Zdeňka Zlatušková addresses the topic of neurodiversity in the context of advertising in her role as Head of Innovation at the Dentsu agency, and she will also open this year's Communication Summit. In addition to statistics that challenge some established marketing principles, she will also offer specific recommendations.
Technology may be changing some of our habits and behaviours, but the principles that guide our decision-making have been with us since the Palaeolithic era. Incorporating insights from behavioural science and neuroscience into marketing communications is therefore becoming a standard part of marketers' work.
Take, for example, Orlando Wood and the agency System 1. Their work is based on the idea that campaigns that are effective in terms of long-term brand building are memorable because they evoke emotions. They do this primarily by engaging the right hemisphere of the brain. They work with people, gestures, relationships, humour, music, etc. System 1 pre-tests campaigns using metrics based on six basic emotions and has excellent results. Zdenka Zlatušková points out that these recommendations may not be as universal as we might think.
Why? Because not all brains function and perceive reality in the same way. Neuroscience has also advanced in how we evaluate so-called neurodiversity, i.e. deviations from the norm: in particular, what falls under the autism spectrum (ASD) or ADHD. It has also advanced in how to diagnose and recognise the experiences and needs of people who, for various reasons, fall through the system, do not receive a diagnosis, but nevertheless have neurodivergent traits that negatively affect their functioning in their professional and personal lives.
As part of an inclusive approach, brands are venturing into portraying various minorities, and alongside diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation, neurodiversity is also coming to the fore.
‘This is by no means a marginal issue anymore. A British survey showed that neurodiversity has overtaken LGBTQI+ in terms of customer interest, with 20% of people wanting to see it in advertising, and this number is sure to grow as awareness increases. At the same time, products from brands that are not afraid of diversity in their advertising are are perceived by customers as more innovative and more suitable for different needs, which is then reflected in their choice of brand,’ Zlatušková lists the advantages.
Emotions, emojis and shopping context
Orlando Wood's work highlights the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible, among other things, for the ability to perceive complexity, context, and understand metaphors and humour. People with ASD tend to believe that they have difficulty understanding metaphorical language.
Studies investigating the creation of verbal metaphors in people with ASD confirm this. At the same time, however, it has been consistently shown that they are much more creative in creating metaphors and unusual connections.
Studies of the neurodivergent part of the population also provide many insights into consumer behaviour. ‘Five years ago, a study was published proving that people with autism are better equipped as consumers to see through marketing tricks,’ summarises Zlatušková, adding: ‘The context of a purchase, which is so important in decision-making for the neurotypical majority, carries less weight for people with ASD. In other words, these people make much more rational decisions.’
Related to the power of context is a cognitive bias known as the fundamental attribution error, and people with ASD are demonstrably less susceptible to it. Similarly, there is a cognitive bias called social approval, which is the tendency to follow what the majority does. This also has less of an impact on people with ASD.
Add to this the fact that they also tend to have difficulty reading emotions, and the calibration of metrics at Wood's agency may be flawed. "This is also confirmed by research and is even evident in emoticons: people on the spectrum attribute different emotions to some emoticons than neurotypical people. But they notice other details more often that others miss," explains Zdeňka Zlatušková.
People with ADHD traits tend to be more impulsive and challenged by maintaining attention and have a rapid need for dopamine. Dynamic advertisements are more likely to hold their attention, but at the same time, they risk causing overstimulation. For this reason, they are also less likely to complete a purchase on a poorly optimised e-shop. "When it comes to specifics in consumer behaviour, people with ADHD are prone to impulsive decisions and purchases. The ethical dimension of marketing communication is very relevant here. I can imagine, for example, an initiative by a bank to help its clients with ADHD overcome their tendency to spend money thoughtlessly," Zlatušková gives an example. In adults with ADHD, the incidence of this phenomenon is up to twice as high as in the general population.
Other studies focusing on teenagers with ADHD have revealed a strong tendency towards impulsive eating, especially of unhealthy and industrially processed foods (because they provide a quick dopamine fix). ‘This could be used as a building block for educational campaigns to promote healthy eating habits or prevent eating disorders,’ adds the strategist. The incidence of PPP is also significantly higher in people with ADHD.
