Does Celebrity Advertising Really Work?

A few weeks ago a friend, Paul Hebert, tweeted me to get my opinion on what Robert Cialdini might say about an article from The Consumerist titled "Study: Putting Celebrities in TV Ads only Makes them Worse." Some of the ads featuring celebrities that scored worst included:

• Tiger Woods "Did You Learn Anything" (Nike)
• Lance Armstrong's "No Emoticons" (Radio Shack)
• Kenny Mayne's "Good Segment" (Gillette)
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s "Coverage at the Right Price" (Nationwide)
• Donald Trump's "Making Timmy a Mogul" (Macy's)

The end of the article stated, "The bottom line is that good ads stand on their own, and this study empirically shows that a celebrity has little to no impact on an ad's effectiveness. In fact, regardless of gender or age, ads without celebrities out-performed ads with them."

Why does Madison Avenue typically use famous people when advertising? Generally because it works. And let's not forget that ads are ultimately rated on one thing - sales. Now that's not to say that some ads don't fail because there are always winners and losers but I think it would be a mistake to conclude from the report, at least based on these ads, that celebrity endorsements don't impact our buying decisions.

As I looked at the list a few thoughts hit me. First, Tiger Woods has virtually no appeal at the present time so I discount that ad entirely. Prior to his fall from grace I'm sure many of the ads featuring Tiger were very successful because people either wanted to be like Tiger or at least play golf like Tiger.

What stood out about the other ads was what I'll call a lack of connection. What I mean is, I'm not going to see myself as Dale Earnhardt Jr. because I buy Nationwide's auto insurance. Nor am I going to feel like Lance Armstrong if I shop at Radio Shack. I think the appeal of celebrity advertising comes primarily in a couple of ways:

1. Association through the liking principle. Again, I won't feel like Dale Earnhardt Jr. because I buy the same auto insurance he does but I might feel a connection with him if I wear the same ball cap, use the auto parts he does, or put on the Wrangler jeans he wears. If I see him as cool then I might just feel a little cooler myself wearing what he wears or using some of the products he uses. The same can be said of Lance Armstrong. I'm not going to feel like Lance because I got my batteries or iPod from Radio Shack but I might associate with him if I drink the same energy drink during a hard workout or follow his training routine and diet (at least a little).
   
   
2. Authority comes into play big time when persuading. Going back to Lance, he's an expert when it comes to fitness, endurance and more specifically biking. If he endorses products in those areas then I assume he uses them and because of that I assume they're probably really good. After all, he's the greatest biker of all time so there's very few others whose word carries as much weight as his. End result, I buy what he uses and recommends. But again, I don't see him as having expertise in electronics. And the same goes for Kenny Maynes; I don't view him as an authority when it comes to razors.

So my point is this; I believe celebrity advertising can be extremely effective if it's done right. Throwing famous people in ads for no reason other that their celebrity is a recipe for failure. However, choose a celebrity for a product where people want to feel like the celebrity in some way and you might have a winner on your hands. By the same token, if the celebrity has credibility with certain products then I think you're on your way to a winning campaign going that route too.

Brian, CMCT
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

"I Know, I Know" - The Illusion of Knowledge

If you have a teenager, or have raised one, then no doubt you’re familiar with the phrase, “I know!” It seems like no matter what you say the response is almost always the same, “I know!” You might say, “Clean your room,” and it’s met with, “I know!” Or how about this, “You need to study before you can go out,” and they say, “I know!” If only we were as smart as our kids because they seem to know everything.

I recently read an interesting book, The Invisible Gorilla, by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons. In it they talked about something called “the illusion of knowledge.” This describes the tendency of people to think they know more than they really do. For example, almost everyone who drives a car would say they know how a car works, but they really don’t. It’s readily apparent when raising teenagers that we are all subject to the illusion of knowledge to one degree or another.

When it comes to getting people to do what you want – and hopefully avoiding the dreaded “I know!” – I have a persuasion tip that can help. Here it is; stop making statements and start asking questions. Pretty simple and yet very effective.

