There’s no doubt that you have used in your conversations or presentations the viral line “Magpakatotoo ka” (Be true to yourself).” That was the famous call to action of a Sprite campaign in the ’90s targeting the youth of that era who were rebelling against age-old norms. To them, image wasn’t everything. The “me” mood of the ’90s has given way to an era of enlightenment, of significant individuality. “Magpakatotoo” ka stuck in many people’s heads and became a popular expression.
Housewives and labanderas know Lola Obang well. She’s the fast-talking woman in the Surf TV commercials who, without letup, advises Lumen, her daughter-in-law, to be wa-is (wise) in her choices. Why do people remember Lola Obang? How come she and Lumen have been able to push Surf sales up and make it a consistent market leader? Why do their names continue to resonate and stick in the public’s mind? How do you account for the stickiness of Lola Obang, Lumen and Surf?
Advertising slogans like “Magapatuka na lang ako sa ahas” (Superwheel), “Isang platitong mani” (San Miguel Beer), and “Langhap sarap,” among others, have been elevated to the hall of fame of sticky marketing communications ideas. So are ad icons Tita Maggi, the Electrolux Man, the Camay Girl, the Lux Movie Star Faces and the like.
How do you make ideas stick? Why do some ideas die on the vine while others live on and persevere? These queries were answered by brothers Chip and Dan Heath, co-authors of the book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. As the writers revealed, their dissertation was hugely influenced by Chip’s observations of people and events as a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. He has looked into urban legends, political speeches, news reports, conspiracy theories, management directives, marketing messages, culture-crossing proverbs, Aesop’s fables, and varying self-help books. “They are my sources of ideas that are most of the time wrong but are so annoyingly sticky they just won’t go away,” Chip said. Dan, on the other hand, generated and sustained his curiosity by trying to figure out what makes some teachers so effective. It was easy for him to do this since he is an education consultant.
“Sticky” was a term pursued by the Heaths from The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book about how ideas and human behavior can catch on and cause tremendous impact on markets, environments and countries. Those who have read Gladwell’s tome will remember that the “the stickiness factor” was discussed but was not dimensionalized or completely illustrated to make the concept better appreciated.
What the Heaths found out was that the stickiest ideas, regardless of fundamental value, had universal commonalities. In fact, the brother tandem discovered that the key to developing grip is to take your concept, in whatever language, form or shape it may be, and present it as a Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional Story or S.U.C.C.E.S.s. for short. The Heaths themselves labeled the acronym hokey, but surely it brings better awareness and stronger stickiness to the communications thought process.
What makes the S.U.C.C.E.S.s. approach sticky is the reinforcement provided by a large number of social-science research. Psychology research, for instance, shows that choice can deter quick decision-making. The book cited one experiment where college students were given the option of studying or attending a lecture by an author they admired. “Only 21 percent opted to study. Yet when a third option — watching a movie — was thrown in, 40 percent chose studying. The need to pick between two fun outings made students twice as likely to have no fun at all,” the Heaths pointed out.
• Simplicity. It is stripping the idea down to its core, its most basic state. And to do this you must be a master of exclusion, you know how to make priorities, and you can trim down an intricate “forest of an idea” to a focused, single-minded “tree concept.” In the book, Simplicity was clearly demonstrated in the case of Southwest Airline, whose goal of elegance, in its minimalism, was lucidly projected in all its communications.
• Unexpectedness. You ought to be counterintuitive, constantly aiming to provide a surprise element to what you do, offer or communicate. It can take the form of shocking information, an unusual revelation, or an unanticipated disclosure. Your idea must pique unrelenting curiosity and heightened interest. A case study in unexpectedness came via Sony. After World War II, the Japanese manufacturer was struggling when the company’s lead technologist proposed a new product: a pocket radio. It was thought to be nearly insane at a time when radio was seen as a piece of furniture. But the suggestion worked as an idea, and eventually a concept. Cognitive science tells us that the human brain is wired to perceive patterns and is drawn to aberrations — a radio small enough to fit in my pocket? Hmmm.
• Concreteness. This pertains to the solidity and firmness of an idea. It can’t be interpreted any other way. The brains of humans are wired to remember concrete data. Thus, being real, substantial and rock-hard will work wonders.
• Credibility. Sticky concepts have to carry their own credentials. When you try to build a case for something, using hard numbers may not exactly be the right approach. The Heaths cite the case of the US presidential debate in 1980 between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, where Reagan could have cited innumerable statistics to demonstrate the sluggishness of the economy, but instead asked a simple question that allowed voters to test themselves. “Before you vote, ask yourself if you are better off today than you were four years ago.”
• Emotions. Effective communication is hugely anchored on how we harness the strength of emotional stimulus. You are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions. For instance, it’s difficult to get teenagers to quit smoking by instilling in them a fear of the consequences, but it’s easier to get them to stop by tapping into their resentment of the deception of the big tobacco business.
• Stories. You need people to act on the ideas you have offered. Great communications are born from great storytelling. Research shows that mentally rehearsing a situation can help you perform better when you encounter that situation in a physical environment. Similarly, hearing stories acts as a kind of mental simulator, preparing you to respond more quickly and effectively.
Revisit Lola Obang. She has it all. Her idea is simple (wise choice), unexpected (great decision-making in the choice of a detergent brand), concrete (Surf is a wise decision), credible (her own account of the wise choices she has made as she convinces Lumen to learn from these choices), emotional (her own triumphs in life), and a story (her own triumphant account of wise decisions exemplified by her affinity with Surf).
When you think of stickiness, think Velcro and its power to connect and hold onto the attention, interest and desires of its audience for extended periods. Much of what the Heaths said may seem obvious, and yet the simple principles they profess are routinely ignored even by many who consider themselves professional communicators.
Make your ideas sticky, and your audience will remain glued to you for a long, long time.
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E-mail bongo@vasia.com or bong_osorio@abs-cbn.com for comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.