My main framework

The Four Selves is a framework of consumer decision-making. It is designed to help brands investigate, understand, and test the decision-making paths consumers take to buy their products.

PRESENTED AT

Publicis

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Ogilvy

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DSM-Firmenich

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ESSEC

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Publicis • Ogilvy • DSM-Firmenich • ESSEC •

THE FOUR SELVES

  • The Present Self is about decisions driven by the immediate environment. Think of ads, habits, attention.

    It is is where attention studies and other cognitive functions are found (e.g. you buy the red product because you notice brighter colours).

  • The Future Self is about decisions driven by downstream consequences. Think of health concerns, retirement, diet.

    It is prevalent in economics and studies on future discounting (e.g. you pass on the cake now because you want to feel heathy later).

  • The Internal Self is about decisions driven by internal triggers. Think of hunger, sugar level, gut microbiome.

    It is often accessed through fMRI studies and physiological markers (e.g. you tend to eat chocolate when your blood sugar is low).

  • The External Self is about decisions driven by external considerations. Think of status, culture, need for approval.

    It is found in studies statistically noting the impact of others on purchases (e.g. you buy less flashy clothes when advised by a salesperson).

A four-panel infographic shows the words 'Internal,' 'External,' 'Present,' and 'Future,' each with the word 'self' underneath, on black backgrounds.

Leveraging different areas of science

Frameworks based on science leverage different fields, while keeping a focus on the consumer experience. Psychology, Neuroscience, Economics, Sociology, can be incorporated without being bound by any.

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