Why Creative Directors Should Think Like Behavioral Economists

In brand strategy, we talk a lot about differentiation—but not nearly enough about value. Not the vague “value proposition” in your deck—the real, psychological building blocks of why people choose you, stay, and advocate.

In 2016, Bain & Company introduced The Elements of Value (Eric Almquist, John Senior, Nicolas Bloch, HBR). Think Maslow’s hierarchy reimagined for consumers—30 value drivers across functional, emotional, life-changing, and social impact tiers.

Brands scoring high on multiple elements see 3x the loyalty (NPS) and 4x the revenue growth. Apple hits 11. Amazon stacked reduces cost and saves time, then provides access, fun/entertainment, reduces risk. TOMS bakes in self-transcendence via its giving mission.

Where this gets game-changing for creatives:
1️⃣ Creativity Gets Sharper With Constraints – Knowing your category’s top elements is like having the cheat codes for relevance.
2️⃣ Brand Is More Than Functional Excellence – Convenience wins clicks, but emotional hooks win loyalty.
3️⃣ It’s About the Right Stack – Pair must-have functional attributes with one or two higher-order elements that fit your DNA.
4️⃣ It’s a Creative Brief in Disguise – “We’re strong on quality, weak on reduces anxiety” is a better brief than “Be premium.”
5️⃣ Value Bridges Brand & Business – Reinforcing high-impact elements isn’t fluff—it builds pricing power.

The takeaway:
Treat value like a design framework. Audit your category’s elements, map your strengths, and weave the right stack into product, positioning, and storytelling. Brands don’t just win because they look better. They win because they deliver better—on what customers truly value.