The art of building a habit-forming brand and how to bring it to mobile marketing
In the ever-evolving world of marketing, change remains the only constant
Most trends come and go, but behind the trends that turn into habits, lies inherent consumer behavior. The reason why some trends keep on ticking is because they’re deeply rooted in leveraging human psychology.
We understand it’s getting tougher to stay on top of trends, and there will never be a one-size-fits-all strategy for marketing. This article aims to consolidate the freshest insights that thought leaders shared at an exclusive CMO-connect event held in Mumbai, Glance Forward.
The formula to create everlasting brands
The keynote speaker at the event was the pioneer of habit-forming technology, Nir Eyal, who introduced CMOs to his groundbreaking strategy called the ‘Hook' model.
Nir first defined habits as “impulses to do a behavior with little or no conscious thoughts.” Based on these impulses, we can create hooks – experiences that connect users' problems to our products.
There are four key elements of the Hook model, which work together in a loop to create repeated engagement with a brand or a product.
Triggers: These play a crucial role in the beginning of habit formation. There are two kinds of triggers, external and internal. External triggers are self-explanatory, like notifications and social cues. Internal triggers are the powerful ones that we are looking for and desiring to leverage.
Internal triggers are usually emotional like hunger. The hard truth is that negative emotions are the most powerful among internal triggers, and the most successful companies are experts at leveraging these. When we feel lonely, we endlessly scroll through social media. When we don’t understand something, we go to a search engine. Grasping and satiating these triggers can be key to effectively engaging customers and fostering lasting habits. However, it is important to be sensitive while approaching these.
Action: This is the fundamental step in the habit-forming process, driven by the anticipation of a reward. It can be as straightforward as scrolling through content, conducting a search, or clicking the play button on a video.
According to BJ Fogg’s behavioral model, any desired behavior requires a combination of motivation, ability, and trigger to occur successfully. Understanding this helps design compelling experiences that drive action and connections.
Reward: A reward is a gratifying outcome that people anticipate after taking action. It satisfies their underlying needs, leaving them eager to repeat the behavior. By delivering consistent and delightful rewards, brands can encourage continued engagement.
However, there’s a way to further enhance humans’ desire to be awarded: uncertainty. The unknown is fascinating to human beings, and it makes them more engaged and focused.
Investment: This holds the key to maintaining user engagement. Brands can achieve this in two ways:
- Loading the next trigger, which involves utilizing external triggers to restart the cycle. It could be as simple as a notification.
- Making people store value, such as accumulating followers on social media platforms or adding their own files to the platform.
The loop continues, ensuring that people remain engaged with brands, eventually creating a habit.
As we wrap up the Hook model by Nir Eyal, it's essential to highlight his advocacy for leveraging the model to enhance people's well-being and happiness – a compelling perspective that holds particular significance for marketers.
In this context, mobile marketing takes center stage, showcasing its pivotal role as a bridge between brands and people in today's digital landscape. To keep habits intact, this bridge needs to sustain repeated torrents of content that constantly demand users’ attention. Let’s explore a recent trend in marketing that will reinforce brand connections.
The Hook in today’s age of instant gratification: one-click experiences
As people turn toward demanding everything from grocery and food delivery to information, entertainment, shopping, and connectivity with one click on mobile, their expectations from every experience have risen. This has led to the rise of the one-click consumer.
However, most of what we do today involves a series of seven to eight steps, not just one click. From unlocking the phone and firing up an app to searching, scrolling, and playing – it is a long journey. This is why one-click experiences on the smart lock screen have taken off – they engage people with a simple tap of waking up their phone without the need to unlock it. As InMobi’s CBO of consumer platform advertising, Vasuta Agarwal said, “It’s time to shift from eight clicks to one click.”
However, it’s not just a short one-click journey that would delight mobile users. As the CEO of Glance, Piyush Shah mentioned, the joy of stumbling upon captivating content serendipitously in an age of information overload is the key to delighting users. Personalization, user-interface design, and a premium experience play an essential role in achieving this serendipity.
On the smart lock screen, the very first touchpoint on mobile, one-click experiences help brands leverage all four stages of the hook model to engage consumers.
1. One-click experiences elevate triggers with an element of serendipity and personalization.
2. They offer various ways to take action, such as reading the news, playing games, and watching live videos.
3. They enable brands to make people feel rewarded. One-click gaming and interactive experience units on the smart lock screen, for instance, give brands the chance to engage with their reward-hungry target audience.
4. With a constant and easy flow of relevant information, interesting content, and immersive moments, one-click experiences open up many avenues for users to stay invested.
Learn more about one-click experiences with Piyush Shah and Vasuta Agarwal.
Over to you, fellow marketer
Venturing into the ever-evolving realm of marketing necessitates a deep understanding of consumer behavior and the recent trends in marketing.
By understanding these insights and incorporating innovative strategies, marketers can create captivating experiences that foster enduring engagement and brand loyalty. As we stride forward, let the wisdom of these thought leaders and the immense potential of cutting-edge technology be yourfh guide to sustained marketing success in an ever-changing world.