The Behavioral Science Powering VDM

At the heart of Values-Driven Marketing (VDM) is a simple but profound truth: what people value most in life drives how they think, feel, and act. By tapping into these deep motivations, marketers can connect with audiences in ways that are both authentic and commercially effective.

This isn’t guesswork. VDM is grounded in decades of Behavioral Science — specifically, the Theory of Basic Values developed by Professor Shalom Schwartz, and refined through global research across cultures, geographies, and demographics.

What Are Values?

Behavioral Science defines values as desirable goals that motivate action and form an ordered system of priorities that characterize people as individuals. Unlike surface-level demographics or short-term attitudes, values are:

• Universal: The same core values recur across countries, languages, ages, and cultures.
• Predictive: Values influence how people respond to stimuli, including marketing messages.
• Subconscious: People are often unaware of how strongly values shape their choices.

Schwartz’s work identified ten broad values, refined by Aletheia for marketing into six key audience segments:

ValuesTypes:

• Tradition (family, heritage, stability)
• Freedom (independence, creativity, exploration)
• Achievement (success, recognition, luxury)
• Purpose (compassion, impact, social good)
• Pleasure (fun, variety, indulgence)
• Security (safety, order, predictability)

Why Values Work in Marketing

Because values are tied to emotion, they cut through noise and drive behavior. As Schwartz noted: “When values are activated, they become infused with feeling.” This explains why messages that align with someone’s dominant value resonate more deeply and inspire stronger responses.

WARC (World Advertising Research Center, the leading authority on advertising effectiveness for marketers and brands) and Aletheia’s research shows this clearly:

• Ads aligned with an individual’s values are preferred more often (+23 points in some cases).
• Misaligned ads are actively rejected (e.g., Tradition-oriented consumers avoided Purpose-driven ads at a rate of –19 points).
• Values alignment drives higher likability and relevance, two factors proven to increase engagement.

Values in Action

In practice, values serve as a sharper bullseye for marketers:

• Audience segmentation: Values provide deeper insight into who to target and why.
• Messaging strategy: Values signal which language, imagery, and tone will resonate.
• Brand positioning: Aligning with a ValuesType builds “emotive clarity” — a Kantar concept that links values to distinctiveness and pricing power.

Consider the automotive sector. Brands with similar features and pricing — BMW, Mini, Subaru, Toyota, Chevrolet, Volvo — differentiate themselves by embodying distinct values such as Achievement, Pleasure, Freedom, Purpose, Tradition, or Security.

From Science to Scale

Historically, applying values in marketing was challenging. But with advances in AI and analytics, it’s now scalable. Aletheia’s patented AI platform, Pluralytics, decodes values signals in messaging and matches them to audience segments — enabling marketers to operationalize Behavioral Science at scale.

The Takeaway

VDM works because it’s built on Behavioral Science truths about human motivation. By targeting values instead of just demographics, marketers can:

• Spark emotional resonance
• Increase engagement and preference
• Build stronger, more authentic connections

As Chris Bryan of the University of Texas put it: 

“What pokes through the noise are the things that feel most directly connected to our highest priorities. That’s where we devote our scarce time, attention and energy. Ultimately, we’re talking about Values.”

Values aren’t just an abstract idea — they’re the most powerful foundation for modern marketing.