Monday, August 18, 2008

This is really GREAT post. You're going to LOVE this post. This post is FANTASTIC.

Does it seem as though I'm repeating myself? That's because I just read this article on PsyBlog on the power of repetition. It is GREAT...

I've always been a proponent of Frequency in the Reach vs. Frequency media planning 101 discussion. Frequency is King. It doesn't matter if you reach 99% of your target if you are not able to repeat your message multiple times.

This study suggests that, in a group setting, "we can tell that three different people expressing the same opinion better represents the group than one person expressing the same opinion three times - but not by much.

In fact, if one person in a group repeats the same opinion three times, it has 90% of the effect of three different people in that group expressing the same opinion."

I told you you were going to LOVE this.

The authors suggest that it is a function of our memory and how we instill more confidence in the person stating the opinion, the more times that he/she expresses it.

The blog entry states, "Similarly, and more worryingly, when an opinion is repeatedly broadcast at us by the same organisation - think of a particular media conglomerate or an advertiser - we're likely to come to believe it represents the general opinion."

So, next time you're in a group meeting and you want to sway the opinions of the others present, make sure you are repeating - with conviction - your same opinion at least three times. If you are the only person in this group that repeats your opinion, it is more likely to be seen by the others as representative of the entire group.

Isn't that FANTASTIC?

Enjoy the read ....

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Think Harder About Stuff





One of my favorite sketches of all time on Saturday Night Live is with Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell ... Cowbell. This sketch (as you may likely recall) is a spoof on the recording of Don't Fear The Reaper and the NEED ... the FEVER ... for more cowbell.

I read somewhere that this idea came to a writer (perhaps a group of writers) were brainstorming skits with this song playing in the background. It came out that this writer or group simply paid more attention to the song, particularly the cowbell in the song.

To me, this is the epitome of THINKING HARDER ABOUT STUFF. That's the sweet spot, I believe. It's not whether you have the most manly smelling fragrance. It's the fact that guys fantasy-dream about women attacking them for their bodies. It's not about whether you have a product that will make your skin cleaner. It's about the fact that women want to be transformed more beautiful.

Dig more into your research. Get further into the mind of your prospect. Think harder about the benefits and pleasures of your product or service.

So, guess what? I got a fever. And the only prescription is more cowbell.

Enjoy the skit here ...

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Persuasiveness

I am always looking to find new and interesting articles and examples of how consumers are persuaded to believe or act in a certain manner. I guess that's why I'm in advertising. But I truly find it interesting to break apart the process of a "pitch" and understand each of the parts and how they work and interact together to create a desired thought or outcome.

This article is a spectacular example of persuasiveness-in-action and also a good primer on the various "parts" of a pitch.

As the author points out, these are also some good techniques to use with your children.

:)

Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Study on Gender & Age in Social Networks

I just finished reading this Rapleaf study.

You know, the cool thing about this, in my opinion, is the demographic occupancy clustering. Take a look at the older profiles on LinkedIn, Flickr and Classmates, for example.

Good stuff ... enjoy the read.