The first impression prevails over the others. The famous phrase? The first impression is what counts? It contains more than a grain of truth. In the field of psychology, the halo effect is also known as the halo effect . It is a cognitive bias that causes people to get carried away more than they should by a (wrong) first impression..
Cognitive biases affect perception , the memory , the thought and the judgment and encompass all prejudices and misjudgments that occur systematically and have been reliably demonstrated in studies. The halo effect, which is also known as the halo effect , describes what happens when the first impression of a person or thing is so positive that this image does not fit, or barely fits, reality.
Halo effect: The term halo effect defines the tendency to unconsciously project known qualities onto unknown people or things. This cognitive bias usually has a lasting effect, even after the first impression is confirmed as wrong. This sparks interest in the halo effect in marketing..
Frederic L. Wells first studied the halo effect in 1907. However, the concept that describes this phenomenon comes from the American psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike . Its origin in the field of psychology also makes clear the relevance of this cognitive bias for marketing and sales. After all, much of marketing is based on psychological principles, and the psychology of sales processes is an essential part of economic psychology.
The halo effect also greatly influences the interaction between people, so it is difficult for us to judge objectively. However, the more we know about cognitive biases like this, the more cautious we are with misperceptions when choosing personnel, suppliers or partners and, basically, each collaborator..
Due to the great scope of the halo effect, counter-strategies have always been developed. This was already happening in an intuitive, selective and evolutionary way before its discovery, but since the real significance of the effect became clear, it is being worked on in a definite and scientific way.
Actually, the explanation of the halo effect is very simple: when we have just met a person, we have too little information about him to be able to have a reliable opinion. However, we are forced to form a meaningful image of his personality as quickly as possible based on our intuition to determine how we should behave. In general, this process of evaluating and observing the other occurs completely unconsciously.
Who, as an interlocutor, knows the processes that take place in this delicate phase of encounter, has a great advantage. In addition to the assessment (if possible positive), the moment in which the information is obtained (as soon as possible) is also decisive for making a good judgment. It should also be remembered that the halo effect is long-lasting. Even subsequent negative results, for example in a partnership of any kind, often go unnoticed for a long time due to the lasting effect of a positive first impression. Therefore, the halo effect is an important aspect of social capital.
Many concrete examples confirm the efficacy of the halo effect: according to several studies, attractive people are automatically considered intelligent, even if there is no direct relationship between appearance and intelligence. On the other hand, obese people are considered peaceful without there being, once again, a relationship between both characteristics. We find other examples in the teaching and media sectors: teachers judge attractive pupils as competent, and sympathetic announcer is automatically perceived as intelligent.
Already the first major analysis of the halo effect provided a good example of the importance and danger of this cognitive bias . When the American psychologist Thorndike investigated the evaluation of soldiers, he obtained surprising results. In the evaluation questionnaire for soldiers with a more upright posture, their marksmanship was usually accredited, although in practice they did not have it at all. Therefore, the evaluators had unconsciously deduced that they had a remarkable characteristic, to which, in addition, great importance was attributed in the analyzed field, in addition to other positive parameters.
In marketing, leaving your mark on potential customers is often played on a single card. Therefore, it makes sense to use the knowledge of the halo effect to use this unique opportunity in the best way . The concept can be applied both to the sale in person and indirectly, through websites, advertisements or other means of advertising.
Due to the power of the halo effect, it is often enough to select a single positive personality trait to get a person or product to show its best face . The effect gives the person or the product a kind of halo. Therefore, the choice of that characteristic must be done very tactfully to achieve the desired effect. In personal contact, specifically in B2B sales and B2B marketing, it may even be a good idea to work towards the? Halo? specific to each potential or regular customer, in order to give each of them an optimal first impression . In the subsequent development of the negotiations, which in any case can be confrontational, this first good impression is lived for a long time. Also in digital marketing and online commerce , the power of irradiation and success of a product can be harnessed to improve the perception of the rest of the range and to sell it better. In this context, experts speak of the brand halo effect .
In personnel management and selection , the halo effect is also important due to special situations (eg job interview or lack of qualified personnel). After all, both the company (in the form of a recruiter) and the applicant for a job want to make a good impression, and each of the parties involved knows this? Ritual? or at least the role they play in it.