Interview with Becky Frayer

Behavioural Science is a rapidly expanding field and everyday new research is being developed in academia, tested and implemented by practitioners in financial organisations, development agencies, government ‘nudge’ units and more. This interview is part of a series interviewing prominent people in the field. And in today's interview the answers are provided by Becky Frayer.

Becky is a leader and brand strategist with over 26 years’ experience and contributions in Fortune 100 entities (Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Allstate), harnessing Behavioral Science to deliver tangible business insights and results. She’s been a pioneer in developing deep understanding and application of the psychology behind consumer decision-making processes, and the fusion of Business & Behavioral Science.

Becky is a globally recognized expert who has significantly influenced business strategies, brand development, sales, and diverse communication platforms. She is adept at incorporating Behavioral Science to drive behavior change, brand growth, and optimizing omnichannel consumer/customer experiences. Becky founded Behavioral Fusion in 2023 to help mid-size and large companies achieve breakthrough results through the fusion of business and behavioral science.

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Who or what got you into behavioural science? 

I have to admit…it was many years in the making, and when it finally happened, it was the role I never wanted that changed my career.

Roots that led me to BeSci probably started (without me knowing it) back in the late 90’s when I was starting my career.  I worked in a field called Package Development in a pharmaceuticals business.  The company used what’s called pass-through packaging, which is where what you get from the pharmacy isn’t in an amber vial, but in some sort of packaging that was developed by the manufacturer.  Part of the requirements for pass-through packaging for pharmaceuticals was being able to pass a “Child Resistant/Senior Friendly” package testing protocol.  Basically, children can’t be able to get to the medicine in a certain amount of time, but Senior adults need to be able to get into the package with relative ease.  As I was learning how this Child Resistant/Senior Friendly testing protocol worked, I had the opportunity to attend a Senior mock testing setup in a shopping mall.  Because I was learning, they let the research participant know I was there observing (so presumably, the person thought I had made the package they were about to open).  The package being tested was a blister pack for medicine where you peel back the paper to reveal foil, and then push the pill through the foil to reveal the medicine.  The Senior I was observing didn’t read the directions about peeling the paper, and so she pushed with all her might trying to get the pill out, finally managing to push the pill right through the paper without peeling it back; and because she wasn’t using the package in the way it was intended, the pill flew out of the pack, past the table she was sitting at, and skidded across the floor of the mall.  The moderator then asked her to rate how easy or how difficult the package was to open.  She glanced in my direction and said…”It was easy”.  It was my first moment in a business setting where I realized that what people say and how they behave can be wildly different.  It wasn’t enough for me to start learning about Behavioral Science - it wasn’t even really a thing inside of companies back then - but it did get me to the Consumer Insights field.

Fast forward about a decade later, and I was coming back from a maternity leave and needed a new job assignment at my company.  Up until then, I’d had a career that took me from the Packaging discipline in Research and Development to the Analytics & Insights/Consumer Understanding realm after obtaining a master’s degree in business administration.  I really wanted a traditional Insights role upon returning from maternity leave, but I found myself in a centralized role in a new startup group called Behavioral Science Innovation.  And I didn’t really like it at first…it challenged assumptions I had about brand-building and consumer decision making, and even made me realize what had made me successful in my career up until that point wasn’t actually reflective of the way consumers really make decisions.  I knew that people who answered that they ‘definitely would buy’ on a Likert scale were not always the people who would ‘definitely buy’, but I had never really questioned things all that much until I started learning Behavioral Science. 

I asked my manager at the time why they had chosen me for the role.  I was working with PhD psychologists and neuroscientists.  Up to that point in my career, I had no psychology experience at all.  But I did have a reputation for being really curious in my career and finding my way through ambiguous situations through startup roles.  The person who brought me into the role saw something in me I didn’t even see in myself at the time.

Along the way, I learned my own unique way to contribute to Applied Behavioral Science, that has kept me in the field for over well over a decade.  While I didn’t have a PhD in psychology or a related discipline, I learned that I was really good at translating the science I was learning and talking to people on the business about what to go do.  It’s still something I love all these years later.

What is the accomplishment you are proudest of as a behavioural scientist?

I’m really proud to have been a pioneer in the Applied Behavioral Science field inside of large Fortune 100 companies, and to successfully have had broad, global, systemic application to not just drive breakthrough business results, but to truly build capability in others, which in turn, is reflected in their own career achievements. 

While at P&G, I was inducted into the Brand Mastery Society, a group limited to less than 1% of brand builders at P&G globally, recognizing the highest levels of knowledge, skills, and applied mastery.  My career story and contributions in building Behavioral Science capability are included in the P&G Archives, an internal museum of company history.  That was exciting for me, but even more exciting because insights and breakthroughs in the Behavioral Science field had allowed me to have that kind of applied impact.

And what do you still want to achieve in behavioural science?

There is still so much opportunity for Behavioral Science application, particularly in the private sector.  I truly believe where there are people there can be Behavioral Science.  As an independent consultant, I love being able to bring Behavioral Science to companies who may not even know they need it, to help them find wins for their business, and most importantly, the people they serve.  I’m having fun working with companies to take on new business challenges across a range of brands that I would not have had the chance to work on if I was still in my corporate roles.

