Melana Gaylor

4/17/2019

Nudge Lecture Analysis

Discussing the book Nudge, was the final part of a lesson on Consumer Behavior. Marketers
learn consumer behavior in order to understand why potential customers make the purchase
decisions they do. During the course of the Consumer Behavior lesson, it was so interesting to
learn how many decisions individuals make every day (over 30,000!). We make so many
decisions, that sometimes we do not even realize we are making them. As individuals, we use
decisions in order to solve problems. Examples can range from needing to get to class on time
and deciding whether to walk or drive, to choosing the right way to clean up a mess (vacuum or
mop). Therefore, marketers try to understand individuals’ decision making in order to
understand what would bring them to purchase whatever product or service the marketer
provides.

It is understood that consumers typically search very little to decide on a solution to solve their
problem. We as individuals can skip out on searching by using mental shortcuts or heuristics.
Using these shortcuts, can allow us to make pretty sound decisions however, it also allows
room for mistakes. What causes our shortcuts to be faulty are psychological factors like
perspective. Our perspective is not always 100% accurate. For example, if you google “old hag
or fair maiden”, you will see an image. Your brain will automatically see either an old hag or a
fair maiden at first glance, however, both images are represented. Another example of faulty
perception is assuming “Detroit” has a higher murder rate, than “Michigan” because the words
trigger different perceptions of violence in our mind (More info view slide 4). Because our
perception impacts our shortcuts so much, when individuals rely on shortcuts/ heuristics to
make decisions it is referred to the “Homer affect or Homer processing system”, after Homer
Simpson (See slide 7-8). This means we are not logically thinking things through, as a character
opposite of Homer would (such as Spock).

There are several heuristics or shortcuts individuals use that must be overcome in order to
make less faulty decisions. Examples of these are Availability (Slides 12-16) and Salient Cues,
or something that stands out from its surrounding, that suggests meaning, (for example, the
broccoli in Slide 11: Do you assume the pasta including broccoli has less calories, because your
perception of broccoli is healthier than just plain pasta?). Therefore marketers must “nudge”
individuals past their Homer, heuristic shortcuts by either using heuristics for good or using
choice architecture strategies like framing (slide 45- DMV example). This concept has been the
most interesting I have learned throughout my years in school. This made such an impact on
me, as it not only inspired and helped me understand how to be a better marketer, but it also
helped me understand myself as an individual who makes faulty decisions.