Mindset is a state of mind that affects how we interpret and respond to things in our environment. You may have heard of mindsets in the context of education or career development. People with a “fixed” mindset tend to see abilities as fixed: predetermined, perhaps by genetics. If you’re bad at math or public speaking, you’ll always be bad, because that’s just the way you are. People with a “growth” mindset, on the other hand, tend to see abilities in flux, influenced by practice or training. With a growth mindset, if you’re bad at math or public speaking, you think you can improve your skills by taking a class or finding a mentor.
But there are many other, lesser-known mindsets. Indeed, research has identified several mindsets that influence buying behavior – meaning marketers need to take note.
In a recent The Insightful Leader Live webinar, Kellogg marketing professor Angela Lee outlined some of the mindsets that shape our consumer habits. Here are some highlights from her presentation (or you can watch the entire webinar below).
Mindset Comparison: Having a comparison mindset increases the likelihood that we will buy something. This mindset can be created by asking consumers to make some simple comparisons, such as deciding which of two animals is faster. Then, when customers are presented with a range of chocolates, say, they are more willing to make a purchase. “They’ve already skipped the ‘Should I buy chocolate or not?'” step. It’s already at the ‘Which should I buy?'” stage, Lee says.
Agreeable Mindset: Being in a consensual mindset—primary from exposure to statements or ideas we agree with—makes us more open to consumption opportunities. We might be more likely to say yes to a pleasant vacation destination or a more exotic experience like eating scorpions or starfish. Marketers would be smart to steer clear of programs or contexts—or even controversial news—where consumers are likely to disagree with the content as they pitch their products.
Exhaustion Mindset: A mindset of exhaustion is fueled by acts of abstraction. Think: emptying our pockets, unpacking our luggage or throwing away a water bottle. In this mindset, we aim to preserve and replenish. This means that we may tend to snack more or buy more goods, and we will also be stingier when asked to share our limited resources with others. So a mindset of exhaustion could lead to less charitable giving, for example.
Promotional Mindset: Unlike the previous mindsets, which tend to be momentary responses to specific situations, some mindsets (including the promotion mindset) can be more dispositional—shaped by our personality, culture, or upbringing. In a promotional mindset, we are highly sensitive to good results. “Now of course we all want good things in life,” says Lee. But people with a promotion mindset focus more acquiring additional things—and satisfaction of their goals, hopes, and aspirations—than compliance the good things they already have. Promotion-oriented people are also very future-oriented. Messages that show how a product will benefit someone in the future or help them achieve their dreams are especially attractive to customers with this mindset.
Proactive Mindset: Another dispositional mindset is the prevention mindset, which in many ways is the opposite of a promotion mindset. In a prevention mindset, we focus more not to lose what we already have. People with a prevention mindset focus on avoiding negative outcomes and worry about the physical, psychological, and financial security of themselves and their families. They want reassurances about the here and now. This makes marketing messages that assuage our concerns or mention specific safety and security features very persuasive.
There is much more to say specifically about promotion and prevention mindsets: how they emerge from our evolutionary roots, can differ from culture to culture, and can be harnessed for more effective public health messages. You can learn more by watching Lee’s entire presentation.
