It's "just an ad" or a plot to hack your brain?
Swipe right for cognitive dissonance...
Your brain is obsessed with you.
Every moment of every day, different regions of your brain interact to ensure you stay alive.
These processes go far beyond keeping you physically alive, but perhaps more subtly, mentally alive.
As humans, we have a strong need for a coherent identity. Your brain is constantly seeking to protect your self-esteem, avoid regret and guilt, to maintain a stable and positive self-image.
So next time you read some news about the Bernie Madoff du jour, seemingly unremorseful and unapologetic for what seems to you a clear breach of morals, remember their brain is performing impressive mental gymnastics that keeps them from facing a dangerous amount of cognitive dissonance.
For better or worse, we've inherited an evolutionary conditioning that developed over millions of years:
We are primed to pay more attention to fearful stimuli, always on alert for potential threats.
We are wired to remember things that hurt us more than things that help us.
We tend to follow the popular opinion of those around us, as a way of building stronger communities.
And despite our complex brains, we've evolved a peculiar knack for losing our keys in the most obvious places.
Every human with a brain is susceptible.
The heuristics and biases that our brains depend on don't discriminate based on IQ; we're all vulnerable to over-relying on these mental shortcuts.
Marketers are keenly aware of this, of course; human biases are a gold mine to be explored for those in the persuasion business.
And considering the current digital landscape offers scant regulation and accountability in advertising, there's only a vague motivation to approximate the truth.
The result? A marketplace flooded with offerings meticulously designed to tap into our deepest psychological drivers, often blurring the lines between need and want, reality and aspiration.
In the words of Randima Fernando, from the Center for Humane Technology:
"What used to be an evolutionary strength, has become a modern weakness preyed upon by persuasive technologies and the people that use them."
Based on my decade-long experience in marketing, here are 5 of some of the most popular biases often leveraged by marketers, and how you can spot them in the real world. You know, for science:
1. Social Proof & Confirmation Bias
Even if you pride yourself on your independent thinking, the actions of the masses can still sway your preferences.
"Like you, we believe in making choices that matter for the future. Smart investors know the value of sustainability. With [Brand]'s green investment fund, you're not just investing in the market—you're investing in the planet."
2. Authority Bias & the Bandwagon Effect
Even if you don't mind questioning authority, endorsements from perceived experts and the popularity of an idea can still influence your choices.
"Recommended by 9 out of 10 dermatologists, [Brand]'s face cream is your best choice for healthier skin."
3. Scarcity
Even if you have a general understanding of marketing strategies, the notion of limited availability can still make items seem more valuable to you.
"Only a few items left! Get your limited edition [Product] before it's gone forever."
4. Anchoring & Loss Aversion
Even if you know better than to be swayed by initial prices or discounts, they can still anchor your perception of value.
"Was $199, now just $99! Don't miss out on this unbeatable price for [Product]."
5. Decoy Effect - sometimes known as price anchoring
Even if you believe you're making choices freely, price decoy options can still steer you toward what marketers want you to choose. The decoy is positioned to make one of the original options more attractive.
Choose your perfect plan: Basic at $5/month, Standard at $10/month with additional features, or the Pro Decoy Plan at $15/month with the same features as Standard but with added premium support"
These are just a small handful of examples of biases that marketers leverage.
And if you're thinking "These are so obvious, I'm too smart to fall for it" you're really not. Most people think they're above average, which is of course, statistically impossible. This type of overconfidence bias can leave us particularly susceptible to manipulation.
Even if you know how the magic trick works, your knowledge doesn't change your perception. It still very much looks like the assistant is getting sawed in half.
“It’s a social-validation feedback loop … exactly the kind of thing that a hacker like myself would come up with, because you’re exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology. The inventors, creators – me, Mark [Zuckerberg], Kevin Systrom on Instagram, all of these people – understood this consciously. And we did it anyway.” Sean Parker, founding president of Facebook
This is why the CEOs of some of the biggest tech companies don't personally use social media, and force their children to do the same.
Rule #1 when creating addictive tech - Don't get high on your own supply.
While I've chosen to point out the most obvious biases and pair them with ad copy that stands awkwardly in your face, they are rarely this visible.
There is an entire ecosystem built around these offerings, different biases that stack up in sales page copy, in remarketing campaigns, in the words used by the influencers you follow.
We've filled social newsfeeds with provocative and performative content meant to get you stuck on some sort of moral outrage or another. You're not being shown what you want, but what you can not stop looking at until you're too deep down the rabbit hole to know the difference.
Nothing online is left to chance. Particularly when the purpose of whatever you're interacting with, is to change your mind.
Your newsfeeds. Your favorite YouTube channels and Instagram accounts. The Amazon products you daydream about.
Everything is tracked, tested, and optimized to keep you continuously engaged and in a passive state in which you can be more vulnerable to clickbait and advertisements.
So what's the big deal? It's just ads, why should you care?
I'm sure my mental model is wrong and incomplete in any number of ways. But this is a truth I suspect most marketers will agree with me on:
The most effective way to run a campaign is to sell a way of life.
And thanks to our human weaknesses, the model of what an ideal way of life looks like is unnervingly easy to sway.
It's not the clothes, or the car, or the tennis rackets you buy, it's the vision, the appeal, the illusion, the comfort, and commodities to live like that middle-class family you're jealous of.
You buy into the person, the story, the words that fill your head with noise and leave you empty. An emptiness that demands more products to be filled, more mindless entertainment, more comparisons, and more existential unease that drives an even stronger will to consume.
A hamster wheel of consumption.
As humans, we have a deep need for meaning, progress, and intimacy.
As marketers, we found a way to sell happiness in a can. A can that we’ll beat you into submission to buy before you can think too deeply about it.
So yes, it's just an ad, it’s just social media.
It's just a notification. It's just a buzz, a red dot, a flashing light. It's just a recommendation, a thoughtful suggestion, a post your friend's friend liked that you may also like.
It's just a measly scroll away. It's just the gentle pulse of your device, a quick vibration, a momentary glow.
It's just a comment, a nudge of engagement, a loop of interaction that binds you tighter with every like, share, and follow.
It's just a story, a fleeting glimpse into another's life, a snapshot that beckons for your gaze.
It's just a game, a simple tap away, a world of colors and sounds designed to enchant and captivate.
It's just an endless feed, a flood of moments and ideas, a river that flows without cease, each wave a whisper, "Stay a little longer, see a little more."
It’s just your brain, it’s just your life, it’s just your limited time.
It's just an ad.