By Amanda Joly, Head of Strategy and Jennifer Batey, EVP, Integrated Strategy
Every advertisement, no matter the brand, product or cause, has the same goal: to change human behavior. But what makes an advertisement work versus one that doesn’t? What does it take to truly create behavior change? These questions can be answered with behavioral science.
At its root, behavioral science is the study of intrinsic behaviors we exhibit as humans to understand why we do what we do – the drivers behind how people make decisions and what might influence them to action.
Using behavioral science to unlock motivation helps us influence people’s decisions about health no matter the relationship to the issue at hand.
We Believe that Every Brand Challenge is a Behavior-Change Challenge
People are shaped by the context of their upbringing and surroundings, something that a brand is unable to change, but can use to understand a tension that exists and what the audience needs for that to be resolved. Emotion is what healthcare communicators can use to introduce a resolution to that tension, because humans act faster—and more irrationally—on feeling than we do on logic. Then, of course, we craft messaging which can validate that feeling, because to follow through on our decisions, humans need reassurance that they’re making the right decisions and doing the right things.
But even if we do feel validated, people can lose motivation to change behavior quickly. Even if we are motivated to change, a change in the weather or a text from a friend can halt us in our tracks. Intention doesn’t always translate to action. And this is in part because motivation is a leaky bucket—it must constantly be refilled to keep your audience on the path towards the behavior change your trying to create. Advertisers must continue to remind their audience why they are motivated in the first place—what emotional benefit and resolved tension they’ll experience—to spark behavior-change and create long-lasting brand results.
By acknowledging and understanding these human truths that affect HCPs, patients, and every other person alike, pharma companies can apply these insights to their messaging.
Strategy Rooted in Behavioral Science
Because we believe that every brand challenge is a behavior-change challenge, we’ve built a strategic process that’s anchored in behavioral truths and that’s taken straight from behavioral science. We call it Our Method, a unique and comprehensive approach to integrated strategy that blends science, story, and experience strategy to shift behavior toward lifesaving therapies and to achieve brand success.
Understanding not only how your audience makes decisions, but how to influence those decisions to meet your business goals, is integral to competing in the pharma marketing space. By partnering with an agency whose strategy is rooted in these human truths, backed by expert behavioral scientists and proprietary data to match, brands will without a doubt be at a greater advantage.
If you’re interested in partnering with Syneos Health Communications’ behavioral science experts on your brand’s success, reach out to Melissa Bojorquez at [email protected]
