Veteran-Owned Business

Consulting

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

<p>Mindstate Group is the leading behavioral research consultancy specializing in identifying and influencing the non-conscious factors driving consumer decision-making and purchases.</p><p><br></p><p>We use proprietary behavioral science-based research methods to deeply understand customer decisions and behaviors.</p><p><br></p><p>Simply put… We reveal key drivers of consumer choice and decisions to grow your brand and organizational impact.</p>

Mindstate Group

For smaller businesses ready to expand their brand reach and online presence

Essentials

United States of America

United Kingdom

Canada

China

Germany

Argentina

Brazil

Indonesia

Mexico

Spain

We conduct behavioral science-based market research to uncover new, smart, actionable insights to increase your impact. 

Consumer Purchase Behavior Research

Psychological / Motivational Research

Artificial Intelligence / AI-Powered Insight Platforms

Emotional Measurement

Ethnography

VIEW OUR SERVICES

<p class="p1">In today&rsquo;s rapidly evolving marketing landscape, market research professionals are increasingly confronted with a significant challenge: How do we authentically capture the "full <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/market-research-trends/to-hear-the-voice-of-the-customer-your-systems-must-listen-like-a-person" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voice of the customer</a>" to enable our brands to make well-informed, consumer-centric decisions? This is a daunting task, considering the multifaceted nature of consumer behavior and the lack of tools and expertise in behavioral science today.</p>
<p class="p1">While market researchers have a plethora of tech-enabled tools and methods at their disposal, there's a critical aspect of every research study that often gets overlooked in our quest for speed and efficiency.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Simply collecting data on customer attitudes and opinions doesn't suffice. We need to delve deeper into customer goals to drive their attitudes and opinions so that these insights can be used for meaningful marketing and innovation.</p>
<p class="p1">Why goals, you ask?&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1">Well, because goals are arguably the most important behavioral factor driving people&rsquo;s decisions and our ability to influence them. Not biases. Not motivations. Not social influence. No&hellip; not even mindstates.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1">Customer goals are most critical for market research professionals to identify because NO <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/research-methodologies/the-power-of-emotional-needs-in-consumer-purchases-insights-from-two-studies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">customer purchase or decision </a>(outside of a reflex) happens without a goal in mind.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>This doesn&rsquo;t mean that your customers are aware of these goals. In fact, most often, they are not aware of them at all! However, their subconscious knows these goals well&hellip; and always has them &ldquo;<em>in mind</em>&rdquo; when shopping. <span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1">Therefore, identifying your customers' <em>functional, higher-order</em>, and <em>aspirational</em> goals, also known as jobs-to-be-done, isn't a luxury in market research studies&mdash;these insights are paramount. They empower brand teams to create products and messages that deeply connect with their customers on a profound, often subconscious, level.</p>
<p class="p1"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Here&rsquo;s why each is so essential.</strong></span></p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Exploring <span class="s2">functional goals</span> (aka jobs to be done) provides brands with clear insights into what <strong>attributes and features</strong> customers value most and <strong>how to build future messaging and innovations </strong>against them<strong>. </strong></li>
<li class="li1">Uncovering <span class="s2">higher-order goals</span> (aka emotional jobs to be done) unlocks the emotional "<em>why</em>" behind these desired features, providing a foundation for understanding <strong>how to talk about your product or service.&nbsp;</strong></li>
<li class="li1">Lastly, identifying <span class="s2">aspirational goals</span> (aka aspirational jobs to be done) allows you to align your brand messaging and experiences to your customers' aspirations. This guides <strong>how to talk about your brand</strong> to form deep emotional connections and foster loyalty.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p1">Incorporating the activities outlined below into qualitative and quantitative research can uncover these non-conscious goals in ways that traditional research and AI often miss.</p>
<p class="p1">Here are seven of my favorite projective-based techniques you can utilize in your next market research initiative to identify these vital goals and provide you with deep, actionable, human insights.</p>
<h2 class="p2">My Top 7 Projective Techniques</h2>
<ol>
<li><strong>Storytelling</strong>:&nbsp;Leverage the intrinsic power of narrative by inviting customers to share their experiences. For instance, ask them, "Tell me about the first time you bought that product." <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/grow-your-insights-business/the-power-of-stories-why-market-researchers-should-embrace-storytelling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stories can unlock the emotional </a>undercurrents influencing purchasing behaviors, offering you a view of the world through your consumers' eyes.</li>
<li><strong>Image Sorting</strong>: This approach helps gather insights into what really matters to consumers. Ask participants to sort images into different categories and then discuss their choices. This method not only reveals their values but also illuminates how they perceive various aspects of your brand.</li>
<li><strong>Collage Building</strong>: Collages are more than just art projects&mdash;they can uncover deep insights into consumer aspirations. Encourage respondents to create a collage representing their ultimate goals related to your product category. Through discussions, examine the themes and feelings that emerge. This can clarify how these desires translate to your brand.</li>
<li><strong>Third-Party Role-Playing</strong>: Ask consumers to take on an &ldquo;observer&rdquo; role, analyzing their behaviors from an outsider's perspective. This can help break down personal biases and expose insights into ritualistic behaviors and deep-seated thoughts.</li>
<li><strong>Personification</strong>: Engage respondents in envisioning your brand as a character. Ask them, "If your brand were a superhero, who would it be?" This imaginative approach can shed light on the qualities they value most in your brand, aiding in the crafting of resonant marketing messages.</li>
<li><strong>Deprivation</strong>: Use the concept that "absence makes the heart grow fonder." Prompt participants to consider how their lives would change without your brand. Alternatively, request that customers go without using your brand for several days. This exercise can underscore the significance&mdash;or lack thereof&mdash;that your brand holds in their lives, helping you grasp its broader context.</li>
<li><strong>Word Association</strong>:&nbsp;Supplement traditional storytelling techniques with word associations to probe even deeper life objectives. This method helps marketers understand how customers' mental models of a brand align with their overarching goals. This holistic approach equips you with the insights necessary to construct emotionally engaging messages.</li>
</ol>
<h2 class="p3">Application</h2>
<p class="p1">Once you&rsquo;ve collected and synthesized these insights, the next step involves pinpointing the functional, higher-order, and aspirational goals that your research has revealed. Share these findings with your marketing teams to aid them in crafting products and messages that resonate on a truly human level.</p>
<p class="p1">Remember to use functional goals to list features and benefits around which to build your offerings. Leverage higher-order goal insights to guide the narrative on how to talk about your products. Lastly, utilize the understanding derived from aspirational goals activities to refine how you articulate your brand.</p>
<p class="p1">By embracing and implementing these projective techniques, market research professionals can uncover the deeper layers of consumer motivations, allowing for richer, more informed insights. These insights drive strategies that create profound connections with your audience, fostering loyalty and advancing your brand in the competitive marketplace.</p>

