Even though a researcher is publically discredited and admits he faked his data, thousands of people still believe his baseless results are true.
Everyone in my family knows Dawn is the only dish detergent capable of getting grease off Tupperware.
A paranoid schizophrenic in Arizona kills people and political progressives everywhere blame a right wing nut who used the graphic analogy of a gun’s cross-hairs for this very sick and sickening act of a mentally disturbed youth.
Someone they know gets their clothes clean in cold water with whatever detergent is on sale, yet millions know only All TempaCheer will get that job done.
I meant to discuss key words, meta tags, SEO and search engine algorithms, but current events have made the differences – and powers – of Perception vs. Reality a timelier topic. We Copywriters, Art Directors, Graphic and Web Designers, etc. are in the business of creating perceptions – real (based in fact) and imagined (based in who knows?). We play with the power of words, images, color, design and media – but how often do we stop to consider the powers they wield?
Which is more persuasive? Which sells more product? Perception? Or Reality? A real competitive advantage or a perceived one?
I’d much rather sell against a real competitive advantage than a perceived one any day. Why? Truth – and its possible competitive advantages - is only real. All it has are facts – and as each of my opening examples illustrate, facts are easily muddied, misquoted, discredited, discarded and ignored.
A perception and a perceived competitive advantage, on the other hand, are all smoke. You can’t dependably discredit perception with facts because you can’t take hold of it. Who can discredit smoke? Where would you even start?
Example: My grandmother swore by Dawn Dish Detergent and its amazing power to get grease off her Tupperware. For several years, Dawn was factually the only detergent that could. Then other brands – nationally advertised and store brands, developed their own grease fighters. Many are cheaper than Dawn. Many are more appealingly named, packaged. Many work just as well (if my empty margarine tubs are any judge). But the only dish detergent anyone in my family uses is Dawn.
I could arrange side-by-side blind testing, but they’d discredit my methods and results. Could smear lard on every piece of plastic in the kitchen and get it squeaky clean with some supermarket brand, but they’d accuse me of somehow messing with the results. Even my husband won’t buy anything else.
Example: Cheer Laundry Detergent came up with “All TempaCheer.” They didn’t say they were the only laundry detergent that got dirt out in cold, warm or hot water. They just said Cheer would. And they had that line, “All TempaCheer.”
Coming from New England, I wash everything in cold water. Being cheap, I use whatever detergent is on sale. They all work. But I have friends (many in advertising) who only use Cheer – or some newer, more exotic “cold water detergent” - w/cold water.
Cheer came to own the non-specialty cold water wash category. Their brand perception is so strong, no other mass market brand even tries to claim that space.
Consider that wonderful old Rolling Stone Perception vs. Reality campaign. Research showed their readers were very heavy into imported beer, vodka, gin, whiskey, etc. Yet they had very few advertisers in those categories. Why? Because everyone knows only dopers read Rolling Stone, right? Of course it was. Even though the cold, empirical facts told a totally different truth. This went up and down the list of possible advertisers – high-end stereos (all stoners care about is volume and bass and besides, everyone knows stoners don’t have money), luxury branded clothing (no one who reads Rolling Stones cares about designer fashion and they couldn’t afford it, anyway), yadda yadda yadda.
The first ad in the campaign showed an ashtray full of roaches - the JOB wrapped kind. It’s caption read “Perception.” Next to it was a shot of several open bottles of imported beer and high-end liquor with dirty glasses. That caption read “Reality.” The body copy cited research, gave numbers and attributed facts pointing out that RS readers drank an amazingly impressive amount of branded liquor and imported beer. And that – surprise! – they had plenty of disposable income.
Everyone loved the campaign. It won just about every award that year. But push-come-to-shove, the increase in commercial respect for Rolling Stone readers was still marginal. Why? Everyone knows only stoners read Rolling Stone Magazine. Everyone knows stoners don’t drink good booze, can’t afford high end sound and wear what they find on the floor from the night before.
So when I get to that section of the Kamikaze Creative Work Plan called “Competition,” I don’t just want solid competitive facts. I want the Perceived Differences. Those are the ones that will kill you.
It’s easy to sell against facts – you just kill them with perception by stating your less-than-stellar attributes as if they bested the category. You treat your second- or third-rate stats are if they were record-breaking. Existing or newly minted, say them often enough, loudly enough - the perceptions your proudly announced weaknesses create will win out before The Truth ever does.
If I’m selling against a Perception, I know it’s an uphill battle. How uphill? Example: Consider an article that ran in newspapers nationwide recently. It seems the researcher who originated the theory that Autism is caused by vaccines was discredited. Even though he admitted he lied, falsified information. Even though his fall from grace was widely publicized. Even though even though even though -- a significant portion of the public still insist the link between vaccines and Autism is true.
Example: that horrible incident in Arizona? Conservative and Progressive blowhards are still blaming each other. As all good advertising creatives should know, graphic analogies aren’t meant to be literal translations of a message. They’re meant to communicate and creatively plant Perceptions. Seriously, how many biological chimps have winked at you in the cold remedy aisle?
So how do you sell against perceived differences? How do you get people to doubt what they know is true, regardless of reliable, well-documented, well-publicized facts proving the opposite? You attack perception with perception. It can be dangerous – there are truth in advertising statutes and liabilities. So you create them without saying them aloud. They’ll still be stronger than reality.
How? If you want to position a fun, artsy, risk-taking competitor as dull, old school and more regimented than your factually dull, old school and regimented client, you don’t say the competition’s more dull, old school and regimented. You suggest it. How? With concept, style (analogy is a style of ad, not an ad concept – see previous posts), art direction, language of concept (tone, vocabulary, structure), graphics, design and media.
Sometimes you don’t have to say a word – just give your perceived duller client the appearance of hippness. Plant a few wildly funny, wildly hip YouTube videos. Put stickers over urinals. Use all the up-to-the-minute street language, images and graphics you can think of to get your message understood.
Want to turn an upstart new product into the old school standard? Reverse the process. It doesn’t matter what you say, just say it in ways that out-conservative the most arch conservative. Make the logo look like a very old, very conservative bank. The layout more Wall Street Journal than Wired (which has become its own hybrid form of mainstream, regardless its perception). And be sure the ads take themselves way too seriously.
In each of those easy solutions, you still have to tell the truth. The effectiveness is in how you tell it, not in what you tell. That, and where/how often you say it.
Don’t believe me? If you’re male, go to classes (or somewhere else) in lipstick the first day, before anyone knows you. Get someone to paint your lips bright red. Then never do anything like that again. Proudly display your girlfriend. Play macho sports. Just try to live down the whispers that say, “Yeah, he seems straight – but I know better – I saw him in lipstick.”
Come up with your own test. Watch how people react, listen to what they say about it. Try not to laugh when you tell them it was all a test. You’ll find no matter how strong your case, some people – I’d venture to say a lot more than you’d think – smart people educated people people you respect – will still know otherwise.
So which would you rather sell against? Perception? Or Reality?
©2011, Doreen Dvorin/Kamikaze Creative
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