What role does psychology play in marketing?

Often, our assumptions about why people make choices are wrong. Marketing psychology uses quantitative and qualitative research methods to better understand what influences human decision-making.

How do colors influence decision-making?

Some research suggests that certain colors have certain meaning (e.g. red makes you hungry). However, those meanings often change from culture to culture (or even from person to person). In marketing, high color contrast—more than any single color—typically has the largest impact on human attention.

Get expert insights on marketing psychology

Marketing psychology is a massive topic (which is one reason we offer a minidegree, not just a course, on the subject). Many principles hold true in the digital realm; however, some are unique to the digital space (e.g. trust seals at checkout). Importantly, human psychology frequently counters our own expectations—including what customers report on quantitative and qualitative surveys.

Blog posts on marketing psychology

If you want to base your copy, design, and other elements on psychological research, rather than conjecture, read through one of the dozens of articles we’ve composed on marketing psychology. Each is a counterweight to flawed assumptions and adds context to most marketers’ primary source of pyschological data: user research.