Nice little interview with Rory Sutherland of Ogilvy in which he dismisses traditional market research practices because of what he refers to as “social cues”.
These cues are the influencers behind instinctive, subconscious decisions which are made at or very close to point of sale. For example, when given a choice between two restaurants, we’re more likely to choose the one with 30 people dining in it than the one with three.
“Marketers have developed a system of consumer understanding which is actually blind to the most important influences on human behaviour”, says Rory.
Oh dear. Does social media help uncover these influences? We can assume it has the power to do so. But, as ever, it’s up to us to read and interpret things in the right way.
Social media consultant and author of Monkeys with Typewriters (featured by BBC Radio 5 and the London Evening Standard). Get your social marketing up and running with my Social Media Launch Pack!
I respect Rory, I have also been on a few panel discussions with him over the years. I would though add, he has left out the ‘legacy’ aspect of the whole experience. The reason why people are there/buying in the first place: reputation, historic standing and momentum. You cannot create ‘social cues’; they have to be earned over time, or bought with large advertising $$$. We have always ‘bought into’ the brand as an experience, or as a ‘promised delivered’. We have always been attracted to the ‘stacked high’ products with a prominent position in the supermarket aisle.So therefore, are ‘social cues’ the call to action, or do we watch and observe ‘social activity’ in order to understand and refine the experience.
Hi Justin,Thanks for your comment.It’s difficult to read into these things, isn’t it?Watching and observing is probably the best – if not only – way forward. We will never be able to create social cues, as you say (although sci-fi films like Strange Days and Inception go a long way to imagining a future where we can).But watching and observing is not only expensive and resource-consuming (certainly in terms of people); it is also counter-intuitive to those many marcomms companies who grew up during a time when pure broadcast was the only way to do things.Time for a change 🙂