Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore [Hardcover]

Neale Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2008

80% of new products fail. Billions of advertising pounds are wasted every year. Even "satisfied customers" abandon companies at the drop of a hat. How can this be? How can so many brilliant marketers and product developers be failing so thoroughly? Here's how: they've focused their vast resources almost exclusively on the conscious mind, but it's the unconscious mind that controls 95% of human behaviour. In Habit, Dr. Neale Martin presents powerful new research that reveals how the mind actually works and explains in practical detail the implications of this new science for marketers and product developers. You'll learn why 50 years of marketing theory is deeply flawed, how your customers' unconscious minds thwart your marketing campaigns, and how to identify what customers really want when they don't even know. Using Martin's techniques, you can not only avoid marketing and product failures: you can finally achieve the twin holy grails of marketing: higher customer retention, and greater long-term profitability.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his first book, communications consultant-to-the-stars (Sprint, Nextel, Cisco, Nortel, TI, Motorola) and "expert in consumer behavior" Martin uses ideas from the worlds of science, technology, psychology, history, philosophy and business to demonstrate how a consumer's unconscious controls most of his or her behavior. As a result, Martin argues, companies large and small are wasting money and energy engaging the wrong part of the brain-rather than worrying over expected behavior or ultimate satisfaction, marketers should focus on how buying habits form through simple, time-tested methods like reward and repetition. How else would brands like Microsoft-infamously frustrating but ingrained in the culture-and Starbucks coffee-overpriced but ubiquitous (and literally addictive)-make it? In a reportorial style fit for both marketing executives and savvy consumers, Martin presents interviews with marketers, researchers and scientists that outline the principles supporting his method, delineating the executive mind from the habitual (unconscious) mind, exploring how an ideal product like the iPod targets both minds, and providing a blueprint for creating habitual buyers. Martin's argument requires readers to suspend some long-held beliefs about consumers, but rewards them with some eye-opening perspective.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

“The Samsung Instinct was designed to be habit forming. Inspired by pioneering work by Dr. Neale Martin, Sprint and Samsung created the Instinct interface from the bottom up to work the way your brain works.”

–Doug Rossier, Sprint Instinct Marketing Lead

 

“In Habit, Neale Martin provides what seems to be a simple observation–that human behavior is largely managed through subconscious process. In startling fashion, Martin makes this point and then proceeds to undermine much of what marketers have come to believe as absolute truths. This is a worthwhile read, with significant implications to anyone who hopes to build brands and sell products.”

–John Stratton, Sr. Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Verizon

 

“Neale provides some of the most comprehensive insights into marketing I have ever read. His understanding of today’s market complexity is simply brilliant.”

–Derek Broes, Sr. Vice President, Paramount

 

“At last someone has approached marketing with the clarity and precision of a brain surgeon.”

–George Ford, Marketing Director, Petrafoods

 

“Habit reveals why traditional approaches to acquiring and keeping customers don’t work anymore. Dr. Martin shows that by focusing on behavior instead of attitudes and intentions, companies can radically improve not only how many customers they win, but how many they keep.”

–S. Somasegar, Microsoft Senior Vice President, Developer Division

 

“Habit is an essential read for all marketers, managers and executives. Dr. Martin has elevated the seemingly boring concept of habits to a science with implications for every business in every market. This excellent book not only explains why consumers behave the way they do, but what companies should do in light of these startling insights!”

–Jagdish N. Sheth, Ph.D, Charles H. Kellstadt  Professor of Marketing, Goizueta Business School,  Emory University

 

Habit begins with a revolutionary premise–95% of human behavior is controlled by the unconscious mind. This fact exposes the central flaw in marketing theory, market research, and a preponderance of business strategy–that customers are consciously aware of what they’re doing. Habit explains why 80% of new products fail, why billions of advertising dollars are wasted every year, and why even satisfied customers aren’t loyal.

