Because people are creatures of habit, they are blind to novelty.
A version of this article appeared in the January–February 2017 issue of Harvard Business Review.
How Habit Beats Novelty
Marketers spend time and money trying to make products stand out so that they’ll be chosen. But what if novelty is having the opposite effect?
From the Magazine (January–February 2017)
· Long read
Summary.
Research shows that our brains use heuristics and experience to decide what something is, often skipping over unexpected or novel aspects of a scene. We match input from the world to things we have encountered before. Since the goal of the marketer is to get the consumer to buy a brand quickly, constantly changing it won’t help. Change meant to freshen or energize a product line may actually cause consumers to overlook the new design as they search for what they are in the habit of seeing.
New!
HBR Learning
HBR Learning
Strategy Planning and Execution Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Strategy Planning and Execution. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
How to develop a winning strategy—and put it to work.