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What challenges do you still foresee for behavioral science?

While I think there is a lot of opportunity for Behavioral Science in the private sector, it’s certainly not an easy journey.

Companies sometimes treat Behavioral Science application as a checkbox rather than a lens in which you can approach all business challenges.  Some businesses are also looking for a silver bullet that can solve all their business problems, rather than seeing solutions as multifaceted.

But I also think that Behavioral Science practitioners have challenges we all need to overcome. 

As practitioners, we need to be aware that it’s alright if Behavioral Science becomes bigger than us inside of a company – that’s the goal, but there’s always a role for us to play.  It’s also alright for people on the business to try things that are mostly right, but maybe not perfectly optimized using Behavioral Science.  It’s all about enrolling others on the journey and learning.

Also, it’s ok to be ahead of your time – be patient.  I’ve pitched ideas for opportunities and have been turned down, only to share that same opportunity a few years later and it was suddenly a great idea.  We know from Behavioral Science that context matters a LOT, and the same holds true when you are trying to influence the business.

Finally, if you are a Behavioral Science practitioner inside of a company, you may not think about yourself as selling, but we are all selling our ideas.

How do you think behavioural science is likely to develop in the next 10 years?

Having been on my own Behavioral Science journey for more than a decade, I see the potential for more and more companies to realize that understanding how people think, act, and feel is central to their business, even in a world that is currently focused on tremendous technology impacts.  No matter what changes in the world around us, human understanding is key, and that doesn’t change.

Within the private sector, I think Behavioral Science may be less likely to only be a stand-alone function in an organization, but have those skills baked into other functions, and tied to specific business sectors.  I hope in 10 years we will have more marketers, insights professionals, data scientists, product developers and sales professionals, etc. all with Behavioral Science understanding built into their roles as an expectation.  That being said, I still see a critical role of having people inside of a company with a broader view across functions that are able to look around corners for future needs, and the ability to connect dots to drive Behavioral Science knowledge at scale, in a way that can only be done by having a small team dedicated to Behavioral Science across the enterprise in place. 

Overall, I see Behavioral Science knowledge being much more democratized than it is in many companies today, but I also see a need for dedicated Behavioral Science expertise inside of organizations.  Companies that can strike that balance and drive knowledge at scale will find it is good for business and good for those they serve!

What advice would you give to young behavioural scientists or those looking to progress into the field?

I get asked this question fairly often, and my advice is often to look for ways to apply a Behavioral Science lens to the role you are in.  Inside large companies, there are some fantastic ways to apply Behavioral Science from the seat of being a Marketer, Insights Professional, Product Designer, Sales Professional, etc. You don’t need to be a Behavioral Scientist to benefit from knowing a little bit about Behavioral Science, and that’s what I love about the fusion of business and behavioral science.

If you’re already equipped with a focused set of Behavioral Science consultancy skills, I recommend really listening to business challenges that people have and thinking about what a Behavioral Science lens would bring to helping solve that challenge.  When you are looking to solve that challenge for a business partner or client, it is crucial to understand and get inside their mental framework and stretch it from the inside out.  Acknowledge what they know or think they know about the business situation.  Then use that as a way to bring new light on the challenge with a Behavioral Science perspective.  That’s the best strategy I’ve used to influence and drive breakthrough business impact.

With all your experience, what skills would you say are needed to be a behavioural scientist? Are there any recommendations you would make?

There are 3 characteristics I’ve seen across every great Behavioral Scientist I’ve worked with:

1. Curiosity and desire to envision a world through a Behavioral Science lens for decision making                      

2. In Touch with business needs and application

3. Strong Collaboration to connect emerging ideas in the development of future solutions

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Do you have a personal frustration with the field where you're just like, why is this still happening?

For me, it’s hard when I meet people who hold back on wanting to apply Behavioral Science to their business because they’d rather just ‘wait and see’ if something else works instead.  But I’d also say the bandwagon effect works.  I’ve seen people who seemingly kept their distance from Behavioral Science come around to it when it became clear everyone else in the organization was on board. 

What do you think would have happened if you'd never found behavioural science?

It’s hard to imagine, but I think I’d still be in the corporate world in the Insights & Analytics function.  However, I’m not sure I would have had nearly the success or fun I’ve had since finding Applied Behavioral Science. 

Do you actually apply behavioral science in your own life?

Oh yes, it’s hard not to!  Whether it’s reminding myself that I’m human and giving myself grace in my own decision-making, changing my own behavior through an implementation intention or reshaping the context, or influencing my own children’s behavior, Behavioral Science shows up in lots of ways in my personal life.  My children were very young when I got started in the Applied Behavioral Science field, so they’ve been the beneficiaries of a lot of what I’ve learned and applied to parenting.

Who has really inspired you as a behavioural scientist?

There are so many people who have inspired me that I don’t even think I can name anyone.  I have been fortunate to be surrounded in my career by MANY very talented and passionate Behavioral Scientists, both in academia and inside of companies.  They all inspire me to do what I do and I’m always learning because of them!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions Becky!

As I said before, this interview is part of a larger series which can also be found here on the blog. Make sure you don't miss any of those, nor any of the upcoming interviews!

Keep your eye on Money on the Mind!