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Do you know how labels, ads, and menus are designed to make you buy? The job of a marketer is to get you to choose their item and sell more.  Our guest Gerry O’Brion shares how giving people a rational reason to choose a product is the key to influencing buying behavior. Gerry O’Brion is a professional speaker and branding expert who speaks to 10,000 CEOs and sales professionals every year about how big brands get customers to buy and how they can apply those principles to any industry.  Gerry’s framework shows companies how to become the number one choice in a crowded market.  He started his career in marketing at Procter and Gamble and was an executive for Coors Light and Red Robin. Key points: How do marketers influence our buying decisions? People believe we make rational buying decisions, but that isn’t always true. Marketers use emotional messaging and images to influence buying behavior, but emotion alone doesn’t trigger buying behavior.  Our brains need a rational reason to make an emotional decision.  We need proof that our emotional decision is justified. Proof you can explain to others. Buyer’s remorse is caused when you can’t find proof. For food, marketing is about creating a rational hook for the decision.  We want proof we are making a good/safe/better choice.  A blue liner inside a beer can that “locks in fresh brewed taste” (which is what every can liner does) was responsible for an $100 million increase in sales the first year of the marketing campaign.  The liner was the rational reason to make the choice of Coors Light vs some other beer. Understanding how marketing works allows consumers to question the rationale for choosing one product over another. How does food marketing work in restaurants? “Food porn” is used in video ads to create desire. For example, dripping butter on Red Lobster ads or the pizza cheese pull. Menu design can determine what you will buy.  The highest margin items can be placed to influence what people order. Visuals and key words influence choice.  If the item has organic chicken, people believe the whole dish is organic. “House specialty” item that is unique is often the best seller. Everything on every sign, label, menu, or ad is designed to make you buy something. The job of executives is to make the stock price go up.  Some labels are designed to sound like a “safe” choice but has no real meaning such as “clean” or “fresh” food. We don’t spend a lot of time making simple buying decisions and we rely on way to short cut the decision and repeat it. Sometimes we are looking for alignment with what we believe.  In order to stand out in the millions of restaurants, they have to provide easy short cuts to align with people’s beliefs.  The decision is easier and you feel good about it. If we have a “because” we feel good about the decision.  Our brains are looking for a reason to say yes.  It doesn’t matter what the rational reason is… it just matters that you have one. Three tips to overcome Food Bullying: Understand how you are being influenced to buy. Do your homework. What labels are important and have meaning. (Marketers know people don’t do their homework) Do what feels good to you. Links: Gerry O’Brion website: https://www.whatbigbrandsknow.com/ Food Bullying Podcast Facebook page Food Bullying: How to Avoid Buying BS by Michele Payn Embrace Your Heart with Eliz Greene