Consumers scroll past thousands of ads a day but they stop for the ones that feel like they were written just for them, according to The Science of Connection, a whitepaper from independent media agency Magic.
Marketers have for decades leaned on behavioural psychology to capture attention. Magic’s paper shows how fusing these principles with modern media buying can deliver messaging with precision, to when and where people are most receptive.
“Great creative isn’t enough and great targeting isn’t enough,” according to the paper.
“The magic happens when classic persuasion theory guides the creative and the media plan.”
The whitepaper says the targeting playbook is built on:
- Regulatory focus theory explains how individuals approach goals based on their mindset. Promotion-focused consumers are driven by aspirations and growth, while prevention-focused consumers seek safety and security. Match the channel and message to each of these defined mindsets.
- Motivational insights Identify the emotional drivers behind consumer decisions: aspiration, status and pleasure for promotion-focused mindsets; security, comfort and fear avoidance for prevention-focused ones. Direct spend to the moments and platforms where these motivations are most active.
- Heuristics and cognitive biases – Cognitive shortcuts into creative and funnel stages, such as scarcity (limited-time offers), social proof (highlighting popularity or reviews), and framing ( presenting a product as 95% effective to shape perception).
"In a world where every scroll presents a sea of ‘sameness,’ capturing attention isn’t just a challenge for brands – it’s a necessity,” said Magic’s head of strategy Sam Terminelli.
“Consumers today demand more than surface-level messages to make them stop and listen – they crave relevance, connection and a reason to care. It’s about transforming creative copy from functional to emotionally resonant.
“Brand messaging needs to evolve to keep up with the change in consumer sentiment, and that’s where psychology-based segmentation comes in. It taps into the emotional, cognitive drivers of behaviour, allowing brands to create messages that transcend superficial transactions.”
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