Questions are more effective when trying to persuade another person than making statements, because asking questions engages the principle of consistency. This principle of influence tells us people generally feel better about themselves when their words and deeds match. Psychologically it’s hard on most people when they appear inconsistent to others and as a result they feel bad. Have you ever had to back out on your word and felt bad? We all have and we sometimes feel a little bad even if our reversal is completely justified. We usually go to great lengths to avoid feeling bad so we live up to our word.

When you ask someone a question and they say “yes,” social psychology studies show the likelihood that they’ll do what they said they would goes up significantly. And it’s not very hard to do. Here are some examples:

Statement – I need the board report by Friday.
Question – Can you get me the board report by Friday?

Statement – You need to empty the dishwasher.
Question – Will you empty the dishwasher?

While it’s a simple concept it’s sometimes hard to put into practice. In fact, most of the principles of influence are easy to understand because people can easily recall a time when they unknowingly used a principle successfully or responded to someone who used a principle on them. However, knowing and doing are two different things and when I lead the Principles of Persuasion workshop, participants always struggle to actually put the principles into practice.

My advice is to take some time periodically to think about how you’re communicating; analyze a conversation after the fact to see where you might have used some questions rather than making statements. Or better yet, before you hit the send button on your next email do a quick reread specifically to see where you could change statements to questions.

I started this post talking about kids and the illusion of knowledge. While the point of this week’s article wasn’t the illusion of knowledge, reading about it triggered my thoughts for this post and I can highly recommend the book. One last thing to tell you, engaging consistency through questions will also make it much harder for your teenager to say “I know!” in response to your questions. If you’re like me that alone would be worth the price of admission.

Brian, CMCT
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

Changes Coming to Influence PEOPLE

I decided to have an extra post this week to let you know about a few things to keep an eye out for on Influence PEOPLE this year. I hope you'll find them interesting ways to continue learning about ethical influence.

First is something that's not entirely new but will be presented in a different manner. For quite some time now I've been recording influence tips and blog posts on a site called CinchCast. I realize different people have different learning styles so I started these recordings for those of you who are auditory learners. What I'll be doing differently this year is embedding the audio recording into the blog post. If you scroll down past my signature you'll see the CinchCast recording for this post. Just click on the button and you can listen to the blog rather than read it.

In the near future I'm hoping to post some video clips from the presentation I gave at Franklin University on Influential Leadership. That will give you an opportunity to see and hear why influence is all about people as well as learn a little bit about each of the six principles of influence. On the topic of video, I'm also planning to do a video blog at least once a quarter.

Finally, I'm looking at the possibility of adding a few more guest writers from around the world so we can continue learning how influence and persuasion work in other cultures.

I hope you find these changes interesting ways to keep things fresh while you continue to learn about influence and persuasion. If you have ideas for the blog or would like to see certain topics or questions addressed feel free to leave a comment below.

Brian, CMCT
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

The Upside and Downside of Fixed-Action Patterns

I’ve been having a hard time with something lately -- brushing my teeth. Some of you are thinking that’s gross but don’t worry, I brush several times a day and floss too. I guess my problem is really with the toothpaste container. Jane bought Colgate Total, fine toothpaste by the way, but it comes in a stand up tube. While it seems convenient to have the tube on the countertop so I can quickly grab it I don’t find myself doing that. It seems like every time I go to brush my teeth I open the left drawer at the bathroom counter. It’s a small irritation except that I make the same mistake over and over and over. Fortunately there’s a bright side -- it inspired this week’s blog post.

Why do I keep making the same mistake time and time again? Simple; I have a set way of going about brushing my teeth that’s served me well for a long time and it’s a hard habit to break. You might say I have “fixed-action pattern.” A daily ritual like this makes my fixed-action pattern very apparent but lest you laugh at me beware because you have them too.

In his best-selling book Influence Science and Practice, Dr. Cialdini talks about fixed-action patterns in the animal kingdom which are inborn to ensure survival. When it comes to people he wrote, “The automatic behavior patterns of humans tend to be learned rather than inborn, more flexible than the lock-step patterns of the lower animals, and responsive to a larger number of triggers.” He goes on the say, “we, too, have our preprogrammed tapes; and, although they usually work to our advantage, the trigger features that activate them can dupe us into playing the tapes at the wrong times.”