Explore the challenges of researchers to authentically capture the full voice of the customer to drive consumer-centric decisions in a complex landscape.

7 Projective Techniques for Discovering Hidden Customer Goals

<p class="p1">The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has transformed market research by providing powerful tools like Large Language Models (LLMs) and Natural Language Processing (NLP). By combining these two technologies through Behavioral AI, market researchers can easily summarize conversational data AND uncover new behavioral insights that are often hidden inside with unprecedented detail.</p>
<p class="p1">Discover three steps to move beyond surface-level data to uncover the psychological motives driving consumer behavior, all while saving time and resources. Dive in to learn the keys to generating smarter, actionable insights that can propel your brand forward. Enjoy the video!</p>
<p class="p1"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/INmP08mzUlE?si=qvONxUfcusRbMB28" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"></iframe></p>

Explore how AI, LLMs, and NLP revolutionize market research. Uncover deep consumer insights and psychological motives while optimizing time and resources.

Beyond Surface Insight: How Behavioral AI Uncovers New, Deep Behavioral Insights for Market Researchers

<p class="p1">In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, understanding your customers is more important than ever. Yet, a significant portion of business data remains untapped and unanalyzed, because it lies in the open-ends and other unstructured data that is collected, but never explored.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>In this video below, we explore the critical role Behavioral AI plays in unlocking deep insights from this unstructured data, and provide a basic framework to follow when you want to use Behavioral AI to uncover the hidden &ldquo;whys&rsquo; inside your brand insights data.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0Z7hJ40TgE?si=FochAMkrkISIphlG" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>

Dive into the world of Behavioral AI and unlock the potential of unused data. Gain valuable insights to drive smarter and more informed decisions with data.

