10 Basic Instincts in Behavioral Marketing

The choices humans make are driven by evolution, says Matthew Willcox´s in his book “The Business of Choice”

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By Antonio Nunez*

INTERESTED IN APPLYING behavioral marketing, behavioral economics or neuromarketing ideas to your daily marketing thinking? The Business of Choice: Marketing to consumers´ instincts is the book to read.

Its author, Matthew Willcox, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute of Decision Making (FCB). Willcox, a brand strategist by trade, makes the book entertaining, easy to read and, at times, even manages to add some humor –no easy feat considering the density of the topic.

As online we are slaves to brevity, popular tags and lists I will try to summarize the book in ten ideas hoping to intrigue you enough to read it.

Ten basic instincts to apply in your daily marketing practice (No Sharon Stone, sorry):

1. The Choices humans make are driven by evolution. Think of consumers (or Choosers) as hominids whose brains were wired to survive the harsh conditions of millions of years ago.
2. Ignoring is Decisional Bliss. As most of our behaviors are unconscious, ignoring rational information (cognitive biases) and creating…