the marketer's blindspot

Flint McGlaughlinManaging Director, FounderMECLABS Institute

The Marketer’s Blind Spot: How to keep from making costly mistakes with your messaging

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

20%In Clicks

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

75%In Clicks

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

20%In Downloads

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

32%In Leads

We compared the responses of 2,021 U.S. consumers and 455 marketers on preferred

marketing approaches to determine how often this type of disconnect occurs.

IN SOCIAL …

Prominently Display Social

61%20%

Want Updates via Social

Marketers

Consumers

IN SHOPPING EXPERIENCE …

Prioritize Free Shipping

18%74%


Marketers

Consumers

IN DIRECT MAIL …

Send Physical Mail Updates

19%54%

Desire Physical Mail Updates

Marketers

Consumers

IN PRODUCT DISCOVERY …

Use Online Ads

60%27%

Use Online Ads

Marketers

Consumers

IN SOCIAL …


61%Marketers

20%Consumers



18%Marketers

74%Consumers


Use Online Ads

60%Marketers

27%Consumers

Use Online Ads


19% Marketers

54% Consumers

Want Physical Mail Updates

IN DIRECT MAIL … IN PRODUCT DISCOVERY …


IN SOCIAL …


61%Marketers

20%Consumers



18%Marketers

74%Consumers


Use Online Ads

60%Marketers

27%Consumers

Use Online Ads


19% Marketers

54% Consumers

Want Physical Mail Updates

IN DIRECT MAIL … IN PRODUCT DISCOVERY …


BLIND SPOTS

In the next few minutes, we are going to answer a vital question for every marketer:

How can I discover the cause and the treatment for my inherent (marketing) blind spot?

#1 By understanding the psychological source of our disconnect

The Marketer’s Blind Spot

OCULAR BLIND SPOT (ILLUSTRATION)

A blind spot (scotoma) is an obscuration of the visual field.

A particular blind spot known as the physiological blind spot, "blind point" or punctum caecum in medical literature is the place in the visual field that corresponds to the lack of light-detecting photoreceptor cells on the optic disc of the retina where the optic nerve passes through the optic disc.

OCULAR BLIND SPOT (ILLUSTRATION)

A blind spot (scotoma) is an obscuration of the visual field.

A particular blind spot known as the physiological blind spot, "blind point" or punctum caecum in medical literature is the place in the visual field that corresponds to the lack of light-detecting photoreceptor cells on the optic disc of the retina where the optic nerve passes through the optic disc.

Pre-attentive processing is the subconscious accumulation of information from the environment. All available information is pre-attentively processed.

Then, the brain filters and processes what is important. Information that has the highest salience (a stimulus that stands out the most) or relevance to what a person is thinking about is selected for further and more complete analysis by conscious (attentive) processing.

CONTROL

CONTROL

[Headline Here]

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ALL HEADLINES FROM EXPERIMENT (BY PERFORMANCE)

10.44%

8.87%

7.46%

7.23%

5.67%

5.12%

5.03%

4.24%

3.36%

2.95%

Why did these headlines perform in this order?

?

Point-Sequenced Grammar: There are three types of sentences: point-first, point-middle and point-last. With simple logic, it’s easy to understand that placing the main point of thought in the front of the sentence has a higher probability of being read. The best headlines are typically point-first.

-25

EXPERIMENT ANALYSIS

The example headline is here.

Here the example headline is.

Here is the example headline.

POINT-SEQUENCED GRAMMAR (ILLUSTRATION)

POINTFIRST

POINTMIDDLE

POINTLAST












10.44%

8.87%

7.46%

7.23%

5.67%

5.12%

5.03%

4.24%

3.36%

2.95%

POINTFIRST

POINTLAST

-25

EXPERIMENT ANALYSIS

Point-Sequenced Grammar: There are three types of sentences: point-first, point-middle and point-last. With simple logic, it’s easy to understand that placing the main point of thought in the front of the sentence has a higher probability of being read. The best headlines are typically point-first.

-25

EXPERIMENT ANALYSIS

Customer-Centric Logic: When structuring a point-first sentence, one must ensure that the point conveys the customer’s “get” before it conveys the company’s “ask.”












10.44%

8.87%

7.46%

7.23%

5.67%

5.12%

5.03%

4.24%

3.36%

2.95%

POINTLAST

POINTFIRST

Customer Logic

“What I Get”

Company Logic

“What I Do”

The marketer’s blind spot is SELF-INTEREST.