Behavioral AI: Uncover Hidden Emotional Drivers of Consumer Behavior

<p class="p1">Lately, more and more brand teams tell us the same story.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>We have lost human empathy.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>In our rush to get faster, cheaper insights, we over-survey and analyze Nielsen or IRI data to a point where our customers are nothing more than data points placed on PowerPoint decks. If you feel your organization has lost deep psychological empathy, this video has you covered.</p>
<p class="p1">Simply put, consumer empathy is about understanding customers' underlying needs and feelings. It goes beyond merely understanding how to make them buy your products.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Empathy takes a broader perspective to have you consider all facets of their lives.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Imagine stepping into their shoes, feeling what they feel, and recognizing that they are real people with broader lives, jobs, passions, and pains. And by FEELING these things, we can connect with them at a human level to build products or services that will help them reach their goals with you by their side.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1">Novel idea, right?</p>
<p class="p1">In this video, we will unravel five forces that should be explored deeply if you need to build genuine empathy with your customers so that you can develop a robust insights agenda and future ethnographic studies around.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1">Prepare to embark on a journey through the psychological, socio-economic, cultural, personal, and economic factors that shape us as human beings.</p>
<p class="p1"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JP6Kroa3N_M?si=nVchRnGyS3Im1vHW" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>

Explore the five pivotal behavioral forces for building psychological empathy in your insights agenda and future ethnographic studies.

 The 5 Behavioral Forces Used to Build Consumer Empathy

<p class="p1">Do you want to avoid unfruitful market research reports and insights that take you nowhere? If so, take a few minutes to dive into this video, &ldquo;Five Ways to Make Your Behavioral Science Marketing Research More Actionable.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="p1">This video guide highlights the lessons acquired over 25 years of conducting <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/behavioral-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener">behavioral science</a> research to show you how to circumnavigate the common pitfalls early in these projects that can keep you from uncovering new, smart, and actionable insights needed for successful implementation.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1">With five distinct strategies, from following a behavioral change model to walking side by side with your marketers, this video offers simple, practical steps to maximize your impact and make your research more actionable.</p>
<p class="p1"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GA0MDkJY-8I?si=0VDcv1KjgQQWwoYW" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>

Discover the secrets to successful implementation through 25 years of behavioral science research, avoiding common pitfalls and gaining actionable insights.

Five Ways to Make Your Behavioral Science Marketing Research More Actionable

<p class="p1"><em><strong>Editor's Note:</strong> We'd be remiss if we didn't seize this opportunity to plug Will's workshop at IIEX Behavior 2023, taking place next week on December 5th &amp; 6th. He'll be facilitating a pre-event workshop on, "<strong>Using Applied Behavioral Science to Build Your Psychological Intuition" &mdash; </strong><a href="https://www.greenbook.org/events" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here to register!</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p class="p1">The world of consumer insights is evolving at a staggering pace. Just when you think you have a grip on the latest advancements in our industry, another breakthrough technology emerges overnight. Artificial Intelligence anyone??</p>
<p class="p1">While these developments offer newfound efficiency and accuracy, they also run the risk of stripping away the very essence of what makes us human: the power of human connection. That's why I absolutely cannot wait for the annual IIEX Behavior conference. As a marketing professional, this event is my compass, guiding me toward a more powerful and empathetic way to approach market research and connect with our customers.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1">This will be my <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/events" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10<span class="s1"><sup>th</sup></span> IIEX Behavior conference</a>, and this still is my favorite conference of the year.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Year after year, IIeX Behavior continues to redefine what an innovative marketing research conference should be. Unlike typical conferences that regurgitate the same old topics, this event brilliantly combines cutting-edge insights from behavioral science with the latest technologies aimed at understanding human behaviors. It not only challenges my current thinking but provides a glimpse into the future potentials of marketing research.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1">What truly sets IIEX Behavior 2023 apart is the caliber of speakers gathered under one digital roof. Tucked away inside this virtual event are thought leaders and practitioners at the forefront of the behavioral science field. Their fresh perspectives and untapped knowledge make me feel like a student again, eagerly soaking up the latest developments and insights within this rapidly evolving discipline. Whether you're an experienced expert or newcomer in the field, this is the place to be.</p>
<p class="p1">The best part? The <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/events" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IIEX </a>Behavior conference is all about application, not theory. As the day progresses and the sessions unfold, I find myself becoming increasingly inspired by the workshop-style formats and interactive experiences shared by attendees and speakers alike. By the time the event wraps up, I am equipped with a toolkit of new approaches and strategies ready to be applied immediately. The impact is tangible, and the results have been nothing short of transformative for my company.</p>
<p class="p1">For those of you seeking a solace of human connection amidst the whirlwinds of change, join me at the upcoming IIEX Behavior conference, taking place virtually from December 5th to December 6th. No matter where you are in the world, this year's digital format ensures that you'll be able to engage with industry leaders, access groundbreaking research techniques, and embrace practical applications in real-time.</p>
<p class="p1">Hope to see you there.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1">Will Leach</p>
<p class="p1">CEO, Mindstate Group.</p>

