We marketers presume that if we associate meaning to the stuff we want to sell, we'll sell more of it; of course, the former and latter are connected indirectly, if and when they're linked at all, so we focus on generating more recognition of more and different associations...and hope that behaviors will follow sometime, somewhere.
I'd like to offer an alternative theory, based on the centrality of behavior and its ability to trump almost any preconceived notion. A good example comes from the time I quit smoking.
It's was 1986 and I’d been smoking about a pack of Marlboros every day for almost 10 years. I'd made no effort to quit although I was fully aware of the drawbacks of my habit. Like all smokers, the abject joy of every aspect of my addiction to cigarettes far exceeded my concerns about smelling like a chimney or dying of cancer. Quitting was something I would do when I got around to doing the other things on my rational to-do list: put money into my 401(k), be a better listener and, oh yeah, stop smoking.
Then I got the flu...a really, really bad case. I was flat on my back for a couple of days and felt sicker than a dog for almost two weeks. The only thing that got me through it was knowing that I would recover. Oddly, by the time I was back on my feet I had no desire to smoke, and I've never since had to fight the urge. Once or twice a year I smoke a cigarette just to make sure I'm not missing out. I'm not.
Here's what I think happened:
- I had a simulated emphysema experience. I'm convinced that nobody can imagine sickness, let alone viscerally grasp the deadening routine of a chronic illness. I spent a few days grasping for each breath and it was an utterly frightening experience.
- Illness masked my withdrawal symptoms. Whatever anguish my system went through due to the lack of nicotine was overwhelmed by how bad I felt because of the flu (and/or I tolerated it because I assumed it was just part of my illness).
- I changed my routine. So much of any habit is constituted by unconscious actions, so I unlearned all of the stuff I took for granted (finding cigarette packs, opening them, dispensing cigarettes, lighting them, etc.).
- Simulated experience. Think of how much creative and production effort are spent inventing compelling situations to portray in ads or designed into web experiences. The vast majority of them are entertaining, or funny, or otherwise some associative theme that should literally rub off on the brand. We underestimate the value of creating contexts for consumers to better understand (and ultimately know) product or service needs and benefits. People learn more by experience than any declaration or social media ping, so why not give them more?
- Masked experience. Remember when George Lucas unveiled the first sequel to his Star Wars trilogy? A zillion people downloaded it online and, in doing so, got Apple's QuickTime player. I wonder what would happen if we targeted more real experiences in which purchase and/or usage decisions are made...would it change what marketing delivers, as well as where and when?
- Routine experience. I think that the primary reason why people smoke is because they smoke; I know it sounds like nonsense, but doing it is far more important than whatever people think about it. Smokers are like magazine subscribers more than anything else, and the difficulty in breaking such habits should suggest perhaps that marketers target creating more of them?
Maybe my strategy to quit smoking is a way to better understand how to get consumers addicted to your products?
