Long held brand affinity beats short-term activations – WPP and Oxford University
A new global study underlines how over four fifths of consumers are driven by long-held brand affinity, not short-term activation efforts.
This is a key finding from WPP Media and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School’s report, “How Humans Decide,” which underlines the importance of brand priming through the finding that 84% of consumer choices are driven by long-held brand affinity.
This challenges traditional performance marketing principles which focus on influencing consumers at the point of sale, with this research suggesting influence happens well before the consumer has entered the funnel.
The report highlights the need for marketers to redefine how they think about influence, consumer receptivity and performance.
Brand priming as a driver of choice
Brand priming was identified in the report as a dominant force behind consumer decision-making.
This happens when a consumer develops an unconscious bias through accumulated brand exposure, meaning when they come to the point of purchase they’ve “already been primed on what to buy.”
The report underlined people consistently stick to brands they know and trust and rarely shift their choice even when presented with alternatives at the point of sale.
Therefore, performance marketing’s role should be focused on converting these buyers within the 84%, and getting them to confirm their choice, rather than chasing the remaining 16%.
According to the findings, this behaviour is consistent across all categories, showcasing how essential long-term brand building is to ensure a brand is even in contention.
Not all consumers are equally receptive
The report outlined how not all consumers are receptive to marketing, pitching a new audience segmentation consideration.
Around 23% of people in every category are unreceptive to marketing messages, with few channels having the ability to influence them.
This makes them highly desirable as consumers as they are less likely to be diverted by a competitor in the active stage of the purchasing journey.
However, the report highlights how in targeting them initially at this active stage, the chances of being able to influence them is reduced, further pointing towards the importance of brand priming.
Meanwhile, 10% of consumers are easily influenced, but harder to retain, and the report notes the need to resist basing campaigns around these consumers as they are not reflective of the wider consumer base.
Brands, the report suggests, should stop treating everyone the same and tailor their investment based on the “receptivity spectrum,” within their category.
Touchpoints beyond paid media
The research also dismantles the notion that all media touchpoints are equal.
Notably, the findings suggest when marketers account for differing touchpoint influence their chances of affecting decision nearly triple.
Channels that integrate owned, shared and earned (OSE) media with paid media placements are almost three times more effective at converting brand bias into purchase, than just relying on paid media alone.
This suggests a holistic approach to marketing strategies, which include integrated influence systems, such as communications, content and experience should be taken over focusing solely on paid media plans.
The bottom line
The report argues marketing planning must evolve to include influence as a measurable metric, requiring brands to implement OSEP (owned, shared, earned and paid) plans.
These plans would address the quantifiable impact of each touchpoint on decision-making and its ability to prime a consumer.
For an industry struggling with budget cuts and pressure of short-term ROI, the report’s findings offer a different approach.