In this age of advanced AI, while algorithms are becoming ever - more refined, human attention has emerged as a precious commodity. AI can indeed empower enterprises to reach consumers more swiftly and offer highly targeted product recommendations. Nevertheless, the bedrock principles of human cognition and decision - making remain the linchpins that determine whether consumers take notice, develop an affinity, retain in their memories, or ultimately make a purchase. As a result, in the AI - driven landscape, enterprises are compelled to revisit and master the art of understanding people. The second module of the CMO program at Peking University's National School of Development (NSD), "Behavioral Science in the Age of Data Science," serves as a scientific compass guiding them in this pursuit.
On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, in an NSD classroom, Chen Bonan, the founder of the consumer brand "Yecuihua," sat in the front row, her eyes fixed intently. As a business owner, she was grappling with a mounting sense of unease. On one hand, she was eager to sustain business growth, yet on the other, she was haunted by the fear of making missteps in her decision - making.
Hu Guangshu, an NSD EMBA 2015 alumnus and the general manager of China Shanghe Management Consulting, had, through his extensive hands - on experience, come to the realization that numerous enterprises were falling short in truly comprehending the decision - making mechanisms of consumers. Many small and medium - sized enterprise managers, he noted, relied on ad - hoc, experience - based approaches rather than systematic marketing training.
Liu Zijian, the general manager of Beijing Organik Biotechnology, faced a unique set of challenges. His company, with over three decades of dedicated focus on the agricultural sector, had a stable clientele among businesses. However, when they set out to launch new consumer - facing products and embark on a transformative journey from scratch, they discovered that their tried - and - true strategies were no longer fully applicable in the new market milieu.
Despite their diverse backgrounds and industries, these entrepreneurs shared a common conundrum: In a market environment and technological landscape that was evolving at breakneck speed, how could they gain a genuine understanding of consumers? What factors attracted them, made them fond of products, and ultimately led to a purchase? With these questions in mind, they stepped into the CMO classroom of "Behavioral Science in the Age of Data Science" at NSD.
The course was helmed by Associate Professor Ma Jingjing. Renowned for her elegance, humor, and profound knowledge, Ma has an uncanny ability to blend theory, cutting - edge research, engaging case studies, and interactive classroom games. Her teaching style is characterized by its clarity and depth, ensuring that even with a wealth of information, students remain fully engaged throughout.
Ma Jingjing's research delves deep into consumer behavior and decision - making, with her work gracing the pages of top - tier international academic journals. Since 2018, she has been spearheading a consumer confidence index research, closely observing the shifts in Chinese consumers' confidence in the macro - economy and various consumption domains. With an academic background that includes a double - degree in history and economics from Peking University and a doctorate from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the United States, Ma also brings practical experience from her tenure at an international consulting firm. This unique blend allows her to translate highly theoretical academic research into actionable analysis frameworks and tools for entrepreneurs.
The course's core content revolves around attention, brain memory, emotion cultivation, and brain decision - making, meticulously designed to help enterprises in the AI era better understand consumers.
Attention: Penetrating the Consumer Mind in Marketing
"What exactly is attention?" Ma posed this question to the class. Responses ranged from "seeing" and "exposure" to "lingering," "curiosity," and "interest." Ma then sifted through these answers, presenting a more fundamental definition: Attention occurs only when information truly penetrates the brain.
She elaborated on the brain's limited capacity for information processing. "On average, it takes the brain 50 - 100 milliseconds to register a piece of information. In the context of online shopping platforms, consumers can process only about three information points within a single second." This revelation highlighted the common marketing quagmire faced by enterprises: Despite heavy investments in advertising, content creation, and traffic acquisition, are consumers actually "seeing" their messages? Over - packed information, cluttered advertising elements, and product pages inundated with features often lead to information overload, resulting in the brain's automatic rejection.
To illustrate this vividly, Ma conducted several classic experiments in class. Through firsthand experience, students grasped the concept that the brain "filters out" changes that are either too subtle (below the Just Noticeable Difference, or JND), occur too rapidly, or are not in line with the consumer's focus of attention.