In humans these patterns are developed because we eventually find what works best for us (toothpaste in the left drawer) and stick with it. It makes life easier because it simplifies decision making and saves time. They trigger an almost automatic response in many cases. For example, if you are looking to buy a new computer you might turn to someone you know (liking) because they know much more about computers (authority) than you or most salespeople do. Something like this usually works out well because it saves time, headaches and money. We’ve probably all done this at one time or another when looking for a computer, car, phone or some other relatively expensive item where you feel you lack sufficient knowledge.

Of course there can be a downside too. As I wrote, the toothpaste thing is just a minor irritant but there are some people who prey on these automatic responses because they know they can get what they want before you realize what happened. One example was in the Influencers From Around the World article a few weeks ago by Marco Germani. He shared how the Italian prime minister used liking to sidestep criticism over allegations of improprieties with a 17 year-old girl. From what I gather Silvio Berusconi didn’t seem to suffer much for his actions.

I’ve taken taekwondo for many years but I don’t intend to go beat up anyone. My goal was to learn how to defend myself because I know there are bad people out there who might just try to harm me or my family. Understanding the principles of influence, and your own mindless tendencies, can be your self defense against unethical people who would try to take advantage of you.

As you read Influence PEOPLE, keep an eye on how you can ethically utilize the principles to create a win-win situation for you and those you deal with. At the same time keep an eye out for those who would seek to do you harm. In the end you might just help a lot of people and keep yourself safe.

Brian, CMCT
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

People Buy Based on Emotion and Justify with Logic

In sales it’s common to hear, “People buy based on emotion then justify after the fact with logic.” If you’re in sales that’s not a newsflash but it’s worth exploring little more because the implications go beyond sales when it comes to your ability to influence people.

Feelings are incredibly powerful and no matter how much we’d like to believe we’re rational creatures who occasionally act emotionally, the truth is, we’re actually emotional beings who occasionally act rationally. Economists would have us believe that people always act in a rational manner, trying to maximize gain, but if you’ve read Dan Ariely’s work, Predictably Irrational orThe Upside of Irrationality, then you know quite often people don’t act in rational ways and don’t always maximize their gain.

Why is this so often the case? I believe it’s because of how we’re wired; how our brains work. When I say the word “elephant” if you’re like most people you have a picture of an elephant in your mind. Your picture might be an African elephant with tusks, a smaller Asian elephant without dusks, the lovable Dumbo, or perhaps an elephant toy you played with as a child. Whatever the case, you had a picture in your mind and that’s because we translate words into pictures.

Next in the process come feelings. Your elephant picture might generate certain feelings for you. Perhaps you had memories of a movie you saw and remembered seeing an elephant, maybe you thought of a trip to the zoo, or you had feelings because of the toy you played with. Those thoughts turned into a picture which led to some feelings for you.

It’s those feelings that ultimately lead to action. So the process is this; words create pictures, picture lead to feelings, and feelings culminate in actions. Understanding that to be the case we're confronted with the reality that the words we use can make a big difference in influencing people's behavior.

I was in Indianapolis towards the end of 2010 to conduct a sales skills workshop and we spent time on this very topic. I put up some word sets and asked people questions like the following:

Which do you prefer; buying or owning?
Which appeals to you more; spending or investing?
Would you rather buy a cheap car or an inexpensive car?

If you’re like the vast majority (more than 9 in 10) who took an online survey I conducted, or those who participated in my workshop discussion, then you prefer owning things, investing your money and you’ll buy the inexpensive car, not the cheap one. Why were the results so lopsided? Simple, the preferred words translate into more positive feelings despite the fact that in each case both words might be used to mean the same thing.

People typically say they prefer to own something rather than to buy it because that word makes them think about the pleasure of possessing and using something as opposed to pulling out their wallet to pay. Don’t you think the smart salesperson will talk about the benefits of owning their product or service instead of buying the product or service? Sure they will!

When it comes to investing rather than spending it’s because people see that as a way to grow their money whereas spending feels like sending you money away forever. When it comes to budgeting you might have a better chance of getting some things approved by talking about “investing in” as opposed to “spending on” because investing will make your budget committee a little more focused in their potential return.

Lastly, cheap conjures up thoughts of poor quality but inexpensive simply means something doesn’t cost much. So the unsuspecting person trying to sell their car only hurts their chances to make the sale because they advertised the price using the word cheap.

