Growth Distillery, Ogilvy, and Kantar partner for influence research

The Growth Distillery has partnered with Ogilvy and Kantar for the release of The Influence Codes, a research and insights program into what, exactly, creates influence.

The research proves that "a large portion of what the marketing industry believes is effective is categorically wrong," Ogilvy Network AUNZ's consulting, growth, and innovation lead Toby Harrison said.

“We now have a genuine and comprehensive understanding of what creates influence and how that power can be leveraged by marketers to deliver effective growth.”

The Influence Codes is based on six months of research, and looks into shifts in technology, society, and globalisation that impact what influence means, and covers how brands can navigate these changes. 

The research was undertaken after consulting a panel of experts from the media, social media, gaming, consumer psychology, and legal worlds, as well as corporate leaders and political strategists. Over 9,000 Australians were interviewed across more than 20 scenarios.

The Influence Codes will explore four key categories in 2024: travel, food, health and retail. Findings will be released over the coming months.

The research found 71% of Australians feel the world around them is more complex and less trustworthy. The research also revealed affinity – a combination of character, proximity and relatability – is the new foundation for influence. 

Punters who attended News Corp’s 2024 Frontiers received a sneak peek at the data earlier this year, with director of The Growth Distillery, Dan Krigstein, telling the room. “The higher the cognitive load, the more important affinity is going to be influencing your decision or your consumers’ decision.”

“This is really interesting because it’s counter to the conventional marketing knowledge.

“You’re taught to find those moments of least resistance, find the troughs in the cognitive load and that’s where you put your message. What we can tell you is it’s actually the opposite.”

See Also: Brands’ job not to ‘build trust, but to break cynicism’: News Corp’s 2024 Frontiers

Head of research at The Growth Distillery James Taylor said there were three key takeaways the team wanted to share with brands. 

“Firstly, we unpack how the traditional codes of influence have been disrupted, with the decline of traditional authority and the rise of affinity as the new cornerstone of influence. 

“Secondly, we explore what's caused this disruption through a deep dive into four seismic shifts: information overload, codeless culture, declining institutional trust and choice fatigue. 

“Finally, we provide guidance on how to apply the new rules of influence including how to use the ‘goldilocks zone’ of affinity marketing, showing up in high cognitive load environments, how tone of voice creates affinity and applying the six archetypes of influence.”