The Persuaders

The Persuaders” takes a look at advertisers today and their attempt to break through the clutter and connect with their target consumers. People have become numb to the traditional ads and commercials, so companies are having to do things to resonate in consumers’ minds. Challenges like DVRs makes it even harder for products to be seen, so advertisers are having to find interesting and intelligent ways to stand out and not get lost in the white noise of traditional advertising. Guerrilla marketing and product placement in movies and television shows are two great examples of ways to do that.
Additionally, brands are hiring companies that solely spend time trying to analyze what goes on in the minds of these consumers and how these companies can more strategically connect with them, whether it is specific words, colors, or even subliminal techniques. For example, Dr. Rapaille was hired by a fragrance company, among thousands of his other Fortune 1,000 companies that he has worked with, to use his three step technique in order to find the consumers’ unconscious needs which drive consumption.
His three step process begins with first relating to a consumer’s reasoning. He says that, “people have no idea why they choose what they choose and I have to get to the bottom of it.” He picks a word and then has the focus group think of all other words they think relate to that word. This reasoning starts with the cortex. Dr. Rapaille says that this step is crucial because it lets each individual feel proud about how smart they sound within the group. This is important because in order to get to the core primal state, these feelings and emotions must be gone. Between the first and second steps there is a break in the testing in order to let everyone regroup.
The second step appeals to the emotions of the focus group. Here he says, “Tell me a story as if I were a five year old from a different planet.” In this step the individuals don’t feel the need to be logical or intelligent. While going through this step they get confused and lose sight of their purpose which Dr. Rapaille says is a very important step in the process as well. After the second step is over they take a long break again.
The final phase taken by Dr. Rapaille is to appeal to the primal core. In this phase the testers enter the room to find all of the chairs missing with pillows in their places. Everyone is asked to lie down and jot down notes about the first time they experienced the word that they are trying to understand. This is the key to the reptilian hot buttons. He also comes up with a secret “code” that enables a company to sculpt, create and check their products. This code has been beneficial for Boeing in developing their new 2009 Dreamliner. The code was used for development of new airplane seat covers, new overhead bins, and other top secret alterations throughout the plane.
Song airlines, which is a branch from Delta Airlines, is another company that has hired a professional marketer and brand manager, Andy Spade, in order to help differentiate their products and services from other airlines. They seek to invent a new culture around flying. Their target market is “Cari” a strong working mother with three children, a working husband, SUV and Sports car, who shops at Target and Nieman Marcus. They are differentiating their product with organic products, low fares, and more entertainment. Additionally, their use of bright colors and flow-like themes is exhilarating, and in my opinion brings a fresh look to the airline business. Their “emotional” road to promoting song is creative, but some employees say they need communication that drives commerce, not just emotion. I think that Song has a great idea going for them, especially in an industry that has such a negative connotation. It seems like they are bringing the Apple and Google corporate culture into the airplane world, and I really like that. On the other hand, I know it is to their huge disadvantage that Delta is doing poorly and they are their mother company. Ultimately, I think that sales will follow if Song keeps doing what they are doing; they just need to remember to keep their costs as low as possible because their marketing budget is decreasing by the minute.