Halo effect: what it is, why it works, and how to use it
Let’s go back in time, and let’s be a little surprised…
Research carried out in 1974 showed that in trials, when convicting defendants, juries tended to show more leniency toward physically attractive individuals, even if they had committed the same crime as others who were not. Another study revealed that social workers found it difficult to accept that an attractive person could commit a crime .
The question here is: do people still take physical appearance so seriously? Nowadays, a lot! Even when we have enough information to make an objective judgment, our brains prefer to take shortcuts – in this case, through the cognitive bias called the Halo Effect.
What is the Halo Effect?
It is about our tendency to define the whole image of a person, based on one of their features. If X is attractive, X will also be a responsible citizen and abide by the letter of the law. It’s an inconsistent phenomenon, but that’s how it works.
To some extent, it’s a kind of confirmation bias, in that we judge people in a way that confirms our first impression, or what we already think, of them. We use it to fill in the gaps that exist in our understanding of a person we don’t yet know. In that sense, it can also backfire, since if we don’t like them, it will lead us to negative preconceptions. X argues a lot, and X is arrogant.
Tracing its origins
It was Edward Thorndike who first introduced the term ‘Halo Effect’ in an article published in 1920, “ A Constant Error in Psychological Ratings ”. For one of their studies, military commanders were asked to rate a number of traits – including intellect, leadership skills, personal qualities (intelligence, loyalty, responsibility, generosity, and cooperation), and physical attributes (voice, personal hygiene, physical appearance, etc.) – of his subordinate soldiers. The researchers found that high ratings for one trait raised the average rating for the others; while the negative assessment of another made her fail.
Although the theory was proposed in reference to people, the metaphor extends to brands, web page design, and marketing and advertising strategies.
In each case, he reiterates a truth: We tend to be less objective than we think. Even our most rational decisions are often wrong and wrong. What Is The Halo Effect? What Is Its Influence On Our Lives?
We tend to be less objective than we think. Even our most rational decisions are often wrong and wrong.
How to Create a Halo Effect
Marketers have greatly benefited from the Halo Effect, both with their brands and their web pages. Knowing where the line is is key to continuing to play ahead: these efforts do not go unnoticed by consumers, and overdoing them could backfire.
Next, we’ll explore how to make the right decisions to create a positive first impression.
put beauty to good use
When someone attractive becomes the face of your brand, the perceived value of your product skyrockets, and marketers love this strategy because it always pays off. Scientists say that when people see an attractive person in an advertisement, they put their rational faculties aside and tend to buy on impulse. They assume that ‘ what is beautiful is good ‘, and they transfer the beauty of the model (an easily recognized characteristic) to the product. The most interesting thing about this phenomenon is that it is usually limited to beauty products.
Many researchers have recorded negative responses (p.22) against beauty brand models, especially by women. This, in turn, has negatively impacted the effectiveness of the ad. One possible explanation is a social comparison with models. That being said, even men’s self-esteem falls when analyzing stereotypical beauty standards.
Other research shows positive consumer responses to less stereotypical portrayals, such as Dove’s “ Real Women ” campaign. This has inspired numerous brands to display unretouched photos of models in Photoshop, to maintain as much authenticity as possible. Obviously, in these cases, the Halo Effect is spectacular!
Conclusion: Use attractive models when they are relevant to the products and services you offer.
Attractive website design
From people to web pages, we tend to prefer anything that is remotely pretty. The logic is summarized in Beautiful = Credible.
Findings published by the ConversionXL Institute bear this out: People look at design elements to determine if they should trust a page.
Give it a try: of the two screenshots below, which one would you trust more?