Liu Zijian realized that many of his past marketing decisions had been rather impulsive. "This course is incredibly dense with knowledge," he remarked after class. "When it comes to agricultural brands, we need to re - evaluate how consumers actually 'perceive' us." Understanding attention is the first crucial step in deciphering consumers.
Liking and Memory: The Origins of 'Unspoken Affection'
Ma introduced the concept of implicit liking, emphasizing that many preferences are not the result of rational analysis but are formed subtly over long - term, repeated exposure. This phenomenon, known as the "Mere Exposure Effect" in psychology, explains how brand favorability gradually accumulates with each encounter.
She further explored the intricate relationship between emotion and memory, highlighting that the brain retains information associated with high - arousal emotions, such as joy, surprise, or anger, more vividly. However, Ma cautioned that relying solely on emotional stimuli for brand building often yields short - term results. Such methods typically fall under the "peripheral route" of communication theory. Brands that overly depend on emotional triggers, traffic - driven promotion, or short - term marketing campaigns may struggle to foster long - lasting consumer loyalty.
The "central route," which encompasses a product's functional, monetary, and deep - seated psychological value, is the key to building a long - term, stable brand.
Regarding what makes information more memorable, Ma introduced the SUCCES principle (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotion, Story) from classic psychological research. She underscored the power of a good story, explaining how the brain is inherently more attuned to information that defies expectations, is presented in a concrete manner, and is accompanied by elements of credibility. When these elements converge, a story becomes not only more memorable but also more shareable.
Decision - Making Mechanism: Decoding How Consumers Make Choices
Ma dissected the consumer experience into five dimensions: perception, physical, emotion, social, and cognitive. The first three dimensions - perception, physical, and emotion, which translate into experiences like deliciousness, aesthetics, and entertainment, can generate immediate positive feedback and quickly build affinity.
However, the social and cognitive dimensions are more challenging to fulfill. This is why many brands emphasize the sense of participation. When users are actively involved, a product transcends mere functional consumption and becomes an experience that can be shared and used to express one's identity. Products that are less prone to direct comparison or simple one - upmanship are more likely to be embraced by consumers.
These experiences are intricately linked to social connections, cognitive engagement, and self - value. To help students understand how these experiences unfold, Ma introduced the latest consumer research methods, such as neuro - marketing, where electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements can reveal which areas of the brain are activated under different information stimuli. She emphasized that the brain doesn't respond to concepts it hasn't been primed to think about, thus in questionnaire design and consumer research, the first step is often to trigger relevant associations in the brain.
For Hu Guangshu, these methods were particularly illuminating. "Each time I come back for refresher training, I encounter new cases and tools," he said.
During the course, Ma also honed students' decision - making skills, teaching them how to make sound judgments in complex situations, how to use hypothesis and reverse - reasoning when data is scarce, how to design A/B tests, how to identify key variables influencing products and marketing, and how to pinpoint the crucial factors that determine product positioning.
These practical cases and strategic thinking techniques aim to shift decision - making from an experience - based approach to a more systematic, cognitive one.
From Phenomena to Laws and Reconstruction: Cognitive Upgrade from Classroom to Practice
The systematic learning experience enabled Chen Bonan to discern the underlying laws beneath the surface of daily business operations. "The content of Professor Ma's class is like a map," she exclaimed with excitement, "or rather, a clear directory that validates our past practices, showing us what we got right and what areas deserve further exploration."
The case studies and practical sharing in class represent the phenomena, while the cutting - edge academic research in data science and behavioral science embodies the laws. What enterprises need to focus on is the crucial step of reconstruction in - between.
From laws to phenomena, it involves re - evaluating one's enterprise and products: Are we doing things right? Why are we doing them this way? Is there a better path ahead? From phenomena to laws, it requires continuous testing and reflection in practice: Which of our past experiences confirm the laws? What new changes are occurring in the current environment? What adjustments need to be made according to our specific circumstances?
Throughout the three - day course, this two - way thinking permeated every session. Students constantly cross - referenced cases, theories, and their own practices, gradually constructing a new cognitive framework.
At the end of the course, many students echoed a common sentiment: They not only gained a deeper understanding of consumers but also learned to view products and brands from the consumers' vantage point. Liu Zijian, for instance, cheerfully remarked, "Now I know how to assess a good CMO for my company in the future."
