HBS Review: The Subconscious Mind of the Consumer (And How To Reach It)

Read the Q&A on the Author Gerald Zaltman, Harvard Business School professor's latest book, 'How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market', that delves into the subconscious mind of the consumer—the place where most purchasing decisions are made.

'95 percent of all cognition occurs in the subconscious mind'

Q: How can marketers begin to understand behaviors and attitudes of which customers themselves are not aware?
A: - One is to double check stated beliefs with actual behavior.
- Use physiological or response latency measures. These often reveal that what consumers actually believe or think, as measured by unconscious physical reactions, contradicts what they say when asked directly.
- Study the metaphors consumers use to express their thoughts and feelings. This involves in-depth probing in one-on-one interviews for the hidden meanings contained in their metaphors.

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The Article: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3246.html