JTBD & Psychographic Research Frameworks

JTBD & Psychographic Research Frameworks

Quick reference for Jobs-to-be-Done and psychographic frameworks that inform brand strategy. This skill auto-activates during brand work to ensure audience insights inform every phase.

"95% of purchasing decisions are made in the subconscious mind." — Gerald Zaltman, Harvard

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The Three Job Types

Every "job" customers hire a product for has three dimensions:

Job Statement Format: "When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]."

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The Four Forces of Progress (Bob Moesta)

Why customers switch (or don't):

        PROMOTING FORCES
   ┌────────────────────────────┐
   │   PUSH          PULL       │
   │   (Struggles)   (Attraction)│
   ├────────────────────────────┤
   │   HABIT         ANXIETY    │
   │   (Comfort)     (Fear)     │
   └────────────────────────────┘
        BLOCKING FORCES

The Formula: If Push + Pull > Anxiety + Habit, they switch.

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Limbic Types (Hans-Georg Hausel)

Three emotional systems drive behavior:

Seven Types: Traditionalist, Harmonizer, Open Connoisseur, Hedonist, Adventurer, Performer, Disciplined

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VALS Segments

Segments by motivation + resources:

Plus: Innovators (any motivation, high resources) and Survivors (security-focused, low resources)

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HBR Emotional Motivators

Key drivers of customer value:

• "Helps me be creative"
• "Feel revived and refreshed"
• "Sense of belonging"
• "Stand out from the crowd"
• "Feel secure"
• "Succeed in life"
• "Be the person I want to be"

Key Finding: Emotionally connected customers have 306% higher lifetime value.

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Research-to-Strategy Bridge

How audience insights inform brand decisions:

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When to Apply These Frameworks

During Positioning

• Use Four Forces to identify switching dynamics
• Map emotional territory based on Jobs

During Voice Development

• Match tone to Limbic profile
• Reflect audience's actual language

During Messaging

• Address Push forces in problem messaging
• Highlight Pull forces in benefits
• Counter Anxiety forces with proof

During Visual Direction

• Align aesthetic with Limbic type
• Reflect social jobs in imagery

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Templates

See reference/​templates.md for:

• Forces of Progress Canvas
• Job Story Template
• Psychographic Profile Summary
• Research-to-Strategy Bridge

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Deep Methodology

For comprehensive JTBD interview techniques, detailed framework application, and full output structure, the brand-audience-researcher agent contains 500+ lines of expert methodology.

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Key Principles

1. Emotional > Functional: Emotional jobs often drive decisions more than functional ones
2. All Three Dimensions: Never skip emotional and social jobs
3. Capture the Forces: Understanding push/​pull/​anxiety/​habit is essential for positioning
4. Use Their Language: Capture actual words people use — gold for brand voice
5. Be the Only: "Be THE ONLY, not the best." — Marty Neumeier