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Overthink — Decision Architecture Thinking / Category example

Same four questions.
Completely different answers.

Every category has a decision system. We map each one around the same four questions, then find the one that’s actually holding a brand back.

To show why that matters, we picked two categories about as far apart as buying gets. A wafer is chosen in seconds, by one person, without much thought. A front door takes months, involves a builder, and happens once or twice in a lifetime. Most advertising would treat them the same way: find the audience, craft the message, buy attention. The map says they need almost opposite things.

01What creates the need?
02Who makes the list?
03Who else is in the room?
04What makes it safe to say yes?
A
Wafers
Ticket€0.50 – 3
BoughtSeveral times a week
In marketMost adults, every month
Decided byOne person, alone, unplanned
B
Doors
Ticket€1,500 – 12,000
BoughtOnce or twice in a lifetime
In marketEst. 2–4% of households a year
Decided byA couple, plus builder, architect or installer
01 — THE NUMBERS

Seconds against years.

DECIDED IN

About 13 seconds at the shelf. Three months to five years for a door.

Log scale.

Wafers~13 sec
Doors3 months – 5 years
1 sec1 min1 hour1 day1 month10 years
WHAT'S AT STAKE

About a euro. Or up to twelve thousand.

Typical ticket, log scale.

Wafers€0.50 – 3
Doors€1,500 – 12,000
€0.10€1€10€100€1k€10k€100k
ONE LIFETIME OF PURCHASES

Thousands of wafers. One or two doors.

Each mark is a purchase. Door marks are illustrative.

WafersThousands of purchases
DoorsOne or two purchases
020406080 years
02 — THE DECISION LOOP

Where advertising goes in.

Advertising enters here
Wafers
TIGHT LOOP · CLOSES IN SECONDS · REPEATS WEEKLY
  1. Craving or occasionAdvertising enters here
  2. Sees packAdvertising enters here
  3. Takes it
  4. Eats
  5. Memory refreshed
  6. ↺ AgainRepeats weekly
BEFORE THE SHELF

Broad, emotional video and distinctive colours, shapes and characters keep the brand easy to recall.

ON THE SHELF

The pack is the biggest medium you own. Second placement catches people who weren't heading your way.

Doors
LONG LOOP · A DORMANT GAP OF MONTHS TO YEARS
  1. Trigger event
  2. Passive awarenessAdvertising enters here
  3. DormantMonths to years
  4. Active researchAdvertising enters here
  5. Showroom or expoAdvertising enters here
  6. Quote
  7. Decision
  8. Installation
IN THE DORMANT YEARS

Video bought for coverage, judged on share of search. Never on leads.

WHEN THE TRIGGER FIRES

Search, comparison, showrooms and a fast quote.

BEFORE ANYONE COMPARES

Installers and architects shape the list. Give them a reason to name you.

AFTER

Every installed door advertises to the whole street.

03 — THE MAP

Side by side.

THE NEED
WAFERS
A craving. Or a coffee break.
DOORS
A renovation.
THE LIST
WAFERS
Only the packs that get noticed. Most never are.
DOORS
Shaped by the builder or architect long before the couple compares.
THE ROOM
WAFERS
One person, alone, unplanned.
DOORS
A couple, plus a builder, architect or installer.
SAFE TO SAY YES
WAFERS
It costs about a euro. Recognition is reassurance enough.
DOORS
Up to €12,000, once in a lifetime. The question is “will this be right?”, not “is this cheap?”
WHERE ADVERTISING GOES IN
WAFERS
Before the shelf, and on it. The loop closes in seconds, so there’s no later.
DOORS
In the dormant years, and the moment the trigger fires. Two separate budgets.
WHAT WORKS BEST
WAFERS
Broad, emotional video. Distinctive colours, shapes and characters. The pack itself.
DOORS
Search when they’re looking. Showrooms and expos. Installers on your side. Real households who already did it.
Same model.
Opposite advertising.

That’s rather the point.

Let’s map your category

Source: Overthink Category Intelligence. Ticket, frequency, in-market and decision-time ranges are category estimates, not measurements. Lifetime purchase marks are illustrative.

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