Join the annual IIEX Behavior conference to explore the evolving world of consumer insights and harness the power of human connection in market research.

Why You Should Attend IIeX Behavior 2023 Conference

Why You Should Attend IIEX Behavior 2023 Conference

<p class="p1">In marketing research, discovering profound customer insights that drive successful decision-making is our ultimate goal.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>However, this becomes increasingly difficult when our insights budgets have dried for the year.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Fortunately, a treasure trove of new, untapped consumer insights lies inside those old qualitative interviews, reports, and open ends sitting on the shelf in your cubicle, just waiting to be rediscovered.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1">But here&rsquo;s the problem. Finding these hidden human insights often requires a specialization in Behavioral Science to identify these artifacts, and analyzing unstructured text data using the necessary Behavior Science lens is impossible when we're stuck in meetings all day and don&rsquo;t know where to start.</p>
<p class="p1">Who has the time or energy to re-analyze these old reports for fresh insights? Nobody!&nbsp;</p>
<p class="p1">However, by fusing the powers of <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AI</a> and <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/behavioral-science" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Behavioral Science</a>, we can unlock this hidden potential without manually rereading hours of interview transcripts or open-ends, hoping that something jumps out to us.</p>
<h2 class="p1">The Potential of Unstructured Data:</h2>
<p class="p1">Did you know that a staggering 90% of business data is unstructured? It's a gold mine waiting to be discovered within those forgotten open-ended survey responses, qualitative interviews, and product reviews. Unfortunately, only 10% of this wealth of data is correctly analyzed for behavioral insights. We need to tap into this untapped potential, but this requires more than summarization tools like ChatGPT and others.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>It requires adding Behavioral Science to AI.</p>
<h2 class="p1">Harnessing Behavioral Science and AI:</h2>
<p class="p1">By harnessing the incredible synergy between AI and Behavioral Science, we can unearth new, previously overlooked insights from existing unstructured data. This is not just about utilizing cutting-edge natural language processing models; it's about training these models to specifically identify behavioral insights and the underlying psychology behind the answers people give you in these studies.</p>
<p class="p1">Integrating NLP (natural language processing) technology trained in Behavioral Science-based analysis empowers us to uncover the psychological factors that drive our customers. We can uncover deep psychological factors driving their buying decisions, such as their goals, motivations, decision-making approaches, and cognitive biases. This specialized lens allows us to guide our brands toward powerful, data-driven strategies without the need for extensive new research.</p>
<h2 class="p1">Benefits of Analyzing Your Unstructured Data in this Way:</h2>
<p class="p1">Featuring AI-driven Behavioral Science analysis on your preexisting unstructured data offers numerous benefits for your business growth:</p>
<p class="p1">1.&nbsp;<span class="s1">Time and Resource Savings</span>: When you run your previous research through these models, you can say goodbye to unnecessary new and expensive research projects. AI-powered analysis of your unstructured data accelerates insight generation, minimizing costs and delivering newfound understanding faster.</p>
<p class="p1">2.&nbsp;<span class="s1">Profound Customer Understanding</span>: Traditional tools like ChatGPT, or any of the dozens of models sold today, fall short of finding psychological truths in qualitative data. Why?<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Because these models were trained on massive data sets and how to summarize data without any guidance on what to look for in data to uncover behavioral insights.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Behavioral Science-equipped AI has been developed and trained for this work, thereby able to reveal the untapped depths of customer goals, motivations, tendencies, and cognitive biases.</p>
<p class="p1">3.&nbsp;<span class="s1">More Impactful Messaging</span>: Armed with the behavioral insights gathered from your customer data, you can use this to create highly personalized, engaging messaging that connects with your customers on a subconscious level because you are using the exact words that they use when describing what they want, and why they want it.</p>
<h2 class="p1">Choose the Right Supplier and Data Sources:</h2>
<p class="p1">To fully leverage this potential, choose your supplier or consultant wisely. Don&rsquo;t just give your data to a tech company that uses impressive buzzwords like &ldquo;Generative AI.&rdquo;<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Partner with experts in marketing research who understand how the original data was collected and understand that throwing all the data into a model and seeing what comes out is the path to very misleading outputs and conclusions.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Place more weight on consultants with strong Behavioral Science research expertise and willing to tell you the pros and cons of using their behavioral model over others.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>The success of adding Behavioral Science to AI is NOT in the AI technology, but rather the expertise around human behaviors.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp; </span>Anyone can access dozens of AI models with the swipe of a credit card and tell you they are leaders in AI.</p>
<p class="p1">Net: Don't fall for big buzzwords and empty promises; ask them the tough questions and demand specific insights their AI model will uncover.</p>
<h2 class="p1">Unveiling Your Hidden Gold:</h2>
<p class="p1">Imagine the potential locked within your existing data sets.<a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/behavioral-insights-academy/the-four-human-insights-every-marketing-research-professional-must-know-to-solve-any-business-challenge" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Strategic customer insight</a>s buried deep within qualitative interviews are crucial to product expansion possibilities&mdash;valuable insights hidden in the dense collection of product reviews and service feedback. The answers to your questions lie therein, awaiting discovery.</p>
<p class="p1">Using Behavioral Science-based AI to re-analyze your previous research studies, you can uncover hidden gold to support your brand teams in Q4 at one-third the time and cost of new marketing research.</p>

