Big Little ThingsTell them you love them, and mean it
There’s an article from businessweek that rubs me wrong.
Apparently, the old saying, “It ain’t what you say, it’s how you say it,” is true—at least according to research on the effectiveness of advertising, published this month by a B-school professor. “People don’t want it to be true, but it is,” says Robert Heath, a lecturer at the University of Bath School of Management
The article goes on to talk about how research shows that tugging on heart strings is a better strategy to woo customers and clients than touting useful benefits and features. Duh. But what pissed me off is that they’re really talking about spin. The bottom line, their research suggests, is that if you can get people emotional about what you do and say, that you don’t necessarily have to tell the truth. Maybe so, but it’s a dangerous game, and it’ll all come crashing down if you make promises you can’t keep.
The simple way to put it is this: yes, you gotta make people care. But to do that, you’re gonna have to care about them—and not just because you want their money either. You’re gonna have to genuinely want them to succeed if you expect them to help you succeed. And you don’t lie to the people you care about. Or, at least, you shouldn’t.
Maybe I’m being naive. Maybe it’s okay to tell half-truths to get people to buy what you’re selling. And maybe once you’ve drawn people in with bullshit, you can convert them with the truth. But I think I’d rather live and work in world where giving real help and real hope is the order of the day. Wouldn’t you?
February 10th, 2007 at 3:23 am
[…] job of explaining why people respond to advertising differently than they do to art. No matter how effective the spin, marketing that doesn’t care about its audience will never be received as a gift. I know I […]