COGNITIVE BIAS OR "THE HALO EFFECT" HAS INFLUENCE IN MARKETING
A middle-aged man is sitting in the park watching birds nose dive for bread crumbs. The fresh air is reinvigorating to him. He takes a deep breath, at exhale he hears some noise, he leans closer toward the sidewalk. He stands up as he sees something coming his way. He looks ahead intently, as he sees more clearly now. It appears that two motorcycles are heading toward the parking area.
Intrigued, he walks toward them, wondering what kind they are? Not very loud for a motorcycle, colors look nice and sleek design he’s thinking. One looks like a special edition because of the gold front forks. They are BMW’s. One is a 1200 GS and the other is a 1200 R. He puts two thumbs up at the riders showing his approval of their motorcycles.
As the riders park the motorcycles, the middle-aged man continues to be impressed with how they maneuvered effortlessly into their respective parking spots. Once the motorcycles are parked, the riders take off their riding gloves, and begin to remove their helmets. The 1200 GS rider shakes their head, it’s a man with short hair. The 1200 R rider is shorter in stature, and has short hair too. He continues to watch them. As they take off their jackets, he realizes the shorter person is a woman riding the 1200GS, their own motorcycle.
She looks at the middle-aged man, smiles and says “haven’t you seen a woman ride a motorcycle before?” He politely replies, “nope “but I like those motorcycles.” Nice looking!” “They look cool”.
The middle-aged man also said to them” you don’t look like usual motorcycle riders either!” “You don’t have a rough appearance and you’re not wearing any leather and your helmets cover your head and face” (they had on mesh riding gear and full-face helmets with face shields). The riders tell the him, “we hear that a lot, but we wear this riding gear because it’s safer and it’s breathable.” “You don’t get as hot when riding as you do with leather.” “The helmets protect us much better.” “Most BMW riders wear mesh riding gear, and have these types of helmets.”
He asks them “why’d they chose to ride BMW motorcycles”, and both replied “they handle the roads and curves with great performance”. And she also said, “Their ABS braking system is phenomenal.” “We’ve each had other BMW motorcycles, 650 GS’s, and we upgraded because these are more comfortable on longer distance riding.” It is clearly evident that the riders have a very favorable opinion about these motorcycles and The BMW brand.
The middle-aged man begins to walk back to the park bench admittedly embarrassed but intrigued too. Preconceived ideas of his that it was two men riding motorcycles; and, their appearance was not typical of motorcycle riders was wrong! It was a personal bias that only men ride, they all wear leather riding apparel and wear helmets that have little to no protection. The predominant bias is these two riders didn’t fit the profile of typical motorcycle riders to the man.
This bias caused embarrassment yet intrigue illustrates the HALO EFFECT. The Halo effect is defined as the tendency for an impression in one area to influence opinion in another area per Wikipedia. Another explanation of the halo effect is a cognitive bias that occurs when an initial positive judgement about a person unconsciously colors the perception of the individual as a whole as explained in psychologytoday.com
In our blog: Impressions Can Make or Break a Business and your Digital Marketing too, July 23, 2020 we explained the importance of first impressions. They shape our experience to be considered good or bad. The first impression of the motorcycle rider’s appearance, demeanor, the motorcycles design, their riding apparel and helmets was positive to the man even though he was biased. It is likely that the man’s first-time seeing a motorcycle and a rider formed his bias. This was his first impression and shaped his experience. The middle-aged man’s first impression of the riders was flawed and based upon a bias.
His intrigue of the BMW motorcycle is typical of many who see them up close. The boxer engines on the 1200 GS and R make their styling unique, and offers a quieter ride. The diverse styles of saddle bags make each BMW motorcycle different aesthetically. The 1200 GS has boxy saddle bags with metal and black trim, and knobby tires for off road and/or street riding. The 1200 R has street tires and sleek saddle bags that are matted black. And it had gold forks and calipers because it was an anniversary edition which stood out even more. Although the same manufacturer of both motorcycles, although both 1200cc each motorcycle had a different style that showcased them uniquely in their own right.
They certainly stood out from other name brand motorcycles. While the motorcycles were attractive looking, so were the riders. They certainly stood out from the typical motorcycle riders. Although the middle-aged man had a positive impression of the BMW motorcycles, and the riders he was biased and his judgement about motorcycle riders. He was influenced by his perception of the motorcycle rider being rougher in demeanor and male, wearing leather, and helmets not offering much protection. And just as biased, motorcycles that are big and loud! This is the halo effect. In essence, a person’s perceived negative or positive trait creates a “halo” of an overall impression of that same person.
The halo effect likely impacted the rider’s decision making to choose BMW’s as well as those models. Cognitive Bias or “The Halo Effect” has influence in marketing too. The halo effect influences the consumers behavior in a positive way as the consumer looks at the product favorably. The riders owned BMW motorcycles previously. They upgraded to these models because they had a positive view of the product. They had positive experiences with their previous BMW models. They were satisfied consumers of BMW brand which made them their favorite choice.
The riders also chose their riding gear and helmets because of safety and comfort. This provides a positive view of the brand BMW motorcycles, and allows for a high level of satisfaction for both riders. The riders liked to be considered attractive, their product was considered that as well, a bit more superior than most riders. They did not want to fit the stereotype and they did not. However, they do fit in appearance of many BMW riders and so too does their choice in protective gear including helmets. That is a stereotype in its own right. BMW motorcycles exhibit adventure, fun in exploring dirt roads, paved roads, trails and race tracks, too. They are motorcycles for the enthusiasts.
In marketing, the halo effect allows a brand to position its reputation to a popular item. It focuses on promoting the brands most popular product. The halo effect is used in a variety of ways for branding. Product launches and promotions are a few ways to employ the halo effect.
Celebrities promoting a product or service is using the halo effect in branding. The intent is to influence the consumers judgement in a way that will make their cognitive bias the motivator desiring that product or service. A popular celebrity that’s attractive must make that product or service exceptional. The consumer will most likely desire having it. When using this in marketing, its focus is on Brand Reputation. Cognitive Bias or “The Halo Effect” has influence in marketing too.
About the Writer: Becky Blaesing, owner of Blazing Kiss Media grew up in a small rural town in the central part of Michigan. She resides in Ooltewah, TN with her husband and 2 rescue dogs. She has sales, management and media experience in for profit and non-profit business sectors. Becky loves working with clients to develop the best business development outcomes and strategies.