Managed by expectations, irked by messages
Francois Gossieaux reports on experiments described in Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational that show just how influential our expectations are: People who paid more for an energy drink were more refreshed by it and even solved more puzzles. Francois concludes: (1) “We are doomed,” and (2) “…who said that messaging was dead? The things you say about your product may indeed be more important that the product itself…”
Almost from the day the Cluetrain site went up, I regretted point #74: “We are immune to advertising. Just forget it.” We are so not immune. Branding works. We think of Volvos as safe and the Ford Fiesta as a car for young folks. We think of Coke as the original and Pepsi as the copy. We can characterize someone as a “wearer of Birkenstocks.” Branding and advertising in some important sense work.
Now, we certainly can undo some of the cognitive damage advertising and branding do. Market conversations in fact often are about the ways in which a product’s promises and sloganeering don’t live up to its reality. But that’s a lot different than saying we’re immune to advertising. We’re not.
I’d still urge companies to move their marketing away from messaging, however. Assuming the studies Francois cites are correct, our reactions to products do seem shaped by what we’re told about them. No surprise there, although it’s always depressing to find out what big dopes we humans are through no fault of our own. But, customers (= all of us) are going to increasingly resist and resent marketing that focuses narrowly on messaging — that is, on finding the simple idea they can pound into our heads over and over. Telling us your drink will make us refreshed or more alert may indeed make us more refreshed or alert, but treating us like freaking morons by droning the same words at us over and over will make your product less interesting to us. The real challenge marketers face in a world of online conversations is how to help us find what’s interesting about their products.
(By the way, although Francois an I have been friends and colleagues for many years, I just this morning realized that his last name uses each of the vowels just once.)
I agree with you that market conversations can shield us from bad marketers, but it is scary to see how easily we can be influenced by a good story – one that sticks and gets re-told.
BTW – I only mentioned one of the experiments described in the book, but it is full of experiments proving the point that we are extremely susceptible to beliefs and impressions about the products we use.
In medicine, the placebo effect is well-known and well respected. In studies of any of the anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Advil-ibuprofen or Aleve-naproxen), there is a very large placebo response.
In double-blind studies of these medicines (the patient and the doctor don’t know who is getting the active medicine and who is getting the placebo until the study is complete) after 6 weeks, 25-35% of the patients on the placebo are better as judged by them AND the doctor, while about 70% of the patients on the active drug have improved. As, I believe, Steve Martin said, “give me some of that placebo!”
The placebo data are interesting. It reminds me of that singing group “Los Placebos” whose hit tune was “Talkin’ ’bout the real thing …”. Wait, that’s not right.
Your point about not wanting to be hit over the head and talked down-to is a good one. On the other hand I don’t want to have a deep conversation with every manufacturer or supplier of every service and object I buy. I really don’t. Who has time for that anyway? Are we fooling ourselves into thinking that having conversations with your customers can really scale?
There’s got to be a balance here … somewhere. No?
Bill, no one wants to have endless, deep conversations with businesses. The market conversations that matter are among the customers, and they last only so long as the people involved are interested.
Andy, my bro, the Steve Martin joke was — as I recall it — him coming out to do the monologue on SNL and touting a drug that had him “as high as a kite.” He said he usually doesn’t recommend drugs, but if we ever have a chance, we should take this one. It’s called “placebos.” One of my favorite jokes, which I’m sure I got wrong.
That pretty much is how I remember the joke, but I’m not sure if it was SNL where I heard it. It could be on a (vinyl) record that Joel has.
OTOH, it may have to do with peer pressure. Talking up a product or whatever makes it more valuable in the eyes of those users. Only an iconoclast, competitor, or commie would think otherwise. So the positive outlook manifests itself in a positive result. Which could have been attained without the expense.
Or could it?
I never had a problem with #74, nor do I think you’re making a point that’s incongruent with #74. What’s lacking is completion of that point.
We are immune to advertising IF we are fully aware of our own expectations. If we are completely unaware, we can be swayed by those who play to our unconscious demands.
[...] it comes to the web, keep one thing in mind: no where are users more likely to be managed by expectations than on the [...]
[...] it comes to the web, keep one thing in mind: no where are users more likely to be managed by expectations than on the [...]
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Well, Steve Jobs is a master in promoting. Another great example is Red Bull. The market of soft drinks was dominated by Coca Cola and Pepsi, but by embarking a totally other strategy Red Bull made it, and the high prices for its drinks have had a strong due to it.
The topic is quite curious, i must say
JVC
I think few people agree with you, but I am among them.
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