Changes in attitudes.

People’s attitudes about an idea are changed in two primary ways: through their active participation (behavior-induced) and through persuasion, where you use semantic and symbolic means to convince them to change.

Persuasion was a perfectly fine marketplace approach when people were predisposed to believe various claims, both overt and subtle ones, and when commercial messages were welcomed and consciously assimilated. But not so much today. The marketplace has changed.

Thirty years ago, the average American was targeted by around 500 daily commercial messages. Today that number is closer to 5,000. And people have changed with this changing marketplace reality; they’re digitally empowered, much more marketing-savvy (and weary), and extremely distrustful.

That’s why people increasingly employ message-blocking technologies and use Google as a message validation machine: “I wonder what others think of this idea?” “What have the outcomes been for people like me?” “What other alternatives are available.” And so on.

But there is something they trust even more than Google. Something in which their confidence has never waned, especially when faced with an overwhelming amount of choice and information.

Themselves.

In an age of hype, spin, and desperation, what looks good to people is increasingly a personally relevant experience that they can wrap their minds and hearts around.

As the philosopher and communication theorist Marshall McLuhan argued, it’s “experience rather than understanding that influences our behavior.”

So give people an experience that reveals the vision and intention behind your idea. An experience that conveys look, feel, and, especially, meaning in a no spin, passionate way. An experience that allows people to alter their own attitudes of mind, without a hint of external persuasion. An experience that creates a motivation to act.

 

Posted December 5, 2011
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Comments

Tumbleweed

Tom, good point. Social media's popularity is due precisely to the fact that people trust each other (eg. Friends) rather than strangers. However, ironically, Facebook, Twitter and other social media have made it easier for strangers to intrude into the personal realm (eg. spam) to the point where professional ads might actually become a better alternative. http://tumbleweedmarketinganalytics.com/

Posted by: Tumbleweed | December 06, 2011 at 09:27 AM

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