Branding, Value‐Signaling, and Nudging: When Push Comes to Shove

• Published date: 01 July 2021
• Author: Jeremy L. Hall
• Date: 01 July 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13406

Branding, Value-Signaling, and Nudging: When Push Comes to Shove 585

The past century has taught us quite a bit about

the human mind; of note, the behavioral side

of decision-making is a powerful influence

on outcomes. Growing from Herbert Simon’s

understanding of behavioral economics, we have been

introduced to a host of heuristics and biases that result

in errors in judgment (Bazerman and Moore2012).

We have come to understand a great deal about the way

the human mind works through decisions, whether off

the cuff, instinctual reactions associated with System I

thinking, or contemplative, systematic, rational analysis

associated with System II thinking (Kahneman2011).

In the near future, PAR will be featuring a research

symposium that looks back on Simon’s work and

developments in the field, so we will be looking

forward to that. Alongside all of these developments, a

transformation was also taking place in our economy,

our society, and our technology. Policy is seldom

very far behind. Science and innovation have led to

considerable changes in the way we get things done.

In the United States and much of the developed

world, the industrial revolution fueled a shift from

agriculture, mining, and fishing (the primary

economy) to manufacturing as the predominant

economic activity. During the second half of the

twentieth century, a similar shift took place from

manufacturing sector to service sector industry. This

shift was met with a transformation of goods from

tangible to intangible, a transformation in the labor

market from generalists to specialists, with a parallel

increase in professionalization. Innovation spurred

additional changes: advances in telecommunications

put radios and televisions in every home. The silicon

microchip made the power of computing available

at the personal level. The internet made information

instantaneously transmittable over vast distances.

Now we all carry a direct line to the world and its vast

stores of information right in our pockets.

We exist in an information economy, global in nature,

with new advances and discoveries taking place at

lightning pace. It is not lost on me that corporatization

has changed the way business is done, with less focus

on the product, and more focus on the consumer and

profits. Consumption and consumerism drive a highly

commercialized society; a society driven by branding,

marketing, and advertising. From the simplest things

like the soap in our showers, the breakfast cereal on

our tables, and the favorite pair of jeans hanging in

our closet, marketing also influences major purchases:

the airline we prefer, the cars we drive, and even

where we decide to spend our vacations. I use the

word spend intentionally, as the almighty dollar (or

Pound, or Euro) is the name of this game. Marketing

is not limited to the realm of consumer goods and

services; billions of dollars are spent each election

year by candidates and political parties suggestively

promoting their values and ideas. Nonprofit agencies

advocate for donations to support the causes they seek

to advance. We are bombarded with messaging, day

in and day out, to influence our purchasing decisions,

our voting decisions, and even our altruistic giving.

Religion and worship are not immune; it is no surprise

that churches advocate for attendees beyond their

membership. From the Christian perspective, with

which I am most familiar, there is a specific charge to

go into all the world and preach the gospel to every

creature (Mark 16:15). I suppose marketing is not

a particularly novel concept, come to think about

it. It was around long before the aforementioned

transformations in the economy. For those fortunate

enough to have been able to visit, the suggestive

paintings on the walls of the ruins at Pompeii are a

good indication that marketing is at least as old as the

oldest profession itself.

Whether we are beholden to Apple, Google, or

some other personal device manufacturer for our

communication needs, the name of the game today

is information. Information is gleaned from our

devices—when, where, and how we use them—to

shape the pattern of messages we receive through

sophisticated marketing practices. Messaging

is now custom-tailored to individuals based on

their demographics, their beliefs, ideology, travel

Jeremy L. Hall

University of Central Florida

Branding, Value-Signaling, and Nudging: When Push

Comes to Shove

Editorial

Public Administration Review,

Vol. 81, Iss. 4, pp. 585–588. © 2021 by

The American Society for Public Administration.

DOI: 10.1111/puar.13406.