 

In Habit, Dr. Neale Martin persuasively contends that recent research from the brain sciences reveals that our brain evolved two minds–and marketing is focused on the wrong one. By explaining how the mind actually works, Martin shows how 50 years of marketing theory is deeply flawed, and how your customers’ habits thwart even your costliest marketing campaigns.

 

Habit explains in practical terms how to work with both your customers’ executive and habitual minds to not only make sales but more importantly, create loyalty. You’ll discover how behavior actually rewires your customers' mind–and how to leverage this by refocusing on behavior, not on attitudes and beliefs.

 

Martin offers a complete process for working with customers’ unconscious and conscious minds together, to become your customer’s habit, not just their choice. Using these techniques, you can finally achieve the twin holy grails of marketing: higher customer retention, and greater long-term profitability. 

 

Why focusing on customer satisfaction is a waste of time
Prioritizing customer satisfaction ignores a crucial reality: 85% of customers who defect report being satisfied!

 

How to establish a beachhead in your potential customer’s unconscious
Teach new buying habits through cause and effect, reward and repetition

 

Why you should keep your regular customers from thinking about you
Learn how to keep repurchase behavior on permanent autopilot

 

www.nealemartin.com

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: FT Press; 1 edition (July 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131357956
• ISBN-13: 978-0131357952
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #860,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could Do Better, July 31, 2010

By 

Braveheart "johnshearer2" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore (Hardcover)

This review is from: Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore (Hardcover)
Overall the premise of this book is that customers often buy based on habit rather than on detailed conscious choice. And this simple premise is repeated ad-nauseum. This is a book that could really have done with a good edit. The early chapters are incredibly repetitive, and repeat this simple 'fact' with very little supporting evidence. Some examples of fMRI studies are provided, with little mention that the science in this area is still highly disputed.

The later chapters provide little in terms of actual insight into what habitual purchases actually mean for marketers - it repeats the mantra that you have to break consumers habitual purchase behaviours - yes, but how? On this the book is largely empty.

This is an important topic, but really if you have done any reading in the areas of behavioural economics, behavioural change, or brain science, then you will already be well past the paltitudes offered by this book.

Perhaps the most annoying thing about this book is that it has a few sporadic footnotes, but then will have pages and pages of unsupported material - why bother with the few footnotes. Either have a properly referenced text, or don't waste our time.

Overall very disappointing.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Marketing Reading, July 25, 2008

By 

Phillip Rubin "rDialogue CEO" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore (Hardcover)

Bottom line: this is the best book on (customer) loyalty marketing since Reicheld's "The Loyalty Effect" and a great complement to it given its explanation of the neuroscience behind customer behavior as it relates to habit.

As marketing becomes increasingly accountable for top- and bottom-line impact, understanding the concept of habit as it relates to customer behavior is critical.

If you buy at Amazon you know how easy -- and habit forming -- it is to shop here. This book demonstrates how the power of habit, relative to customer purchase and usage decisions, has been grossly undervalued.

"Habit" gives the scientific context by gradually explaining how the human brain works in easy layman's terms and then illustrates how this significantly impacts the difference between the expected behavior (traditionally just supported by marketing research) and actual actions taken by an individual.

Having practiced loyalty marketing for 20 years now, this book is more than a theory but is in fact an overlooked reality of customer behavior.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's automatic, September 6, 2008

By 

Michael P. Maslanka (dallas, texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore (Hardcover)

This short and useful book's Big Idea:what we do is automatic. People take decisional shortcuts because it makes their lives easier. They are unaware of even doing so. What's this mean for business and marketing? With a customer or clinet, toss out the consultant idea of doing a satisfaction survey---it only reminds them that they have options and interurpts the automatic decision making, elevating your service to the attention of the "executive" mind. Reinforce at the right times: salepeople entertain before the prospect makes a purchase and thus the prospect thinks if I buy, then the good stuff stops so they don't. The timing of the conditioning is ,well, the cart before the horse. Always be honest and protect the brand. Customers are constantly scanning to see if you do. Appeal to emotions. Facts and benefits get you no where. There is lots more. A good book for shaping how you look at selling and business development.