When I first arrived in London way back in 2002, a number of things struck me.  There was a pub on every corner, a blue sky didn’t necessarily mean it was a nice day outside and you could respond to the question ‘alright?’ with the statement ‘alright’.  Working in a Lake District pub, each day it would amaze me that locals would perch on the bar, drinking John Smith Smooth, and have the two word conversation ‘alright? alright’ and be content.

Flash forward to 2013 – the year of Habit in the BrandHook office – and we stumbled across this blog – which goes into great detail on the strangest 23 habits you’ll pick up after living in 23 different countries, feel free to read the article but some of my favourites and those that resonated including running into oncoming traffic as if you have had enough of this cruel world in Egypt, drink a single espresso over two hours in France and tell the truth in Germany.

While these might be local customs, one of the biggest shifts in consumer habits is a context change – which can range from getting married, getting divorced, having a baby, moving out of home – or being in another country.  Try living in London for 8 years without picking up a football habit (Go the Chelsea!) and vice versa, try living in Melbourne without being part of a footy tipping competition.

When it comes to habit, the BrandHook habit model identifies ways in which brands can reinforce consumer habits or adopt innovative strategies to disrupt existing habits.  While increasing your market share is not as easy as shifting a population to a different country, it is important to recognise the importance of context change when it comes to changing consumer behaviours.

Alright?