Nathalie Nahai - The secret psychology of persuasive videos

All material © THE WEB PSYCHOLOGIST LTD. 2016. No unauthorised reproduction or distribution.
@NATHALIENAHAITHE WEB PSYCHOLOGIST LTD.
THE SECRET
PSYCHOLOGY
PERSUASIVE VIDEOS
behind

There are 3 ways we psychologically
engage with videos

PRIMAL

PRIMAL EMOTIONAL

PRIMAL RATIONALEMOTIONAL

1. Introduction
2. Persuasive copy
3. Engaging images
4. Viral videos
5. Key takeaways
TODAY’S TALK
@THEWEBPSYCHTHE WEB PSYCHOLOGIST
THE ‘3 SYSTEMS’ BRAIN

THE PRIMAL SYSTEM
1

PRIMAL
• Common to all animals
• Basic vital functions
• Risky vs. Safe (FFF)
• Sex
• Food

Video is an effective medium for
engaging the primal system

Motion is inherently attention-grabbing

It’s become increasingly utilised online

To use it effectively, you need to direct
attention to the right place

Your video has to be compelling
even when there’s no sound

You can also engage the primal system by
hacking people’s arousal levels

Which is exactly what BBH did when they produced
this video for the Audi R8 V10 plus

HOW DID THEY DO IT?
• Eye-opening reaction was genuine
http://lbbonline.com/news/bbh-londons-stunning-new-audi-r8-ad-is-a-real-eye-opener/

HOW DID THEY DO IT?
• Gathered biometric data during a racetrack lap
to measure effect of the R8 on the human body

HOW DID THEY DO IT?
• Gathered biometric data during a racetrack lap
to measure effect of the R8 on the human body
• Used this data in the film to illustrate visceral thrill
associated with the R8 V10 plus

Once you’ve grabbed someone’s attention,
how do you get them to take action?

THE EMOTIONAL SYSTEM
2

EMOTIONAL
• Limbic system
• Ancient & automatic
• Amygdala fear, relevance, trust
• Thalamus happy, sad, disgusted
• VTA dopamine risk & reward

To engage the emotional system with video, we
first have to understand decision-making

DECISION-MAKING
R. Carter (1999) Mapping the Mind. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
“ ”
Where thought conflicts with emotion,
the latter is designed by the neural
circuitry in our brains to win

DECISION-MAKING
Positive moods lead to lower perceived
risk and increased purchase intention
“ ”Park, J., Lennon, S. J., & Stoel, L. (2005). On-line product presentation: Effects on mood, perceived risk, and purchase intention. Psychology & Marketing,
22(9), 695-719.

There are heuristics you can use to increase the
effectiveness of emotional content

PEAK END RULE
“ ”
We judge experiences based on how they
were at their peak & end, rather than the
total sum or average of every moment
Kahneman, D., Fredrickson, B. L., Schreiber, C. A., & Redelmeier, D. A. (1993). When more pain is preferred to less: Adding a better end. Psychological science,
4(6), 401-405.

You can also take people on a
universally emotional journey

Or you can take a more personalised route

PSYCHOGRAPHICS
Study and classification of people
according to their attitudes, aspirations,
and other psychological criteria
“ ”Oxford Dictionaries, 2015

PERSONALITY MATTERS
J. Hirsh, S. Kang and G. Bodenhausen (2012). Personalized Persuasion: Tailoring Persuasive Appeals to Recipients' Personality Traits. Psychological Science
published online 30 April 2012
Adapting persuasive messages to
personality traits… can be an effective
way of increasing the messages’ impact
“ ”

Personalities are complex - we all score
differently across combinations of traits

The Big 5 
(a quick quiz)

DO YOU HAVE…
A high degree of intellectual
curiosity, creativity and a preference
for novelty and variety?
Costa, P. T. Jr., and McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) Professional Manual.
Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
“ ”

1. Openness
THE BIG 5

ARE YOU…
Organised, dependable and
self-disciplined? Do you prefer to
plan and aim for achievement?
“ ”

1. Openness
2. Conscientiousness
THE BIG 5

ARE YOU…
Energetic, positive, assertive & sociable?
Do you tend to seek stimulation in
the company of others?
“ ”

1. Openness
3. Extraversion
THE BIG 5

DO YOU HAVE…
The tendency to be compassionate
and cooperative rather than suspicious
and antagonistic towards others?
“ ”

1. Openness
3. Extraversion
4. Agreeableness
THE BIG 5

DO YOU HAVE…
The tendency to experience unpleasant
emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety,
depression, and vulnerability?
“ ”

1. Openness
3. Extraversion
4. Agreeableness
5. Neuroticism
THE BIG 5

Who does this appeal to?

EXTRAVERSION
Strong
Outgoing
Active
Excitement
Attention

OPENNESS
Innovation
Intelligence
Sophistication
Imagination
Creative

NEUROTICISM
Safe
Reduce the anxiety
Uncertainty
Security
Protection

Specific words engage specific traits

You can research & segment your audience by
personality trait, based on linguistic patterns

Finally, you can also use video to engage
and subvert the rational system

THE RATIONAL SYSTEM
3

RATIONAL
• Unique to humans
• Higher cognitive functions
• Plan, organise, problem-solve
• Social learning & innovation
• Language, abstract thought

One way to engage this system is to
disrupt people’s expectations

It works because it provokes our curiosity

You can use psychological principles to
get people to watch anything….

So how do you create shareable, clickable titles?

Number / Trigger word
+

Adjective
+

Adjective
Keyword
+

Adjective
Keyword
Promise+

Adjective
Keyword
Promise
KILLER HEADLINE
+

EXAMPLE
Subject:

EXAMPLE
Subject: Frying eggs

EXAMPLE
You could write this headline:

EXAMPLE
-“How to fry an egg”

EXAMPLE
-“How to fry an egg”
-“Why I love frying eggs”

OR APPLY THE FORMULA:

“13 unbelievable ways you can fry a small egg with a sock”

number

number
trigger word

number
trigger word
adjective

number
trigger word
adjective
keyword

number
trigger word
adjective
keyword
promise

In summary…

PRIMAL
Deliberate motion

PRIMAL
Deliberate motion
Boost arousal

PRIMAL
Deliberate motion
Boost arousal
Silently compel

PRIMAL EMOTIONAL
Deliberate motion
Boost arousal
Silently compel

PRIMAL EMOTIONAL
Deliberate motion
Boost arousal
Silently compel
Emotional state

PRIMAL EMOTIONAL
Deliberate motion
Boost arousal
Silently compel
Emotional state
Peak End Rule

PRIMAL EMOTIONAL
Deliberate motion
Boost arousal
Silently compel
Emotional state
Peak End Rule
Psychographics

Deliberate motion
Boost arousal
Silently compel
Emotional state
Peak End Rule
Psychographics

Deliberate motion
Boost arousal
Silently compel
Emotional state
Peak End Rule
Psychographics
Pattern disrupt

Deliberate motion
Boost arousal
Silently compel
Emotional state
Peak End Rule
Psychographics
Pattern disrupt
Use trigger words

Deliberate motion
Boost arousal
Silently compel
Emotional state
Peak End Rule
Psychographics
Pattern disrupt
Use trigger words
Apply formula

bit.ly/websofinfluence

THANK YOU!
@NathalieNahai
NathalieNahai.com

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