Can’t get enough of our Hugoversity book reviews? Well, you’re in for a treat, as Prefect Emily has read and reviewed Nir Eyal’s book Hooked: How To Build Habit-Forming Products.
It is predominately aimed at product managers, entrepreneurs and marketers – making it an ideal read for someone working at a PR and marketing agency.
The book makes you think about the things you do in everyday life, as well as the products you use: for instance, one topic the author references is Google. He asks why do people go to Google when they want to know the answer to a certain question? Why not other search engines?
Because believe it or not, there are others – so how did Google gain such a monopoly?
Nir Eyal says addictive and successful products and services follow the Hook Model, which is used by businesses to turn its offerings into habits.
A habit is a behaviour that requires no conscious thought for consumers and offers value and loyalty to businesses. Once a product or service is a habit, it requires no advertising and is embedded into a consumer’s routine and emotions.
So, what is the Hook Model, I hear you ask.
It is a four-phase process that follows:
- Trigger
- Action
- Variable reward
- Investment
Triggers are the first phase of the method and come in two types – external and internal.
External triggers tell consumers what to do next by placing information in their environment, whereas internal triggers work through associations in memory and emotions.
Companies utilise external triggers through paid advertising, viral content and email notifications, but the aim is for consumers to no longer need these prompts.
The next step, action, is critical for firms to build successful habits.
This chapter of the book focuses on The Behaviour Model developed by Dr BJ Fogg, which states users’ actions depend on three things:
- Motivation
- Ability
- Trigger
Looking at The Behaviour Model, Nir said for a clear trigger to be effective, the consumer should be motivated and be able to perform the action with very little effort.
Phase three of the Hook Model is the variable reward, where the consumer’s problem is solved and reinforces the previous step. The book details three types of rewards:
- Rewards of the tribe – these satisfy our social needs
- Rewards of the hunt – these satisfy our basic survival instincts
- Rewards of the self – these help the consumer in self-determination by providing a sense of accomplishment
The author stressed the importance of choosing the right reward to match the product or service, but it must leave the consumer hungry for more.
The final step of the process is the investment phase, and this follows the reward stage as the user is driven by the anticipation of the rewards.
Although it is the last part of the model, it is the most important as it requires careful planning from both the consumer and product designers, as they must create a product that will result in an investment.
What did we think?
It was an interesting read, especially as I am interested in why consumers buy what they buy – some people might say I’m nosey.
The model process was thoroughly explained, easy to follow and relatable, especially when Nir references well-known brands such as Coca-Cola and Google, as mentioned previously.
The book includes graphs, charts and images also, which help to break up the text and actually see what the author is referring to.
What did we learn?
By reading this book, I learned why certain products or services are so addictive, while others, which may do the same thing, fail.
It’s not enough to have an excellent marketing strategy to reach lots of people; businesses must first understand their audience, their interests and emotions, before creating a product or service, which will hopefully become a habit.