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

173%Increase

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

47%Increase

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

112%Increase

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

137%Increase

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

189%Increase

VERSION A VERSION B

VERSION A VERSION B

197%Increase

#2 By (consistently) embracing a method for seeing through our disconnect

The Marketer’s Blind Spot

MARKETING

PSYCHOLOGY

METHODS FOR CORRECTING BLIND SPOTS

PROJECT PLANNING

Most formal disciplines have systematic methods for coping with human blind spots…

MARKETING

PSYCHOLOGY


PROJECT PLANNING

Reference Class Forecasting: Provides statistical information about the likely overruns of cost and time and about the likely underperformance of projects of different types.

REFERENCE CLASS FORECASTING (ILLUSTRATION)

Identify Ref-erence Class

Obtain Sta-tistics

Adjust Pre-diction

STEP

01STEP

02STEP

03

5

MARKETING


PROJECT PLANNING

Implicit Association Test (IAT): A measure within social psychology designed to detect a person's automatic association between mental representations of concepts in memory.

IAT (ILLUSTRATION)

PSYCHOLOGY

Male Female

Jeffrey

Career Family

Business

Maleor

Career

Femaleor

Family

Rebecca

6


PROJECT PLANNING

PSYCHOLOGY

MARKETING

Conversion Heuristic: Enables a marketer to invert his or her perspective and see through collateral into the thought sequence of the prospect. 7

CONVERSION HEURISTIC

Homepage Search/Category Page

Order Page Billing/Shipping ConfirmationProduct Page

-50%

-39%

-90% -94%

Net

Uni

que

Visi

tors

Low

High +7%

CONTROL FUNNEL


Order Page Billing/Shipping ConfirmationProduct Page

-50%

-39%

-90% -94%

Net

Uni

que

Visi

tors

Low

High +7%

CONTROL FUNNEL

It is not “how many?” but “why so?”


Order Page ConfirmationProduct Page

-50%

-39%

-90% -94%

Net

Uni

que

Visi

tors

Low

High +7%

CONTROL FUNNEL

AREA TO TEST

EXTERNALTRAFFIC

PRICEREVEALED

Billing/Shipping

CONTROL

C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©

Treatment added a cart summary with image of the vacation — reminding the customers of the value they will be receiving once complete

TREATMENT

TREATMENT

C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©

Page layout has been made linear instead of horizontal

We clearly identified the number of steps in the process

C = 4m + 3v + 2(i-f) - 2a©

Added 100% privacy guarantee

Added security seal

Offered additional one-on-one support

Added lowest rate guarantee

TREATMENT

Design Booked Vacations % Rel. Change

Control 27.40% -Treatment 37.20% 36.10%

Relative Increase In Conversion 36%The Treatment increased conversion rate by 36.10%.

! What You Need to Understand: By utilizing the Conversion Heuristic, the Treatment generated a 36.1% higher total conversion rate than the Control.

1. http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/infographic-consumers-know-exactly-how-they-want-be-marketed-1678402. http://www.britannica.com/science/blind-spot3. http://ccnss.org/ccn_2014/materials/pdf/sigman/callibration_probabilities_lichtenstein_fischoff_philips.pdf

Hazard, T. H., & Peterson, C. R. Odds versus probabilities for categorical events. Technical Report 73-2. McLean, VA: Decisions and Designs, Inc., 1973.Phillipsi L. D., & Wright, G. N. Cultural differences in viewing uncertainty and assessing probabilities. In H. Jungermann & G. deZeeuw (Eds.), Decision making and change in human affairs. Amsterdam: D. Reidel, 1977.Lichtenstein, S., & Fischhoff, B. Do those who know more also know more about how much they know? The calibration of probability judgments. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 1977, 20, 159-183. Lichtenstein, S., & Fischhoff, B. How well do probability experts assess probability? Decision Research Report 80-5, 1980(a). Lichtenstein, S., & Fischhoff, B. Training for calibration. Organizational Behavior .and Human Performance, 1980(b), 26, 149-171.

4. Mlodinow, Leonard. Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior. First edition. Pantheon Books, 2012.5. http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1302/1302.3642.pdf6. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html7. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l

=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/8155995

ENDNOTES

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/infographic-consumers-know-exactly-how-they-want-be-marketed-167840

http://www.britannica.com/science/blind-spot

http://ccnss.org/ccn_2014/materials/pdf/sigman/callibration_probabilities_lichtenstein_fischoff_philips.pdf

http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1302/1302.3642.pdf

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/8155995

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/8155995

the marketer's blindspot

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