This video is awesome. It is an animated version of a talk given by Dan Pink, the author of Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. Watch it, then share it with anyone who will listen, particularly your boss (they should definitely listen).
There are also a whole lot more great videos (including more of the RSA Animate series) over at the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) YouTube Channel .
via oneplusinfinity
Over the years the poor innocent asterisk has become the reluctant workhorse of every lazy marketer in the world. Instead of directing the reader toward a simple explanatory footnote it has, and continues to be used and abused as a weapon of mass deception.
If your offer or headline could be reasonably misconstrued by a regular person then you need to rethink what or how you are advertising. Particularly if you have added your footnote in 12 point font on the bottom of your spectacular size billboard.
Using asterisks is like dressing your brand in a trench coat; it makes you look dodgy, and makes us wonder what you are hiding.
*Seriously, stop it.
The other day I was thinking about toothpaste. Specifically my parents toothpaste. Don’t pretend like you haven’t.
The thing is, my parents are completely loyal to Colgate toothpaste (and toothbrushes too, but not to the same extent. Odd). I remember asking them about this when I was young, “Mum, why do we always buy Colgate?” I think at the time the question came about because I had stayed at one of my friends houses whose parents bought Macleans toothpaste, and I thought it tasted good. However, I am still fascinated.
I don’t remember the exact answer, but don’t think I am paraphrasing too much saying that it was something along the lines of “because we have always bought Colgate.”
I would guess this is probably one of Macleans biggest challenges as the second largest brand in the category. People are afraid to step outside their comfort zone and buy something they don’t know. It is not that people aren’t aware of Macleans, it is just that they are unwilling to give it a go. I guess this is something like the old ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ adage.
The other thing that has been bothering me lately has been that hotels don’t seem to ever provide toothpaste. They provide a tiny shampoo, tiny soap, even tiny conditioner. Some of them even give you a little sewing kit, shower cap, and a couple of cotton buds! But never any toothpaste. This is a problem for me, because if there is one thing I always forget, it is toothpaste. If a hotel was to provide toothpaste it would almost certainly be enough to convince me to stay there over the otherwise identical alternatives. I don’t understand this random personal hygiene product discrimination.
Bringing these two threads together I suddenly realised that this represented an oppourtunity for both Macleans and Ibis. Macleans should be dying to get sample packs of their toothpaste in hotels, what a great way to get consumers to trial their product. The Ibis should be dying to get toothpaste in their rooms, because I bet I am not the only one who forgets their toothpaste.
Why hasn’t this happened yet?
Toothpaste pic © alles-schlumpf