How Coca-Cola and Head & Shoulders build buying habits

To make your product a “must have,” attach it to a behavior people are already doing.

Sales of Head & Shoulders dandruff shampoo had hit a plateau.

Despite being the #1 product in its category, things were stagnant.

The problem wasn’t the product.

It was how buyers viewed the product.

As an add-on medicinal treatment used as the step after their normal shampoo…

And only to be used when they had a flare up… not everyday.

But the product didn’t have to be added in as an extra step.

It was gentle enough to use in every shower.

So the team at Head & Shoulders created a plan.

Instead of marketing Head & Shoulders as a "dandruff treatment," they shifted its positioning to an "everyday shampoo that prevents dandruff."

Why?

Well, shampooing our hair is a habit. 

(Meaning we do it regularly and without much conscious thought or mental debate.)

So if Head & Shoulders could go from being seen as an “as needed” treatment to part of the everyday habit of showering…

Then it wouldn’t just sell more.

It would actually be more effective at treating dandruff, because it would prevent the issue before it got started.

So Head & Shoulders changed their packaging, advertising, and messaging to emphasize daily use and dandruff prevention.

Sales naturally went way up because they did 3 very smart things:

1. They’d paired the habit of everyday showering with their product…

2. To help them shift perceptions of the product from “treatment” to “habit”...

3. Which then tapped into a much bigger potential buyer pool.

Now Head & Shoulders wasn’t just a niche medicinal product for people with an active issue.

They were a mainstream product available to folks who wanted to prevent as much as treat.

The success of this approach is down to a psychological strategy known as Habit Attachment (also called Habit Stacking).

Habit Attachment says that adopting a new behavior is much easier when you connect it to an existing routine rather than trying to create an entirely new habit.

Research has found that repeated behaviors can actually change our brain structure, and we can use these mental pathways to our advantage to create new habits.

One useful habit formation tool you can use is called “Implementation Intentions.”

These are really simple “if-then” statements that help create connections between what we already do habitually and what we want to do.

For example, if you wanted to start flossing you might say, "If I brush my teeth, then I will floss."

In marketing, we can leverage this connection between existing habits or behaviors and new behaviors to help us become more memorable to buyers, too.

If you’re selling Coca-Cola, for example, you need to mentally pair your product to behaviors and habits already happening in people’s lives.

So your ads start to create the mental connection that “if” X happens, “then” I should grab a Coke.

For example, in this Coca-Cola, you can see at least 6 of these “if-then” connections being created in real time…

Did you spot the “if-then” moments in this ad? Here’s a few:

• “If you’re hot outside and walk into a corner shop, then grab a Coke.”

• “If you’re eating with your family, then open a 2-litre bottle of Coke to share.”

• “If you’re gaming, then grab a Coke.”

If your marketing can help build these “if-then” statements through ads, content, and marketing messages…

Then the next time your customer is ready to buy,

Chances are, they’ll buy from you.

Until next time,
Jen

PS. I can help your team find better ways to reach your buyers with marketing psychology and behavioral science training.

I’ve worked with brands like Microsoft, T-Mobile, McDonalds, and more to equip their teams with a buyers psychology lens, so they can reach, engage, serve, and sell to customers more effectively.

To learn more about my corporate training offers, click here.

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