Unlocking the ‘Why’ with Attitudinal Intelligence
Gener8’s Attitudinal Intelligence unlocks deeper audience understanding and enables new segmentation strategies
Understanding today’s consumer means looking beyond ‘what’ they do, and uncovering ‘why’ they do it. While behavioural data such as searches, clicks, purchases and app usage offers invaluable insight into actions, it misses the underlying motivations. This disconnect, known as the ‘Attitude Action Gap’, highlights the difference between observed behaviour and internal intent.
At Gener8, we believe attitudinal segmentation offers a way to close this gap. By grouping individuals based on psychological traits such as their values, beliefs and personalities, we move beyond the traditional view of demographics and behaviours, gaining a deeper perspective into the reasons behind decision-making.
We have developed Attitudinal Intelligence, a framework designed to decode the psychological drivers behind consumer behaviour, offering a predictive and rounded view of the individual. This enables brands and agencies to develop a more meaningful understanding of consumer motivations behind their behaviours.
Scoring the ‘why’: the methodology behind Attitudinal Intelligence
The framework is built on a comprehensive, self-declared survey comprising over 60 carefully crafted questions posed to our user base. These questions explore a wide range of psychological traits, including personal values, lifestyle preferences, brand perception, openness to new ideas, and susceptibility to social influence. Responses are then used to score each user on a 10-point scale across several key attitudinal dimensions, such as Lifestyle & Values, Trust & Brand Perception, and Innovation & Openness.
The strength of the framework lies in its simplicity. It distils complex, noisy data into a few meaningful attitudinal dimensions. Combined with bespoke behavioural segments, like purchasers of the Nintendo Switch 2 (see below), these form a powerful analytical tool, especially as rich attitudinal insights are instant and do not require another survey to be commissioned.
This fusion of behavioural ‘what’ and attitudinal ‘why’ is the core of Attitudinal Intelligence. We can now link user actions, like a search, site visit, or app interaction, to deeper traits such as risk tolerance or aspirational self-image. Similarly, a purchase captured via an eReceipt can be tied to the values and motivations behind it.
Identifying emotional drivers behind Nintendo Switch 2
The true value of Attitudinal Intelligence emerges when applied to real-world events, uncovering nuanced audience profiles that challenge assumptions and deliver a predictive advantage.
By applying our Attitudinal Intelligence scoring to verified buyers of the newly released Nintendo Switch 2, a richer audience picture emerges. While these consumers do exhibit traits of ‘Innovators’ and ‘Trendsetters’, their dominant characteristics are quite different. They index even more highly as Values-Driven, Brand Loyal, and Expressive Individualists, a profile that tells a more powerful story:
- Values-Driven: These consumers are not swayed by features alone. They choose brands that reflect their personal values, highlighting the importance of brand purpose and identity.
- Brand Loyal: A strong trust in the Nintendo brand, built over time, appears to outweigh any hesitations around adopting a new, high-ticket product.
- Expressive Individualists: For these buyers, the console is an expression of self. It signals identity, taste and cultural belonging, not just gaming preference.
Where behavioural or demographic data might reduce them to ‘gamers’ or ‘tech enthusiasts’, our attitudinal insights reveal deeper emotional drivers. Their decision is rooted in identity, nostalgia, creativity and trust, not just specs or features.
Utilising Attitudinal Intelligence for segmentation
Gener8’s Attitudinal Intelligence framework can also be used to identify specific psychographic profiles, such as Early Adopters, within a wider behavioural segment.
Early Adopters are often the most influential group in determining the success of a new technology. They are willing to take risks, but unlike pure Innovators, they are also reputation-aware and often act as opinion leaders. These individuals serve as ‘lighthouse customers’, helping to validate emerging technologies and generating the word-of-mouth momentum needed for wider adoption.
Our analysis revealed that the Early Adopter users identified by our framework index heavily within the top third of ChatGPT app users. This aligns perfectly with the expected behaviour of this group, as Early Adopters are tech-forward and quick to change their digital behaviour, using ChatGPT more than most.
How can I access this data?
We utilised Gener8's survey-powered Attitudinal Intelligence functionality to learn the ‘why’ behind consumer behaviour.
Gener8 Labs’ complete data and insights solution empowers media and marketing businesses to find actionable consumer and market insights, using our unique, consented, first party panel data sets that are all connected around one user ID.
Discover how you can power your decisions and gain a competitive edge from our behavioural truth set by contacting us today!
