Electronic Retailer - October 2012 - 46

RICK PETRY

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Pocketbook Voting
they shrink the voter’s decision down to an indelible sound bite, typically framed within the context of a story that is easy to recall and spread. Thus, when Sarah Palin declared that she could see Russia from Alaska as a basis for insight into foreign policy, it was repeatedly used to portray her as a dolt. Similarly, remarkable demonstrations and taglines such as “Set it and forget it” help marketers break through clutter and become a part of the pop culture lexicon. In all cases, the benefit – or lack thereof – of a candidate or a product is encapsulated in a convenient, memorable and infinitely repeatable anecdote. The ubiquity of these stories – or advertisements – is a powerful legitimizer. If one hears or sees something often enough, the tendency is to believe that the claims being made are true, whether it’s a PAC attack ad or an As Seen On TV product seen seemingly everywhere. Furthermore, once committed to a decision, consumers tend to affirm their original decision. This explains in part why it is so difficult to unseat an incumbent president, regardless of how unpopular he appears. In addition, in an era of social networking, the tribal nature of brands (and candidates) has never been as evident. Haven’t you noticed how Facebook friends from all walks of the political spectrum freely espouse their views as if everyone within their network surely must agree with them? This is nothing short of an assumptive close, a tactic telemarketers use to cement direct sales. For candidates, such advocacy is a powerful ingredient that can help fuel success or failure. Simply put, whether you’re selling soap or standing on a soapbox, the underpinnings that drive a consumer to say “yes!” remain the same. Messages that are concise and truly differentiate win or lose the day. What is not so simple is the ability to control that message or to overcome consumer bias amid a flood of competing offers. But it is essential to energize the base – in this case, the base of business necessary to survive in a hyper-competitive world filled with so much noise. Rick Petry is a freelance writer who specializes in direct marketing and is a past chairman of ERA. He can be reached at (503) 740-9065, online at rickpetry.com or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thepetrydish.

Now that the U.S. is in the throes of the quadrennial pitch-fest known as the Presidential Race, it’s worth asking: What lessons might direct marketers learn from politics? Candidates are selling a product after all, albeit themselves, and devoting billions of dollars to persuade voters to punch their ticket. While it is often stated that the electorate votes their own economic self-interest or pocketbook first, marketers face a variation of this challenge daily, as they attempt to get consumers to pry their credit cards loose. Hence, there are many parallels to be drawn by examining some of the psychological drivers politicians use to sway hearts and minds. Tony Robbins observed that human urges are driven by one of two impulses: a hunger to attain pleasure or a desire to avoid pain. A practical application of this principle might be the idea of selling hope versus fear. The former appeals to one’s more optimistic side or a view of the world that suggests the glass is half full, while the latter suggests a darker, more pessimistic, half-empty perspective. While polls consistently show that voters are turned off by attack ads, these salvos persist for one simple reason: They work. They are effective because they often leverage scarcity mentality; a perspective that ascribes to the idea that the world’s spoils consist of a finite pie with only so much to go around. A host of fears fuel this kind of belief: fear that something is going to be taken away or that one will be unable to attain something they want. While the left exploits the notion of hoarding by the über-rich, the right demonizes government bureaucracy and the redistribution of wealth. These are iterations of the same concept of paucity that home shopping leverages so effectively: You’d better call now because supply is running out! The converse of this is abundance mentality and many marketers leverage this to woo consumers. There is no shortage of beauty, fitness or desirability one can take advantage of by purchasing a particular fitness or skincare regimen, for example, though the offer itself may be limited by time. Terms such as “one-percenters” and “big government” act as a kind of mental Rorschach or shorthand that helps harried voters separate the good from bad. This is why political gaffes and debate zingers can play such a pivotal role in deciding elections. Against an overwhelming tsunami of information,

Simply put, whether you’re selling soap or standing on a soapbox, the underpinnings that drive a consumer to say “yes!” remain the same.

electronicRETAILER | October 2012

Electronic Retailer - October 2012

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