The customer shops at first sight - but who is "the customer"?

A new report from MediaMind shows that people are approximately 30 percent more likely to act after seeing an ad the first time than they are when they’ve been exposed to it more frequently (research on financial ads). Users will make up their mind within the first few seconds of seeing it - and it will take more than just blasting repeats of the ad to change their mind.

Read article in Marketing Magazine: http://www.marketingmag.com.au/articles/opinion/5485/where-should-your-brand-focus-first-/



Is this true? Yeah, most likely. It´s after all research, isn´t it? :) Well, I do believe in the power of the first glance, but it is still important to repeat a message, and even if we are quick to judge, the follow up encounters with the brand are still valuable. In a cluttered world of too much information, where the poor brain find it hard to keep up with it all, we are eager to sort and organise and find ways to handle the overload. One way is to make a quick decision and stick to it. Another way is to constantly worry, and end up with nothing.

I don´t think us marketers will ever understand this process without understanding psychological profiling. There is no Answer based on statistical curves. Men usually shop directly, while ladies shop in circles. Dopamine high people shop everything, quickly, while those driven by estrogen are careful and considerate in their movements. Those who grew up poor might look for bargains and trust no one, while those who had a comfortable childhood are happy to spend.

There is no Answer. Just like the economic scientists have had to accept that we are not "rational" and the liberal politicians have had to accept that people don´t make perfect choices if they have freedom to choose, marketers have to look beyond the type of data presented by MediaMind. You need a strategy that welcomes all, and not just an average robot human. That person does not exist.