FACT: As consumers, we seek out and pay attention to information snd cues that confirm our own beliefs.
It’s called ‘filtering’ and it means we tend to favour content that supports our own opinions.
What that means is we don’t always want to acknowledge information that could conflict with our own formed opinions. Often we don’t seek out and in fact, ignore or discount information that doesn’t support what we already believe.
Psychologists call this filtering ‘CONFIRMATION BIAS’ and the stronger we believe something, the stronger the confirmation bias is.
This can be useful thou, because it works to reduce the amount of information we need to be paying attention to, at any given time.
So with brands in mind, can we stop people from filtering?
The answer is 'YES'.
I tend to say we can ‘PAUSE’ people from filtering and get them to open up to new ideas, information and beliefs.
Here’s 2 ways it can be done:
1) Start with what you know your audience already believes. If you start from the opposite position to their beliefs or opinions, you run the risk of your audience turning off straight away.
eg: I’ve been an Apple consumer since 1987, when I brought a Macintosh SE. When people come up to me and start with “Apple is so overrated and overpriced” I switch off straight away, but if the conversation started with “You gotta hand it to Apple, they’ve really been at the cutting edge for so long. But now there’s other brands like ABC or XYZ who are superseding them”. That would get my attention.
If you start with an idea that they agree with or know about, then there’s a greater chance of getting through your audiences’ already established bias.
2) Surprise them to stop and think. It’s a great way to ‘pause’ your audiences’ filter, presenting them with an experience or information they don’t expect, that literally stops them in their tracks and challenges their beliefs.
eg: I’m a fan of traditional supercars and how quickly they get down the road. In my eyes, breaking the 3 second 0-60 barrier (or 0-100 in Oz), is no mean feat, but my bias is certainly challenged with EV supercars that are now under the 2 second 0-60 barrier. That info literally makes me stop and think.