The reduced pavement effect
The question arises as to why an inclusive approach in marketing communication should be an issue at all. The neurodivergent population is still in the minority. Although not entirely negligible. The most commonly cited figure is around 20%. In the case of the Czech Republic, this represents more than two million people, which is the same number as the entire Generation Z, which is receiving a lot of attention in current marketing communication. It is important to note that the characteristics falling under each category, whether ADHD, ASD or even high sensitivity, overlap in most cases and are difficult to assess separately. The current increase in diagnoses is mainly due to more sophisticated diagnostics and the gradual destigmatisation of neurodiversity in the public sphere.
Zdeňka Zlatušková says: ‘My goal is to encourage professionals in the field of marketing communication to take a critical view. Whenever I decide to target a particular group, I am consciously or unconsciously excluding another group. Inclusive design and communication are not only ethical, they are also a great business opportunity.’
Focusing on groups that are currently overlooked or underserved can be a source of interesting innovations and further growth. This is the basis of Clayton Christensen's entire theory of disruptive innovation. And also the so-called ‘curb-cut effect’, i.e. the principle whereby a marginal innovation aimed at a narrow group begins to be sought after or appreciated by the majority of society. The name curb-cut refers to the lowering of pavements for wheelchair access, which is also appreciated in everyday life by parents with prams, senior citizens, couriers, etc. There are many such examples in design and technology, but so far they have mainly focused on physical and visible disabilities.
There is no doubt that the same principle has the potential to work for hidden limitations and differences, such as various manifestations of neurodiversity. Let us recall the recent initiative of two Czech chains, Globus, which, following the example of other countries, have introduced shopping hours for people with ASD. This mainly involves dimming the lights and sounds of in-store radios and scanners, ensuring easy orientation in the store and training employees. And when talking to the management of domestic stores about customer reactions, it comes as no surprise that other groups of the population also appreciate the quieter shopping environment: parents with small children and senior citizens.
Conduct an audit and ask questions
There are many examples. Subtitles for videos originally intended for the deaf are now used by people in noisy environments or for language learning. Apps such as Headspace and Calm, originally designed for people with anxiety or depression, have become widely used by the majority of society. Features in Microsoft programmes such as Focus Assistant, which turns off distracting notifications, or Immersive Reader, which contains many tools to make text clearer for people with dyslexia or other learning disabilities, can be needed and appreciated by anyone. In the Czech Republic, Chutoo learning app, which is being tested by people with ADHD and dyslexia but is universally applicable for anyone. This is because the way we receive and process information varies even among the neurotypical majority. Some people prefer listening or watching videos to reading. Some learn well from infographics, others from quizzes, for example.
These and other similar examples show that innovations originally intended for the neurodivergent part of the population have the potential to significantly improve the quality of certain areas of life for everyone. This is because they often address universal human needs that are initially identified as the needs of neurodivergent people. Their solution is more urgent for them.
This may give the impression that inclusion in design or communication mainly means simplification. That in order to make the transfer of information clearer, marketers should avoid imagery, metaphors or humour. Metaphorically speaking, that mental ‘low threshold’ excludes creativity.
Zdenka Zlatušková strongly disagrees with this. ‘In my opinion, inclusive design places even higher demands on creativity. Reducing a message to its simplest form means blending in with the crowd of other brands. So it's more about how you do it to remain recognisable while remaining understandable to the widest possible audience.’
To start with, Zlatušková suggests the ‘AAA’ approach: audit, adaptation and amplification. First and foremost, it is important to realise that general marketing principles only work to a certain extent and that there are many people who perceive the world and advertising differently. "Try doing a small audit and look at your communication through the eyes of someone who finds it difficult to navigate numbers or cannot absorb long texts. Walk through your store and notice the intensity of sounds and lights. Research agencies such as Behavio should also reflect diversity in their panels and help brands identify weaknesses. Unfortunately, this is not yet happening in our country or abroad," he says. The aforementioned System1 is beginning to reflect this need, at least by including the following in its last report about diversity otevřeně přiznává, that neurodiversity was not given space in it.
Adaptation Zlatušková means expanding the existing communication ‘package’: "Don't just rely on videos or texts, include infographics or even audio. Where possible, try to reduce sensory overload, both online and offline. And finally, when it's time to create new communications, involve neurodivergent colleagues and customers. Amplify their voices and needs in your ads, and don't be afraid to show neurodiversity in your communications. Just make sure you represent them accurately and avoid stereotypes," adds Zlatušková.
Source: mediaguru.cz