The consumers' Habit or the consumers' choice? What would your brand want to be?

Neale Martin is a Professor of Innovation Management at the Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University, where he is creating a center for the study of unconscious consumer behavior and habit-based marketing. Dr. Martin has pioneered work in this field and is the author of the groundbreaking book Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore. In addition to creating an MBA curriculum based on habits, Dr. Martin has developed a certification program for professionals and companies to update marketing knowledge and skills based on cutting-edge insights from neuroscience; cognitive and behavioral psychology; and behavioral economics.

Dr. Martin shares his knowledge in a private seminar with Godrej employees. He explains his innovative theory of Habits based on the workings of the most complex organ of the human body ' the brain.

While studying for his PhD in marketing Dr. Martin discovered that the relation between satisfaction and re purchase. Thus, the tagline evolved that the brand needs to become the customers' habit and not the choice.

What he further discovered was that most of our actions are performed unconsciously which is what gave him the title to his book. He illustrates with very vivid images and everyday behaviour which is as simple as driving a car. However, in order for this theory to work the consumer needs to trust the brand so that it uses the brand habitually. On the other hand the brand needs to bring about that trust by simply delivering what you promise.

Dr. Martin expresses that social media is a powerful tool but one must use it honestly and not try to control it. He says, "Any attempt to try to control it is a fool's errand". In order to do that the brand along with their employees both need to be genuinely "good". He believes that social media will eventually bring us back to minding our manners. According to Dr. Martin, it is the power of the word of mouth which social media explodes. Hence, it becomes important to "be real".

He adds, "It all comes down to is that it's a new form of human communication that is a powerful form of advertising."

Dr. Martin envisions India as being seeing as potential and that the competition between India is growing. He explains that India needs to be a global player and not only needs to compete on their level but also exceed them. | By Vanessa Azavedo [vanessa(at)adgully.com]