Discover how applying the right AI to customer insights maximizes your budget and transforms old data into a gold mine.

Unlock Deeper Customer Insights By Adding Behavioral Science to AI

<p>In the fast-paced world of marketing, understanding human behavior is like holding the key to a treasure trove of brand growth opportunities. As marketing research professionals, you&#8217;re already equipped with a unique advantage – your daily interactions with the intricate nuances of human behavior. But it&#8217;s time to elevate your role from brand strategist to behavioral designer. Imagine wielding the power to shape strategies and mold customer behavior. Welcome to the realm of unlocking brand value through behavioral psychology and design.</p>

        <div class="post-related-post">
            <h3>Related</h3>
            <h4><a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/podcasts/optimizing-research-strategies-with-behavioral-science">Optimizing Research Strategies with Behavioral Science</a></h4>
        </div>
    
<p>This video below delves into the four behavioral insights needed to solve almost any brand growth challenge.  These behavioral insights will help you increase brand penetration and product trial, elevate repeat purchases, amplify frequency, revive lapsed users, and more.  This isn&#8217;t just about insights; it&#8217;s about transforming your role into a brand growth catalyst.</p>
<h2>Insight #1: Understanding Customer Goals for Brand Penetration and Product Trial:</h2>
<p>The first critical insight involves peering into the minds of your customers to uncover their goals. What drives them to try a new product or engage with your brand? By unraveling their functional and aspirational goals, you can strategically capture and maintain attention on your messaging and increase brand penetration and product trial.  This insight isn&#8217;t just about understanding their needs or their “job to be done.”  It&#8217;s also identifying what they aspire to achieve and making your brand an enabler along their journey.</p>
<h2>Insight #2: Discovering the Motivators That Drive Repeat Purchases and Bring Back Lapsed Users:</h2>
<p>Repeat purchases are the backbone of brand success. This second insight revolves around comprehending what motivates your customers to return for more. Dive deep into their emotional motivations and your brand&#8217;s unique role in giving them the fuel to act.  With this knowledge, you can tailor experiences and communications that foster enduring connections. This isn&#8217;t just about transactions; it&#8217;s about building relationships that breed a renewed interest in your brand, amplifying repeat purchases, and rekindling the interest of lapsed users.</p>
<h2>Insight #3: Decoding Customer Regulatory Approach for Enhanced Value Perceptions:</h2>
<p>Have you ever wondered why some customers meticulously plan their shopping trips while others take a more spontaneous approach? The third insight revolves around identifying your customers&#8217; regulatory approach. This psychological framework guides how they intuitively navigate decisions, affecting their basket ring and overall value perceptions. By understanding this approach, you can frame your offerings and marketing strategies to align with their preferred decision-making approach, nudging them toward more significant purchases and even elevating their perception of value.</p>
<h2>Insight #4: Harnessing Cognitive Heuristics for Impulsive Purchases:</h2>
<p>The final insight takes you deep into cognitive heuristics – those subconscious mental shortcuts we all take when making decisions. By tapping into these psychological tendencies, you can ignite a spark of impulsivity in your customers. This translates to more items per purchase, driving up the average transaction value. Uncover how scarcity, social proof, and anchoring influence buying behavior, and learn how to weave them into your strategies for strategic impact.</p>
<h2>Transforming Insights into Action:</h2>
<p>As marketing research professionals, you&#8217;re uniquely poised to shape the future of your brand’s growth. By embracing behavioral research and weaving these four insights into your research studies, you&#8217;ll have what you need to drive brand penetration, repeat purchases, and almost any other growth challenge.</p>
<h4>Watch the video now and unlock the potential to grow brand value like never before.</h4>


