The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon in Marketing Psychology Strategy

Have you ever had a moment where after first seeing something, you suddenly started seeing it around you more frequently? This phenomenon is known as The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. Even though it was initially discovered in the context of everyday events, it turns out that this phenomenon has a significant impact when applied to the world marketing.

In this article, we will review how The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon can be utilized in marketing strategies. Is it possible that this concept could be the key to making your brand better known and remembered by potential customers? Let's dig deeper.

What is The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon?

Before discussing how this phenomenon can be applied in marketing, let's first understand what the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon is.

Reporting from HubSpot, the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or what is also known as frequency illusion, is an experience where after a person first becomes aware of something, they will begin to see or hear it around them more frequently. For example, after reading an article or listening to a conversation about a brand, we suddenly see advertisements for that product in various media around us.

This phenomenon explains how people's awareness of something can increase significantly after they see it for the first time.

The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon Process

In this discussion, we will explore further how the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon process takes place and how the digital era, especially social media, can strengthen this mindset. As summarized from the page Forbes, there are two processes related to The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.

Selective Attention

Selective attention is the way we process information by focusing on certain things while ignoring others. This can happen when we have just learned about something and suddenly start seeing it around us constantly.

For example, if we are newly interested in a Korean cosmetic product and search for it on social media, we will likely start seeing references to that product more often. This is because social media uses algorithms to provide content that suits our interests.

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias occurs when we convince ourselves that what we see is additional evidence of our beliefs. In the Baader-Meinhof context, whenever we see new information that attracts attention, we tend to look for more confirmation of that information. This makes us increasingly confident that this information appears more and more often around us.

In other words, Baader-Meinhof is about how our initial selective attention to something is then reinforced by confirmation bias. Moreover, through the influence of social media algorithms that adapt personalized content to our interests.