10% Away From Familiar - The Simpsons and Advertising Tactics for Sustainable Intentions
Mike Catherall
March 08, 2006
I came across a great quote the other day about advertising.
People don't read ads, they read what is interesting to them'.
It is so true. That is so right.
People want entertainment or information. The real objective of advertising is to provide these two things. To present options and to make people aware of issues (be it availability of a service, the newest choice on the market, or information on how cigarette butts leech toxins into the soil when discarded)
Needless to say, people are drawn to what is familiar to their lives. If you are a fishing enthusiast a tackle box may catch your eye, if you like to exercise religiously, carb counting may be more your lure, and those who feel badly about themselves often take the bait of the quick fix, be it boil cream, SlimFast or Viagra.
So how does this tie into sustainability advertising?
I've said this time and time again, most people out there - although they would like to be - just don't have as fanatical an interest in sustainability (or advertising) as most of us here (assuming my readers are interested in sustainability advertising).
So, it appears as though we have been using the wrong lures to catch the right fish.
What is the average person out there interested in?
How about The Simpsons?
Diane has a great theory about how people are only comfortable with a 10% change. But that 10% change is what will catch their attention.
So how can we take something ordinary, and familiar, yet slightly changed, just enough to be mesmerizing and then, slowly, use it as a platform to introduce something new? Perhaps we should watch this ad again. It's awesome.
People don't read ads, they read what is interesting to them'.
It is so true. That is so right.
People want entertainment or information. The real objective of advertising is to provide these two things. To present options and to make people aware of issues (be it availability of a service, the newest choice on the market, or information on how cigarette butts leech toxins into the soil when discarded)
Needless to say, people are drawn to what is familiar to their lives. If you are a fishing enthusiast a tackle box may catch your eye, if you like to exercise religiously, carb counting may be more your lure, and those who feel badly about themselves often take the bait of the quick fix, be it boil cream, SlimFast or Viagra.
So how does this tie into sustainability advertising?
I've said this time and time again, most people out there - although they would like to be - just don't have as fanatical an interest in sustainability (or advertising) as most of us here (assuming my readers are interested in sustainability advertising).
So, it appears as though we have been using the wrong lures to catch the right fish.
What is the average person out there interested in?
How about The Simpsons?
Diane has a great theory about how people are only comfortable with a 10% change. But that 10% change is what will catch their attention.
So how can we take something ordinary, and familiar, yet slightly changed, just enough to be mesmerizing and then, slowly, use it as a platform to introduce something new? Perhaps we should watch this ad again. It's awesome.
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