Your Political Guru

Don’t confuse sales with charity

In keeping with this month’s theme on advertising, let’s talk about what fires up your brain.

There is a very interesting new book called Sway – The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman.   In the chapter “Compensation and Cocaine” there is an interesting clue on why you can’t reward altruism.

What scientists are figuring out is when you talk pay or other compensation – the pleasure center of the brain nucleus accumbens fires up.  This is the part that loves Las Vegas, it loves rewards, and it loves cocaine.

The part of the brain that fires up when it comes to relationships/altruistic behavior is called posterior superior temporal sulcus.

Here’s the rub, they don’t work at the same time.  As a matter of fact, if you try to offer someone a reward for doing the right thing, the pleasure center cranks up and takes over the altruistic center.

Why does this make a difference?  Well suppose you want to get a buddy to help you move.  If you ask him as a favor, his altruism part of the brain fires up.  But if you offer money, you better make it enough to make it worth his while, because as soon as rewarding his help comes into the picture, the pleasure center kicks in.

The brain then starts to measure risk/pain/reward.

What are the implications?  You can appeal to someone’s sense of duty, or reward – but not both.  As soon as reward rears its head and it takes over.

If you are doing fundraising this means that if you are appealing to people’s sense of duty, don’t offer a premium or reward.  Reward trumps the good feeling.

If you are going to offer a reward for extra work, don’t think you can get get out cheaper by also appealing to someone’s altruistic side – because that part of the won’t fire up if the pleasure center is going.

So in advertising, pick your theme, Altruism or Reward, but not both.

It’s a big night Sunday.  It is time to be entertained by the non-stop blitz of commercial assaults!  Bring it on – the one night when we actually enjoy the commercials – not that we’ll remember what they are trying to sell us, this is advertising for entertainment sake.

Here’s the reality – EVERY DAY you get hit with 3225 advertising and marketing messages.  Less than 9% of the population remembered just one of the ads they saw on prime time television last night (down from 34% in 1965).

So what makes you think they are going to remember you Big Guy?  What makes your TV/radio spot/direct mail piece/so special that people are going to remember it?

The only way to get through the clutter and get peoples attention is repetition, or join the conversation they are already having in their own mind.

The problem with repetition is it is expensive.  So how do you make it affordable?  Target.

How do you echo what someone else is thinking?  Better know your market.

That’s what we are going to be taking about this month – advertising and other tactics in getting people’s attention.

Be sure to check your emails from www.yourpoliticalguru.com during the next few weeks because you will need this information if you are trying to get donations, help a candidate, or sell an idea or issue.

Or don’t pay attention and hope your opponent isn’t figuring this out.