Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore

Context

The context of a habit is the why and where of behavior. Users can access music in many different ways, including listening to a radio, playing a CD, and using Internet radio, satellite, and MP3 players. One person might routinely listen to music using two, three, or even all of these methods, depending on context. You might wake up to radio music, listen to satellite radio driving to work, tune in to Internet radio when at your desk, and listen to your iPod when you go to the gym after work. Each of these choices is a habit within its own context.

For the wireless carrier and handset manufacturer to get you to listen to music on a cell phone, the company must either create a new context or replace habitual use in an existing context. ...