We’ve all heard this before, and it makes sense. But it’s surprising how few creative teams really tap the science behind human motivation.

At Verdi we are behavioral scholars – and we love seeing how small changes to creative can make such a big difference in marketing campaign performance.

Here is one of the fundamental principles we apply when we’re called upon to advise creative teams throughout the US…

When you only have seconds to engage a prospect, you really need to understand which of the “7 Basic Human Motivators” are most relevant to your offering – and build your messaging around it.

fear     greed     salvation     flattery     exclusivity     guilt      anger

(The final two – guilt and anger – are especially effective for fund-raising.)

And there are two more that sometimes make this list:

1. The need for acceptance/approval

2. Curiosity

Coincidently, the “Seven Deadly Sins” are pride, anger, greed, envy, sloth, gluttony, and lust. Notice the correlation? Go figure.