What if I told you that your preferences came from random choices?

New research from Johns Hopkins University confirms that we build unconscious biases all throughout our lives when we choose between things that are essentially the same.

The way I see it, this is where advertising comes into play. The research was undertaken with babies, and though the scientific data proves their behaviour is random (at first), the reality is the options these babies were presented with were out of their control. To put it simply, your preferences will be different if someone else raised you, or if you grew up at a different place, or if you were born during a different era.

I see it as an ongoing cycle that’s heavily influenced by advertising. Sure, natural progression and technological advances play a big role in these things, but little did you know, even those were advertised. Someone somewhere told another person thousands of years ago that they can use fire to cook meat – classic word of mouth.

Take grudge purchases for example – the fine line between ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ is what separates your preferences from mine. However, preferring one thing over another when choosing between similar things, most of the time has everything to do with advertising. I recently got a car and sooner or later, I’m going to need my tyres replaced. The only tyre brand I’m really familiar with is Bridgestone. That makes my choice for this specific grudge purchase easy. However, if another tyre brand presents me (someone who doesn’t know the slightest thing about car tyres) with something I value more as a person (like durability since I don’t want to be constantly changing my tyres), I might just go with that other brand. If you advertise something that matters to me, it just might pique my interest.

Advertising is meant to draw attention. Most of the time however, it comes gradually and over a long period of time – like how it comes to children. Your exposure to brands dictates an unconscious, random choice and your behaviour towards them creates your personal preferences. If you are exposed to the same choices (advertising), these options are going to be what’s familiar to you. You know these options because you either see them all the time, you’ve seen people around you use them, or you resonate with their message.

The beauty of advertising is found in the unique story a product or service has over other options (competitors). The single, most important message you share when you advertise is what can change a potential customer’s pattern of behaviour and eventually lead to you being the brand of choice. When you share and advertise your story, you’ll find that like-minded people will be attracted to what you have to offer.