Page 4 - Experiential Magazine - Vol 6
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The Maritz
Mission:
PROFILE
Bake Behavioral Theory Into Program Design
Maritz’s Chief Behavioral Officer Charlotte Blank seeks to
incorporate science into all elements of program design
When Maritz created the position of Chief pany that helps clients influence positive a survey, sending people on a trip, we have
Behavioral Officer and hired Charlotte behavior.” to address the why. “It’s all about being intel-
Blank, an executive with about five years of lectual and strategic partners to design pro-
marketing experience in the automotive in- Behavioral Science Gaining Ground grams that achieve measurable goals,” she
dustry, the company said Blank would “forge The field of applied behavioral science and notes.
the connection between academic theory economics, Blank admits, is new, “but there
and applied business practice, elevating the is a movement growing around it. I still What are the main benefits to clients? “A
use of field research to propel Maritz’s people consider this early stage, but feel a sense of program that works. By taking advantage of
solutions and client programs.” urgency because the pace is picking up. It’s the company’s field research collaborative…
a funny paradox at Maritz: we’re such an old we further our understanding, the client gets
Blank says the emerging field of behavior- company with a tremendous tenure, and yet better results and academics obtain real-life
al science generally supports many of the we’re leading the way in this application of data they can use to help us get better results
long held assumptions behind the Maritz behavioral science to day-to-day problem in the future.”
approach to motivation, and that science can solving and goal achievement.”
only help elevate program results. “What we Go Back to Basics
are doing is creating a center of excellence in The low-hanging fruit, she says, is the op- So how does Maritz intend to go to market
applied behavior science that can be utilized portunity to properly substantiate many of with this new approach? Blank believes the
at the practical level to help organizations the principles of engagement that have been answer is to go back to basics, not to create
create better programs for whatever their assumptions until recently. “We help clients any new brand or product line. The plan,
goals and audience,” she says. “What our do experiments by setting up controls, so she explains, is to empower their existing
soon-to-be-released new website will show that we can see what happens with different businesses. “Our training is focusing on how
is how we apply scientific research to the approaches. All our technology platforms are to incorporate behavioral science into the
day-to-day process of designing programs to designed to run A/B experiments, so we can conversation. Our team has always spoken
achieve practical goals, not to create a new tweak program design along the way to see in this vein; we’re just giving scientific back-
business or product line for Maritz. what happens. As more clients embrace ex- up for what they are saying and dialing up
perimentation, we will get more useful data, the external-facing thought leadership.
To help implement the strategy, Blank is which will further drive the movement and
building a Maritz Field Research Collabo- help the industry.” The idea is not to create standalone commer-
rative of professors “who aren’t consultants cialized products or sell behavioral consult-
but rather who are seeking organizations for Blank believes the application of behavioral ing, but rather to bolster the company’s ex-
which they can conduct experiments they science leads to greater creativity, “as you pertise with behavioral science, says Blank.
can use for publishable research. The goal is can come up with an idea and see what hap- “We want to make sure these principles are
to apply those insights for the benefit of our pens in a limited group,” and then roll it out. baked into the framework of what we do.” Po-
customers. Science is ingrained into every- “The more we can be strategic partners and tential applications range from the most stra-
thing we do, so there’s no need to create a thought leaders, the better solutions we can tegic organizational objectives to the most
separate brand or service. Behavioral science provide. We can charge for design, strategy elementary. Using a creative approach to ad-
is new to many people; it’s easier to explain and analytics when we focus on achieving dressing human issues based on science, she
what we do when the science supports our business results rather than adhering to op- asserts, can produce practical results when
proposition: We’re a people-oriented com- erational metrics. It’s not just about running addressing almost any type of objective.
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