A motivational segmentation model that reveals what truly moves people to act — understanding not just what people do, but why they do it.
Every consumer exhibits dominance on one side of each axis — forming a unique motivational profile
Meaning-seeking vs. sensation-seeking. Does the consumer prioritize deeper purpose and significance, or immediate enjoyment and stimulation?
Stability-driven vs. novelty-seeking. Does the consumer value proven approaches and consistency, or innovation and change?
Status-oriented vs. belonging-oriented. Is the consumer motivated by personal success and recognition, or relationships and community?
Personal benefit vs. social contribution. Does the consumer focus on individual advantage or broader societal good?
Participants complete forced-choice exercises, selecting the most and least motivating options. This avoids rating scale bias and forces meaningful prioritization.
Responses are scored using utility-based preference scaling, producing a ranked list of motivational dominance for each respondent.
Each primary and secondary pole is mapped to engagement blueprints covering messaging tone, decision style, offer structure, and conversion nudges.
Apply motivational insights across your business
Cluster consumers based on shared intrinsic drivers to personalize messaging and experiences at scale.
Frame, test, and optimize communications around dominant psychological levers for maximum resonance.
Build customer journeys aligned with motivational needs — from onboarding to advocacy.
Use motivational profiles to explain variance in loyalty and satisfaction that demographics can't.
Understand what motivates top-performing retailers, franchisees, or channel partners.
Add motivational dominance as a feature in churn, conversion, and lifetime value models.
Rooted in cognitive theory, yet commercially applied for real-world results.
Plugin-ready to brand, CX, or partner segmentation efforts.
Data quality that avoids scale bias and delivers clear preference signals.
Output formats guide creative, product, and service design choices directly.
Take our 2-minute quiz to discover your primary motivational driver
Uncover whether you're led by Purpose, Connection, Mastery, Freedom, or Security
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Experience exactly what your customers would receive at scale
"You're not just chasing outcomes — you're chasing meaning. You want what you do, buy, or belong to… to matter. Every decision is a step toward the future version of yourself you're working toward."
If this resonated, imagine the value of mapping motivation across your entire customer base. That's exactly what the full Impulse Engine delivers.
Transform individual insights into segment-level strategy. Understand not just what customers buy, but who they believe they are when they buy it.
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