Associative Learning

On page 52¹, there's a story that every marketer should read:

The surgeon John Noland Mackenzie was among the first to test a negative expectation effect in medicine.

Working at Baltimore's Eye, Ear and Throat Charity Hospital in the 1880s, he examined a 32-year-old woman with severe asthma and hay fever.

When exposed to pollen, her nose and eyes would run and her throat would itch so badly she felt she must "tear [it] out with her nails."

On the worst occasions she suffered hour-long sneezing fits, spent much of the summer in bed, and couldn't keep flowers in the house.

Something about the woman's descriptions led Mackenzie to question whether pollen was really the cause.

He acquired an artificial rose "of such exquisite workmanship that it presented a perfect counterfeit of the original," carefully wiped every leaf and petal, then revealed it from behind a screen mid-consultation.

Within a minute, her voice was hoarse, her nose blocked, and she had the irresistible urge to sneeze. Her nose and throat were visibly red and swollen.

Once Mackenzie revealed the rose was fake, she had to inspect it closely before she believed him. On her next visit, she buried her nose in a bunch of real roses without a single sneeze.

This story exposes associative learning.

We become conditioned to thinking a product, service (or rose) will deliver a certain output.

For example, we associate the following:

Expensive wine = higher quality.
Family-run business = more trustworthy.
Supermarket own-brand = lower quality.
A slow website = cheap.
A heavy product = better built.

But marketers can hack into this. Take this hot sauce from the states...

The General's Hot Sauce probably tastes hotter because it's served in a grenade.

People globally associate a grenade with explosives. Which is why hot sauce served in a grenade shell tastes spicier.

Charles Spence² writes about associative learning in Sensehacking. He explains how loud cars really do seem like they're driving faster.

One 2011 study found that participants thought a louder car was driving 10% faster than a quieter car travelling at the exact same speed.

We associate noise with speed. And grenades with power.

The General's Hot Sauce could spend thousands of pounds tracking down even hotter chillis, or they could simply put their sauce in a grenade. Both have the same effect.

What did you think of today's newsletter?

Phill

P.S. I've created a free psychology of pricing course. It covers everything I know about pricing. As you're a subscriber, you can get access instantly.

¹Robson, D. (2022). The expectation effect: How your mindset can transform your life. Canongate Books.

²Spence, C. (2021). Sensehacking: How to use the power of your senses for happier, healthier living. Viking.

As a behavioural science practitioner, I believe in the peak-end rule.

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