Again, words lead to pictures which generate feelings that prompt behavior. With that understanding you need to pause, consider your audience and consider your message. What will they think and feel because of the words you use? I’m not going to tell you everyone will react as you want because you use a few different words here and there but sometimes all it takes is moving a few more people to ultimately make a big difference. A few extra sales could make the difference in being #1 instead of #2, or winning an incentive contest. Or perhaps one more person on the budget committee will see the value in your suggestion resulting in you getting the green light. You can bank on this; making some strategic changes won’t hurt your chances to persuade but they might increase them significantly.

Brian, CMCT
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.

Influencers from Around the World - Berlusconi and the Principle of Liking

To start the New Year the Influencers from Around the World post is from my Italian friend Marco Germani. I had the pleasure of talking to AND seeing Marco the day after Christmas. I didn't go to Rome, instead we used our iPhones. I also got to "meet" his wife Monika and their six month old son Martin. Technology is amazing!

I’m sure you'll enjoy Marco's insights on how the principle of liking helped a famous politician in his native Italy. Feel free to reach out to Marco on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Berlusconi and the Principle of Liking

He did it again. I am talking about one of the most famous prime ministers of the world, often for all the wrong reasons, my fellow-countryman Silvio Berlusconi. I guess his fame crossed the ocean and even in the U.S., people are aware of his tendency to have affairs with teenage girls and being caught. This already cost him his marriage and a number of scandals in the press.

I guess President Clinton in comparison was a saint, or at least a bit smarter in not being caught so often. A few weeks ago, a 17-year old girl called Rudy, confessed to the press she has been invited several times in the previous months to attend parties with Silvio and friends and she gave to the press sordid details of what was going on in the Presidential Palace during those nights. Hot stuff, I tell you! Let’s see how Silvio took advantage of the principle of liking to turn the public opinion in his favour, even in a very compromising and critical situation.

When informed of what the girl just said, he didn’t try to deny it. He didn’t get upset or promise legal battles to his political enemies, who this time also were paying a girl to speak false against him and destroy his political figure. He stated instead: “I love life, I love women, I am like this, this is my nature.” Surprisingly, a majority of the public in Italy took Silvio’s side and, most surprisingly still, many Italian women started to defend him! What happened? Two different effects:

1) By not trying to lie or deceive Italian people, Silvio appeared as an honest, sincere person, who was not afraid to display his weaknesses and, by the way, is loving life and loving women really a weakness?

2) Many men, who also cheat on their wives or have affairs, saw their behaviour legitimized by an authority figure; i.e., the prime minister. If the highest official of the Italian government can do it, why can’t I? Maybe I am not so evil, this is ordinary behaviour, and everybody does it in the end.

Women also, are often very intrigued by a man who can’t control his passions and must feed them continuously, even putting his political power in danger because of them. Power attracts women and a person with power who passionately loves women is a strong attraction for many of them. One famous Italian actress, Lory del Santo (the former wife of Eric Clapton, by the way), publicly proposed to Silvio as a lover, after his statements, writing a poem to him and telling him she could bring him to unattained before heights of pleasure.

By using the principle of liking, Silvio saved face again and avoided the risk of being swept away by the scandal. Probably he did it on purpose, maybe not. What counts is that it worked!

Marco

Some people have emailed me about the ethics on this article. Here’s what Marco shared with me:

First of I all, it is my duty as an Italian citizen to specify that, culturally, in Italy it is NOT OK for the nation’s leaders to have this kind of behavior. Let us not forget we have the Pope and Rome has been the hearth of Catholic Church in the world for centuries now, which should give some hints about the morals standards over here…. On the other hand, I personally see the study of the principles of persuasion as a science, whose objective is to understand them and, at the same time, being able to use them and defend ourselves from them when used in an unethical way (like in this case). Knowing that Berlusconi is using the principle of liking, gives us the option to understand what he’s doing and seeing it for what it really is, beside the natural feeling of liking we can feel toward him, given by the power of this principle. In my article, I never say what he did was right or wrong, I am only observing it as a scientist, and then everybody can draw their own conclusions.

Brian, CMCT
influencepeople
Helping You Learn to Hear “Yes”.