12% actively seek to be first and feel superior This is the eleventh of 20 daily THOUGHTS examining emotions in marketing. Recent research in the United States found that 12% of consumers admit to wanting to be first and to be seen as superior when making a purchase. This study also found that 11% of […]

12% actively seek to be first and feel superior This is the eleventh of 20 daily THOUGHTS examining emotions in marketing. Recent research in the United States found that 12% of consumers admit to wanting to be first and to be seen as superior when making a purchase. This study also found that 11% of consumers surveyed wanted to be seen as wise and knowledgeable when making a purchase. While earlier research suggests that less than 3% of consumers are true ‘trendsetters’, this recent study indicates that a much larger number want to ‘feel’ that they are trendsetters. They want to  feel superior, wise, and knowledgeable. Being first, or at least among the first, is a powerful and irrational driver of human behaviour, as is the need to feel like a trendsetter. It is an emotion that many businesses such as Apple, Nike and Microsoft tap into very successfully as…