IIeX Behavior Recap
I should have set up a NUDGE to remind me to write this post on my flight home. Instead, I sat on the plane sipping cheap wine and dozing off. IIeX Behavior was exhausting, after all!
So, what is IIeX Behavior and how does it differ from the traditional IIeX North America conference? Well, as its name so obviously describes, the Chicago conference last week focused entirely on behavioral sciences and the technologies that have cropped up to measure our unconscious and subconscious decision processes.
Perhaps because of my sociology background, I’ve always been fascinated by behavioral economics. Unfortunately, I feel that our industry has been a bit slow to catch on to the fact that consumers don’t make decisions based on Likert Scales. I’m not sure why that’s such a surprise. When was the last time you bought a box of mac ‘n’ cheese because you rated the sauce packet a 6 out of 10? Ummm…never.
So, this conference is where the behavioral nerds come together to talk about how people really make decisions. It’s the application of the grand theories of behavioral science on marketing problems. The challenge is that Behavioral Economics is a discipline wrought with theories as to why people do what they do even when it seemingly makes no sense. On the contrary, our industry is based on the idea that we can predict what people will do based on their conscious answers to our questions.
Herein lies the problem…we often try to use old, rational tools (i.e. online surveys) to measure irrational choices. Thus, what I found most fascinating about the conference wasn’t the workshops or talks, but the subsegment of technology growing up around the measurement. Sure, some technologies have been around for years (eye tracking, video ethnographies, etc), but others are really trying to push the envelope on capturing in-the-moment feedback (virtual shelves, QualSights, etc).
The challenge will be whether we can…
Figure out how and when to apply these methodologies to marketing challenges
Break our co-dependence on scales and online surveys
Convince clients to take a chance on these newer methodologies
If we can truly shift our thinking to a more behavioral approach, I see our industry embracing the complicated reality of human choices. If not, then I’m sure there are other industries that will crop up to take our place. Perhaps, we are the ones who need a little Nudge.
PS: To learn more about the Nudge, you can pick up Nudge – Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness.
