Five Stages of Change.
Most people believe that the choices they make result from rational analysis, not true.
The fundamental point of real marketing is change—thinking and behavior. Because human thinking and behavior are emotional characteristics and not logical or data-driven, marketing is not a science. This article presents a profound, but fundamental truth all marketers should understand.
There are 5 stages of emotional change: awareness, perception, attitudes, beliefs, actions. The illustration used here is based on the beautiful yet simple poem by Portia Nelson. Brand managers can’t afford to assume people are aware of and understand your brand. Most marketers miss the significance of the first stage of the marketing process, brand awareness. (the extent to which customers can recall or recognize a brand and make beneficial buying decisions.) The journey builds from here.
Awareness. People walk down the street. There are signs pointing and warning, a deep hole in the sidewalk. Nevertheless, people fall in. It takes forever to find a way out. They are lost and confused. It isn’t their fault. Don’t assume people know your brand just because you’ve been around for 30 years, most are sleepwalking.
Perception. People will walk down the same street and pretend they don’t see that deep hole in the sidewalk. They fall in again and can’t believe they’re in the same place. It takes a long time to get out. And, it’s still not their fault. People perceive they are doing everything right and the problem is your brand.
Attitudes. People will continue to walk down the same street. They know there is a deep hole in the sidewalk, they see it there, but they still fall in. It’s a habit, but this time their eyes are open. They understand and realize that it’s their fault. When attitudes change so do situations.
Beliefs. The same people walk down the same street. Yes, that same deep hole is still in the sidewalk. This time they see it and believe it’s unprofitable to fall in, so they walk around it. People will take the appropriate steps when they change their beliefs.
Actions. When the same people that walked down the same street and fell in that same deep hole, many times, now walk down another street that is a win for everyone.
Marketing is part psychology, sociology, and communications with the goal of change for the better. As professionals, we engage audiences to invite them to see what we see, believe what we believe, and ask them to take the appropriate action or behavior. It’s a tough job, arguably one of the more difficult services to specialize in; but with an integrated, multi-platform approach, the results can be pretty impressive and the job very rewarding.