photo by mayize at sxc.hu
Before I get into this post, there’s something you should know: I just got a profile on Goodreads – the social network for readers. Want to know what I’m reading, and share some great book finds of your own? Connect with me on Goodreads. Every time someone does, I do a moonwalk in my kitchen. Now to the good stuff…
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I’m going to tell you how to make a high impact idea that will spread by word of mouth. But first, you’ll have to be patient and listen to me talk about dinosaurs…
T-Rex is not the scariest dinosaur around.
Here are at least 4 that are bigger and badder.
So why didn’t Spinosaurus make it into our nightmares?
When Jurassic Park came out, my parents didn’t let me watch it. My uncle discovered this, and on my next visit to his home, promptly bought the VHS and popped it in.
There was one scene in Jurassic Park that I never forgot – and most of you are probably thinking of it now.
For those with conservative parents and no uncle, I present that moment to you here:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsGjh6ul7mE]
That pulse in the water signals the footsteps of an oncoming T-Rex.
In our daily lives, we don’t see T-Rex, but we deal with glasses of water all the time. Say you watched Jurassic Park last week, and are having breakfast with friends at a restaurant. An angry patron stomps by and you see the pulse of the water in your glass. Part of you is thinking about that T-Rex moment. If you point to the glass and mention it, everyone who saw that movie will know what you’re talking about.
The Much Needed Tremor Moment in Your Message
Most ads don’t have a Tremor Moment.
Most screenplays and films don’t have a Tremor Moment.
But to be effective in word-of-mouth advertising, they might need one.
Emotional Imagery
So how do you make a T-Rex moment? By studying how ideas spread and utilizing those same principles into your message.
In Made To Stick (affiliate link), Chip and Dan Heath talk about the spread of ideas. Part of their methodology focuses on using sensory images that create an emotional response.
What will instill a strong emotion? Positive or negative, it is the strength of the emotion that makes it impactful.
Triggers
Next, what will trigger the memory of what they saw in your message? The water glass triggered the fear and terror of a prehistoric predator. It also cemented T-Rex’s place as the coolest dinosaur around, even though she didn’t have the physical characteristics worthy of the title.
From Milton Erickson back in the 50’s up to today with Stanford professors, psychotherapy and psychology has long known and used triggers. It is also used in sales. One expert in the subject has his own fan page among marketers.
Some triggers work better than others. Ideally, these triggers should be shaped to match the situation. If you want someone talking about your idea to others, it’s best if an individual is triggered while around others, while being aware of the trigger. Obviously positive attention to your idea is better if you’re selling something, while negative attention is better if you’re trying to dissuade someone from doing something.
It is possible to go too far. Some of the stop smoking ads have been so exaggerated in their imagery that they spread as ideas, but they are so removed from the average person’s experience that they discount it.
If you want to see the battlefield around you – with all parties vying for your dollar, your vote, your life – pay attention to the triggers. If you want to win the battle, keep in mind that your cause must have an image associated with it that instills great emotion, yet also passes through our filters of confirmation bias, denial, normalcy, and all sorts of internal defense mechanisms.
Association
What do you want the trigger to cause a person to do (or not do)? Chip and Dan Heath mention simplicity as a key part of a spreadable idea. If an action is simple, people are more likely to do it.
What do you do when you see the flash? says the turtle.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW4s7TETtJA]
If you’re in the blast radius of an atomic bomb, this advice is nearly useless. It does, however, provide an action that nearly anyone can do. Maybe it increases your chance of survival by one hundredth of one percent. Maybe.
More useful: Tornado warnings that tell you to seek shelter in a secure, underground cellar.
Implementation:
Trying to get to the gym? How about a picture of Fat Bastard from Austin Powers next to your bathroom mirror, with a note underneath telling you to go to the gym so you won’t end up looking like Mike Myers in a fatsuit? Put this next to your front door as well, where your gym clothes are already laid out in front of the door, and you may even get better results.
Emotion reaction: Disgust.
Trigger: Mirror or Front Door (I should be going somewhere)
Associated Action: Put on some gym clothes and work out.
You can take charge of changing your own life, or influencing others by using these powerful principles.
If you’re telling a story, following these rules will create an environment where people talk about your film, or your novel.
Any big ads or story scenes that made a big impact on you? I’d like to know because your feedback matters! Comment below.