Exactly four years ago, in May 2020, I began penning the first lines of my book. It all started with a conversation with my best friend. We were discussing how contemporary business literature tends to be excessively solemn and dogmatic. Everyone vies for the status of the Holy Grail. Not a single book about someone becoming a millionaire begins with the words: "The first thing I did was buy the book 'How to Become a Millionaire'".
As professionals in our field, we deliberated on more nuanced techniques in design, product and service development, and marketing. With both successful and failed projects in our backgrounds, I was not subject to the Survivorship Bias cognitive distortion. One thing was clear—there was a wealth of knowledge that needed to be systematized and documented. Perhaps in the form of a book. Of course, we recalled the meme popular in Eastern Europe about "Successful Success."
"Can I steal this for the title of my book?" I asked my old friend. I didn't want to write this book in complete seriousness, as there is no perfect recipe. Whether it's a recipe for a pie, a startup, or happiness. Therefore, "Successful Success" is, to a greater extent, a satire on business literature.
But as I delved deeper into the subject, the chapters became increasingly serious. And now I want to share with you one of those serious chapters. Who knows, maybe one day I'll post whole book step-by-step.
We are still cavemen
People have been living in the 'developed and civilized world' relatively recently. We are not much different from our cave-dwelling ancestors. Human evolution cannot keep pace with technological advancement. And this needs to be taken into account in designing human life. Whether it's business or environmental improvement issues.
Throughout all this time, our ancestors survived: they acquired and passed on to future generations reflexes, behavior patterns. A seasoned professional utilizes this in their work. Despite the differences between Western and Eastern cultures, the color red, at the level of reflexes, is a symbol of heightened attention — for centuries, people searched for food in the forests, gathered berries, mushrooms, hunted animals, and saw blood. Therefore, signals requiring increased attention are always red: car stop signs, traffic lights, emergency stop buttons on equipment, hammers for breaking glass in trains.
The reaction to the color red is deeply rooted in our ancient reflexes.
Moving objects attract attention several times more than static ones. Another animal reflex aiding survival. After all, in ancient forests there were no cars, but there were wild animals capable of tearing apart, there were falling rocks from cliffs. What moves can kill you. In the 1990s and early 2000s, designers fully exploited this effect when developing banners. It was animation that captured attention, and then the value was conveyed through imagery and short slogans.
Horror movie directors are experts in manipulating the audience's attention. If you enjoy horror movies, then skip a couple of paragraphs, because you'll stop feeling scared. Scaring a person is very easy. It's enough to see movement from the wrong direction, where you don't expect it. Here another ancient reflex comes into play: if someone is looking in one direction, reflexively you want to look there too. We assume in advance that this person has seen danger before you. Therefore, for your own survival, it's more profitable to look where the other person is looking. In horror movies, however, know that you should look in the opposite direction, as that's where the thing you should fear in the movie will jump out from.
In advertising, this reflex is utilized alongside movement. Think about how eagerly the faces in advertisements gaze at the product. Indeed, the human gaze has truly boundless potential in manipulating attention. To attract attention, it's enough to "look" at the viewer. This is roughly how most television commercials are structured: looked at the viewer, made eye contact, looked at the product, enjoyed the product.
Moreover, the sense of danger, or more precisely, the desire to be safe, is not the only thing that can be utilized in advertising one's services or in manipulating attention while guiding the user through the flow of your value pipeline.
Perhaps, one can take any basic need from Maslow's hierarchy and utilize it for their purposes. But the most powerful engine of business is sex. It propels technologies and sells products. It's a surrogate of the real human need to continue their lineage, but it works. The modern world questions whether it's ethical to use it. Of course, it's a highly sexist method. But this method works and will continue to work regardless of society's morality. The key is to monitor what need your audience has.
Societies that have reached saturation due to sexual revolutions often question issues of equality and seek to eliminate manipulation through sexualization of images in advertising and segregation of staff based on sexuality. However, in developing countries where sexual freedom is restricted at the governmental level, such methods work and will continue to work extremely effectively. This is because basic needs are not met, and the desire to obtain them becomes a subject of manipulation. The question of ethics, of course, will have to be answered by you individually.
Think about how many times you've come across a calendar hanging in a local garage with nude women or even men, advertising various tools or car tires, or perhaps even the local fire department. But this is a very low-grade method of manipulation. Don't do this. But it works.
Crafting manipulative communication designs exploiting ancient human reflexes involves a nuanced understanding of psychological triggers deeply ingrained within our evolutionary history. By delving into these primal instincts, one can orchestrate messaging that subtly influences behaviors and perceptions. Here's how to refine such a design:
- Tap into Instincts: Identify fundamental human instincts such as survival, social belonging, and reproduction. Tailor your communication to resonate with these primal drives, subtly hinting that compliance or action aligns with these instincts.
- Emotional Appeal: Engage emotions tied to these instincts. Fear, desire, and affiliation are potent tools. Invoke scenarios that trigger emotional responses, anchoring them to your intended message or call to action.
- Visual Primacy: Leverage visual elements that trigger instinctual responses. Images of faces, especially those displaying strong emotions, or symbols associated with primal needs like food, shelter, or companionship can subconsciously sway decisions.
- Language and Tone: Employ language that resonates with primal instincts. Use words that evoke urgency, scarcity, or exclusivity, tapping into the innate fear of missing out or the drive for survival and dominance.
- Social Proof: Highlight social validation and conformity. Humans are wired to seek acceptance within groups. Incorporate testimonials, endorsements, or statistics framed in a social context to reinforce desired behaviors.
- Sensory Stimulation: Appeal to the senses to create a multisensory experience. Utilize scent, touch, and sound to evoke primal memories or associations, anchoring your message deeply in the subconscious.
- Behavioral Triggers: Incorporate subtle cues that prompt immediate action. Utilize techniques like countdowns, limited-time offers, or suggestive imagery to compel swift responses aligned with instinctual impulses.
- Repetition and Familiarity: Capitalize on the familiarity effect and the mere-exposure effect. Repeated exposure to a message or design fosters a sense of trust and comfort, increasing the likelihood of compliance or acceptance.
- Subliminal Messaging: Employ subtle cues or hidden messages that bypass conscious awareness but still influence decision-making. Use color psychology, microexpressions, or embedded symbols to subtly guide perceptions.
- Ethical Considerations: While exploiting these reflexes can be powerful, ensure ethical boundaries are maintained. Transparency and respect for autonomy are paramount. Manipulative tactics should be used judiciously and responsibly.
By integrating these strategies, one can design communication that resonates deeply with ancient human reflexes, subtly steering behaviors and perceptions towards desired outcomes. However, ethical considerations must always guide the application of such techniques to ensure integrity and respect for individuals' autonomy.
And so, if you want to enhance the experience of your customers, then study them and consider what ancient reflexes you can utilize to manipulate the customer at each stage of your customer value journey.