Understanding human behavior is key to brand growth. Learn four human insights that can be used to unlock brand value through behavioral psychology and design.

The Four Human Insights Every Marketing Research Professional Must Know to Solve Any Business Challenge

<p>In our current world of exponential brand choices, it is increasingly important to have a “sticky” customer base who keeps coming back for more. Not only will this increase your revenue and profitability, but it&#8217;ll also make your brand more reputable and save you on marketing costs.</p>
<p>So, how do you do it?</p>
<p>Well, it starts off with forgetting about creating brand loyalty and instead focusing on building “brand attachment”. From a behavioral psychology perspective, there is a big difference between the two ideas, and it&#8217;s crucial to understand the distinction.</p>
<p>While brand loyalty is great, it generally only generates sales from existing customers and doesn&#8217;t necessarily create passionate advocates who will promote your brand to others. Brand attachment, on the other hand, is a deep emotional connection that leads to long-term loyalty and advocacy, and that&#8217;s where you want to be in today’s highly competitive world.</p>

        <div class="post-related-post">
            <h3>Related</h3>
            <h4><a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/insights/what-is-brand-tracking">What is Brand Tracking?</a></h4>
        </div>
    
<p>So, what&#8217;s the difference between brand loyalty and brand attachment, you ask? Brand loyalty is when a customer has a strong emotional connection with a brand because of the principles or standards that the brand represents. But brand attachment is when a customer develops an emotional connection with a brand because it aligns with their subconscious desires and needs as a person. And when customers feel attached to a brand, they become vocal advocates who will promote your brand to others.</p>
<p>To achieve brand attachment, you need to connect your brand to your customers&#8217; subconscious desires vs. just relying on providing a quality product or service that meets their “unmet needs”. Attachment comes by building a deep emotional connection with your customers to make them feel like you truly understand and care about them as individuals, not consumers. This means going above and beyond their expectations and providing them with experiences and products that align with their deepest motivations and desires, even when they are buying outside of your category.</p>
<p>In conclusion, building brand attachment should be the ultimate goal for any brand. It&#8217;s a powerful emotional connection that leads to long-term loyalty and advocacy. To achieve it, you need to build deep empathy and understanding with your customers, provide them with experiences and products that align with their deepest motivations and desires, and make them feel truly valued and understood.</p>
<p>So, let&#8217;s get sticky! If you want to learn more about the difference between brand loyalists and brand advocates and how to do both, check out the video.</p>


Increase Market Value by Building Brand Attachment, Not Loyalty

<p>We all know that quickly building trust and credibility with your audience is essential to gain new customers, but with all the false advertising and empty promises out there, it&#8217;s becoming harder to gain people’s trust… and dollars. Luckily, we&#8217;ve got some tricks up our sleeves, and it all starts with understanding behavioral psychology!</p>
<p>First, let&#8217;s talk about the five cognitive heuristics or &#8220;triggers&#8221; that can be applied to your marketing strategy today to start the trust-building process: social proof, authority, similarity, consistency, and empathy. These triggers are like the secret sauce to gaining psychological trust with your audience. Highlight customer reviews and testimonials to use social proof, showcase certifications and affiliations for authority, share your story and experiences to establish similarity, deliver on your promises for consistency, and demonstrate empathy to show that you understand your customer&#8217;s pain points.  Mixing these triggers into your marketing messages can create an immediate emotional connection, and psychological trust, with your prospects.</p>

