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System 1

Revolutionizing How We Evaluate Consumer Decision-Making

Systems 1 and 2: Not Either/Or, But Both

Plenty has been written about advances in cognitive science around System 1 thinking (fast, automatic, and emotional) and System 2 thinking (slow, deliberate, and rational). Because consumers use both System 1 and 2 thinking, it is unlikely that research evaluating only their rational assessment OR focusing entirely on implicit/emotional reactions will yield complete results and insight to make the best brand strategy and messaging choices possible. Measuring both System 1 and 2 thinking is important because it more accurately captures how the brain works …

5 Success Stories Leveraging Multi-Cognition Research

We’ve debated with ChatGPT about the importance of understanding how emotion/impulse and rational thought factor into consumers’ purchase decisions.

Our Spark Multi-Cognition Research® methodology goes beyond traditional screening of “System 2” reasoning to capture impulsive “System 1” drivers that are critical in today’s crowded marketplace. Spark MCR has helped clients across multiple categories grow their business by narrowing in on the most effective messaging for ad campaigns and packaging, understanding how to increase value and purchase intent, identifying ways to attract new users, and more…

Click below to learn about 5 of our many Spark success stories.

Factors in System 1 (Emotional/Impulsive) vs. System 2 (Rational/Conscious) Decision-Making

It’s true that human beings often make decisions based on emotion, impulse, and non-conscious automatic behavior. But there are occasions when conscious, rational thinking takes the lead. We challenged ChatGPT to explain what factors determine this. The AI offered 6 scenarios, but ACUPOLL has identified 2 more.

Click below to see all 8, along with an excerpt of our conversation with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT debunks “95% of decisions are non-conscious”

According to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, “95% of our purchase decision-making takes place in the subconscious mind,” implying that emotions are what really drive purchasing behavior, and decision-making in general. We challenged ChatGPT on this statistic… and actually changed its “mind.”

Click below to read our conversation with the AI.

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System 1 Weight Management

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How consumer psychology and marketing strategy helped me lose – and keep off – 20 pounds

42% of Americans say they’ve gained weight during COVID, with 1 in 7 saying they’ve packed on 10 pounds or more – yet nearly half also say diets have not been successful for them. If you’re one of those who struggle with managing and maintaining your weight, consider these “System 1”-inspired strategies.

Spark In-Market Validation

Last year, we unveiled Spark MCR's groundbreaking approach to more completely evaluate ideas than traditional surveys by capturing Impulse and Emotion, as well as conscious Reflection. Spark MCR is 2x more likely to capture consumers' "gut" reactions, and better discriminates across ideas to find the real winners. Now we're unveiling in-market results from a new study on Pinterest for a major retailer which demonstrates that Spark MCR results are significantly and more strongly correlated with higher online "engagement" and e-commerce sales than the traditional approach.

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Research On Research: Methods Matter

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Everyone knows the questions are important – but so are the answers! In this head-to-head comparison, we assessed two research scales to see which performs better.