushes us to think hard about how to surface the true subconscious drivers of
behaviour
Makes us aware of the subconscious power of
concepts such framing and priming…
But more importantly behaviourally led research
harnessing BE…
7
Directs and inspires us…
Delivers more direct ways to change behaviour - more actionable output – more connection to the bottom
line £££ [ethereal / attitudinal research]
Also encourages a more experimental mindset, more scientific approaches
To think more about the critical importance of context
To think about the underlying behavioural challenge and the behavioural journey both existing and desired
8
To understand the architecture of trust and
the short cuts we can take to build it
Present choice / design choice architecture Prime and subconsciously
influence behaviour
Nudge and steer conversion – from websites journeys to call
centres scripting to M&AGain those critical
behavioural footholds [get noticed]
To communicate more cognitively sensitively to the brain two modes of thinking [system1 and
system 2]
Behavioural led research using these frameworks can impact and inspire news ways to…
9
New behavioural models and concepts are being embraced in behavioural research
10