        <div class="post-related-post">
            <h3>Related</h3>
            <h4><a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/behavioral-insights-academy/the-most-important-lesson-from-narrative-psychology-and-what-it-means-for-elite-branding">The Most Important Lesson from Narrative Psychology and What it Means for Elite Branding</a></h4>
        </div>
    
<p>But we can&#8217;t stop there. Aligning your brand with your customer&#8217;s aspirational goals can create even deeper emotional connections and build stronger trust. For example, if I’m running the marketing strategy for a tennis racket brand, I want to do everything that I can align my brand messaging with my customer&#8217;s aspirational goals to “dominate their competition through more intimidating power”, so that they can be promoted to the next level at their tennis club and feel more respected by other members (aspirational goals).  When I speak directly to this aspirational goal of being respected, it’s like we&#8217;re both on the same team!</p>
<p>Last but not least, let&#8217;s talk about subconscious mind-states. We all know that our minds make decisions in the blink of an eye, and understanding your customer&#8217;s mental state at that moment of making brand decisions can help you design marketing strategies that align with their subconscious. Using language and images that link your mission to their subconscious mind-state can create an emotional connection that influences their feelings of trust for you.</p>
<p>Building trust isn&#8217;t easy, but by using psychology, you can establish a strong foundation for your brand and create a lasting relationship with your customers. Want to learn more? Check out the video below for some extra insight. Trust us; it’s worth it!</p>


The Psychology of Trust: How to Build Trust and Credibility with Your Audience Using Psychology

<p>Identifying the core human motivation driving your category is critical for elite brand marketing because it allows insights professionals to help their brand teams tailor their message and approach to align with their target customers&#8217; subconscious needs and desires.</p>

        <div class="post-related-post">
            <h3>Related</h3>
            <h4><a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/insights/what-is-brand-tracking">What is Brand Tracking?</a></h4>
        </div>
    
<p>By understanding what motivates a person to make a purchase, marketers can create more effective campaigns that resonate with their audience and lead to increased conversions and sales. Additionally, understanding motivations can help marketers to identify and target key segments of their audience, which can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their campaigns.</p>
<p>Overall, you can improve your brand and grow your business by connecting the science of persuasion to your marketing strategies.  But where do you start?</p>


Why Motivational Psychology is the Secret to Elite Brand Advertising and Growth

<p>Narrative psychology is a field of study that focuses on how customers make sense of their experiences and the world around them through stories and narratives. This approach is beneficial for understanding customers because it allows us to gain insight into the values, beliefs, and emotions that drive their behavior and decision-making.</p>
<p>Narrative psychology can be used in several ways when creating an elite <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/insights-business-growth/effective-brand-creation-where-to-start">brand marketing strategy</a>.</p>

        <div class="post-related-post">
            <h3>Related</h3>
            <h4><a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/design-for-market-research-insights/how-to-extend-the-reach-of-your-insights-with-data-storytelling">How to Extend the Reach of Your Insights With Data Storytelling</a></h4>
        </div>
    
<p>First, it can be used to identify and understand the dominant narratives and cultural myths that are associated with the brand and its products. This understanding can then create messaging and campaigns that resonate with these narratives and tap into the emotions and values most important to your target customer.</p>
<p>In addition, narrative psychology can also be used to create customer-centric branding strategies. By listening to and understanding the stories and narratives of individual customers, brands can identify the unique needs and desires of different segments of their audience. This allows them to create more personalized and effective marketing campaigns that speak directly to their target audience&#8217;s specific wants and needs.</p>
<p>Even though these are compelling lessons that can come from narrative psychology, there is one EXTREMELY simple but powerful lesson that sticks out to me. And it is straightforward to implement.</p>
<p>Check out the video below to see how simple it is!</p>
<p><strong><div class="su-youtube su-u-responsive-media-yes"><iframe width="800" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hh7ylCcpoGQ?" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture" title="The Most Important Lesson from Narrative Psychology and What it Means for Elite Branding"></iframe></div></strong></p>


The Most Important Lesson from Narrative Psychology and What it Means for Elite Branding

