Unpacking Trump: The Primacy Effect

With the increasing use of electronic systems, doctors are often choosing a drug from a drop-down menu.  Have you ever thought about how the position of your drug on this list impacts the rate at which it is prescribed? Rational thinking suggests it makes no difference; however, behaviour science says yes!

Amidst Donald Trump’s unexpected victory of the Presidency, some have speculated on the impact the primacy effect may have had on the election.  The primacy effect states that individuals are more likely to remember items that appear at the beginning of a list.  The author says many undecided voters in key battleground states may have voted for Trump simply because his name appeared first on the ballot.

As a healthcare marketer, the key question now becomes, “Where do you sit on that list?” Is your drug the first one listed or is it lost somewhere in the middle?  Sometimes being listed first can make all of the difference.