Who’s making our decisions?

My name’s Imogen Catterall, I’m 17 and for the past week I’ve been doing work experience at Wordville PR and marketing agency.

It sounds strange but I have always been blissfully unaware of myself as a consumer. I have never given a second thought to the decision process behind my purchases, or how the behind-the-scenes activities of marketers may affect them. I had no idea of the forces at play. Until I came to Wordville that is.

One week spent at the agency, where the impact of every word on a client’s reputation is considered, has made something as simple as shopping at M&S an enlightening experience. Suddenly I’m questioning what I think about products and brands and, more importantly, why I think them.

So I was in M&S buying my lunch and I found myself documenting the numerous factors on which my choice depended: Does it look nice? How many calories are in it? What’s the cost? Will I enjoy it? And were the companies thinking of me, taking these questions into account when designing and making these products.

As soon as I entered the store I went over to the drinks section and picked up a pink lemonade. My attention had been caught by the bright pink liquid and the fact it seemed lighter and healthier than other choices e.g. a coke. Marketers would have considered both the label and bottle shape when deciding how to appeal to their target consumer. The label had a simple but encouraging design, with an upside down bottle cap, pink writing and a pink background to match the drink- not too much going on outside, no unnecessary ingredients inside- seemed to be the subliminal message.

Once I’d chosen my drink, food was next on the agenda. After a painful five minute deliberation process, I finally selected what I wanted. But what was it about the roasted vegetable cous cous that made me bite the bullet? How had it been made to appeal to me? First, it looked wholesome and healthy- something that I occasionally make an effort to be. The transparent packaging and clear nutritional information helped confirm this image, making me think that it couldn’t lead me that far off my route to a beach-ready bod. In a raw nutshell- this product projected a ‘what you see is what you get’ image. And what I saw looked good.  

Without my time at Wordville I would never have noticed any of these things or realised how the littlest thing can affect a consumer’s decisions and their perception of a brand.

By Imogen Catterall