<p>As a behavioral science expert, I often guide brand managers, copywriters, and creative directors on using behavioral science to get the most impact out of their marketing strategies. In order to explain some complex ideas, I like to use the analogy of a road trip.  Like any road trip, you must have a few critical elements to succeed.</p>
<p>First, you need to know your destination. In the context of marketing, this means understanding your customers&#8217; aspirational goals and activating on those goals in your creative strategy to create and maintain focus on your messaging. To do this, you must first identify your customer’s aspirations (e.g., job to be done) regarding your product or service and ensure that your marketing message is crystal clear about how your brand can help them reach those aspirations.  Do this early and often to maintain engagement in your messaging.</p>
<p>Next, to get anywhere on your road trip, you will need some fuel.  In marketing, this is about bringing the correct motivation and feelings into your campaigns to create emotional arousal.  To do this, I suggest using motivational psychology, specifically by appealing to one of nine core human desires: success, freedom, acceptance, mastery, control, captivation, status, care, and safety. By adding emotional fuel to your marketing, you can create arousal and drive customers to take action on your message.</p>

        <div class="post-related-post">
            <h3>Related</h3>
            <h4><a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/research-methodologies/how-to-effectively-leverage-behavioral-science-in-market-research">How to Effectively Leverage Behavioral Science in Market Research</a></h4>
        </div>
    
<p>Another critical aspect of a successful road trip and marketing strategy is taking the road that best fits where you want to go.  If you take the wrong roads when traveling, you’ll lose time and get a lot of resistance.  Marketing is similar, except if you use the wrong framing, you’ll get psychological resistance to your marketing.  To lower psychological resistance to your marketing, consider using regulatory fit theory, which involves framing your copy to fit your customers&#8217; intuitions. And there are only two intuitive paths to take here.  You can write copy that helps your customers “do better things” or “avoid bad things.” By writing your marketing message to the one that best fits your customers&#8217; intuitions, you can lower resistance to your messaging.</p>
<p>Finally, just like on any good road trip, it&#8217;s essential to try to take some shortcuts whenever possible. In the context of marketing, this means using behavioral economics to understand decision shortcuts, such as the scarcity effect or social proof, that can trigger quick, fast decisions. By understanding these cognitive heuristics, or triggers, you can create marketing strategies that more effectively connect with and influence your customers.</p>
<p>Overall, you can improve your brand and grow your business by connecting the science of persuasion to your marketing strategies.</p>
<p>Check out the video below to see how it’s done.</p>
<div class="su-youtube su-u-responsive-media-yes"><iframe width="800" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-mRVZ1y5ni8?" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture" title="Using Behavioral Science to Create Effective Marketing Strategies: An Analogy of a Road Trip"></iframe></div>


Using Behavioral Science to Create Effective Marketing Strategies: An Analogy of a Road Trip

<p>In today&#8217;s marketplace, many comparable products and services are often available, making it difficult for customers to choose one over the others. When a brand can create an emotional connection with a customer, it becomes more than just a product or service; it becomes a part of the customer&#8217;s identity. This emotional connection makes the brand feel more personal and important to the customer, making it more likely that the customer will choose that brand over others.</p>

        <div class="post-related-post">
            <h3>Related</h3>
            <h4><a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/gain-retain/stop-ignoring-your-price-brand">Stop Ignoring Your Price Brand!</a></h4>
        </div>
    
<p>In this video below, we will be diving into the world of <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/how-human-behavioral-research-went-from-lab-to-living-room">behavioral science</a> and exploring how it can be used to enhance your brand&#8217;s equity. Specifically, we will be discussing how understanding your customers&#8217; aspirational goals and human motivation can help you build an elite brand that stands out in a crowded marketplace.</p>
<p>By mapping your brand to your customers&#8217; aspirational goals and human motivations, you are creating emotionally compelling brands that are hard to forget. This is the key to building elite brand equity and standing out in a crowded marketplace.</p>
<p>Whether you&#8217;re a marketing researcher who is helping drive the next billion-dollar brand, or a brand manager looking for new strategies to differentiate your product, this post is for you. We&#8217;ll be discussing the latest research and best practices for using behavioral science to create a strong, positive association with your brand in the minds of your customers.</p>
<p>So, let&#8217;s get started!  Check out the video below to see the 3-step plan.</p>
<div class="su-youtube su-u-responsive-media-yes"><iframe width="800" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cq_82ldZfgs?" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture" title="Using Behavioral Science to Build Elite Brand Equity"></iframe></div>


Using Behavioral Science to Build Elite Brand Equity

We conduct behavioral science-based market research to uncover new, smart,
actionable insights to increase your impact. Dallas, Texas, United States of America.

Mindstate Group

About

Research Solutions

Related Services & Software

Research Services