If you don’t live in Texas (or some parts of Mexico), you may have never heard of H-E-B, a supermarket chain that hasn’t expanded to the other 49 states. Despite H-E-B’s regional, or sub-regional, status, they have adopted an impressive number of brain-friendly strategies.
Like every supermarket, of course, H-E-B strives for convenient locations, low prices, and friendly people. By and large, they have been reasonably successful with those goals. What sets them apart, though, is their use of techniques that are geared to the way our brains work. Here are a few that I’ve observed:
Shared Attributes: We’re From Texas!
One of Robert Cialdini’s six principles of persuasion is “liking,” and a key way to establish that is to point out attributes that both parties have in common. We are inclined to like people more when they seem like us. As a Texas-only store, H-E-B works the Lone Star connection into every aspect of its marketing. In their extensive private label selection, Texas references abound. Many products are branded as “Hill Country Fare,” a reference to the Hill Country area of the state. Coffee varieties have names like, “San Antonio Blend” and “Houston Blend.”
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Forbes
