Jonah Berger

Some studies examined how triggers might affect supermarket buying behavior more broadly. In a supermarket, they played music from different countries. When French music was playing, most customers bought French wine. When German music was playing most customers bought German wine. By triggering consumers to think of different countries, the music affected sales. The music made ideas related to those countries more accessible, and those accessible ideas spilled over to affect behavior.

Sights, smells, and sounds can trigger related thoughts and ideas, making them more top of mind. Using a product is a strong trigger. Seeing a jar of peanut butter not only triggers us to think about peanut butter, it also makes us think about its frequent partner, jelly. Triggers are like little environmental reminders for related concepts and ideas.