State of fear: Adapting marketing strategies towards the stressed consumer

Abstract

Nearly three years of immense environmental stressors may be affecting how consumers process information and make decisions. Marketers can adapt to these possible changes by understanding how prolonged stress, fear and uncertainty activate the subcortical (ie more primal) regions of the human brain. Activation of these areas results in a dynamic shift between deliberate and intuitive thinking, loss of attention, memory consolidation and an increase in autonomic decision making. Understanding the potential mindset of the overstressed consumer will facilitate the formulation of more effective marketing strategies such as eliminating shock value, managing choice overload, providing emotional validation, leveraging familiarity and solidifying your brand.