The Persuaders

Dr. Rapaille three stage process tries to get beyond what people think they think or want others to think about them, and to get to the primal core and discover what he calls “the reptilian hot spot”. Stage one, labeled Past Reason, is focused on the cortex and allows the focus group to feel like they are intelligent and mentally impressive people. It is all about asking for synonyms or word association, etc. Then after an hour, the group gets a break and returns. They are now entering what Rapaille calls the “Through Emotional” stage, where he tells them to tell him a story as if they were telling it to a five year old kid from outer space. This really confuses the focus group because they do not understand how this relates to what they were told they would be doing. Finally, Rapaille gives them another break, and when they come back he has removed all the chairs. This really throws the group. He makes them lay down and dims the lights. This is Stage three, or the “Primal Core”. He wants them to go back to the first time they experienced luxury, as if they had been sleeping and were just awakened. It is in this stage that Rapaille can understand the Reptilian Code or the underlying reason consumers do what they do. His theory is that the Reptile always wins, no matter what. And so he wants to get the that part of the brain or psyche and understand what motivates the reptile.
When Rapaille consulted with Hummer, he told them to make the windows darker and the vehicle larger. Because the reptilian code for hummer is “dominance”. So consumers might say that they are buying a Hummer for whatever reason…off-roading, safety, whatever…but what is really driving the purchase is the need for dominance. So Rapaille says make the product reflect the reptilian underlying code, and it will win out. He believes that consumers are not rational, but they want to appear rational so they simply make up why they are doing something. Rapaille began to understand this when he was working with Autistic children who could not speak or communication in traditional ways. He had to observe their behavior and find meaning in what they did.
I think Song Airlines idea has merit and definite possibility. But with the parent company continually losing money, I do not think that the strategy of Song Airlines would have worked as a lifeline. I searched for Song online and was directed to the Delta website. I searched the Delta website and could not find anything on it. It has disappeared. Then again, years ago who could have anticipated the current state of the economy, and I definitely do not think their strategy would work in today’s business climate. Not only because most companies are losing money, but because their strategy of luxury and comfort is not really what people want right now. I think people now want to see where companies are cutting corners and want to feel like they, as consumers, are saving and economizing. And organic food and all these great amenities do not really send that message. I think that their marketing and advertising campaigns were unique and very well suited toward their target market, and the idea of peace and comfort and happiness is appreciated in regards to an airline since travel is usually so miserable and stressful. But I think Song’s major problem was that its competitors offered a similar product (i.e. JetBlue, Southwest, low price, fun, easy), but they did not limit themselves to the target market of Carry, who has a Neimans card but still shops at Target. The broader appeal of those airlines worked, where as Song’s appeal was geared toward too small a segment. But not thinking about it in a marketing context, or in the context of the finite resources of a company, the ads and the ideas and general mentality of Song, as transmitted through the program, appealed to me. I did think to myself, “I would like to fly on that airline.” But with the current economy and Delta’s problems, I just did not really see how this could have worked.

Lessons from Kenna

One of the first things that occurred to me after reading Kenna’s Dilemma was the iTunes store’s model of allowing customers to listen to about a 30 second blurb of whatever song before deciding whether or not to purchase it. I wondered how this affects the chances of a consumer buying the song; for instance, the initial reaction is to assume that “That’s great!” attitude, or now you know exactly what you are buying because you’ve listened to 30 seconds of what could be a 2 minute, 5 minute, or 10 minute track. But then I thought of all the times I have purchased music on iTunes, based off the blurb, only to realize I hated the full track, or was bored by it, or that it was, in its majority, completely different from the blurb.

And also when you are sitting in front of your computer, evaluating this 30 second blurb, you might like it, or not, or feel somewhat apathetic, but you see that it is only 99 cents. And you think well I probably have that much clanking around in my washing machine from jean pockets. And so you buy that song, and then you buy the next 15 songs, based off of 30 second blurbs, that maybe or maybe not made an impression. But as you listen to more songs, you buy fewer and fewer, because suddenly you realize that the 99 cent songs have accumulated to a 99 dollar dinner at a premier steak house. And for the most part you cannot even remember what songs you purchased.

This had me wondering if the 30 second blurbs and 99 cent songs prompt you to buy more, or merely unevenly distribute your purchases with the majority in the beginning. And also it had me wondering if consumers enjoy their purchases more because of the blurbs, and value the song more, or not. I think I am somewhat jaded now about the blurbs, and I do not listen to them anymore because if I really like the blurb but feel lukewarm about the song as a whole, I end up hating the song.

This little blurb rebellion of mine illustrated to me the lunacy of sip test, song blurbs, and pilot/movie clip tests, because rarely will a fragment of the picture give you a complete view. If someone were to take a 4-by-4 inch section of one of Frans Hals’ paintings for critique, the majority of viewers would probably say that is was crude, elementary, and without talent or promise. However, in their entirety his work is beyond compelling and inspired. I think that is a major point that Kenna’s Dilemma argues, that many of the tests and surveys that we as marketers cling to and rely on, do not offer a view of the whole painting. And that why some products, who might have a few seconds of compelling product aspects, soar in tests but dismally fail in stores.

But since costs increase with the more comprehensive testing and surveys that marketers do, it becomes vital for marketers to take a step back periodically from their product and view it from all angles, real and imaginary. Because they are the product experts, like the food critics, and they have the knowledge to really examine all the different aspects. But when the excitement and group think of how great your product is, over shadows a marketer’s analytical abilities, then products fail and huge investments are lost.

Another really important issue I found in Kenna’s Dilemma was the aspect of packaging. For instance, Kenna, himself, had poor packaging. He was not what people expected of a “rock star”, and that sometimes distracted them from the experience of his music. But at the same time, had he conformed to the rock star standard packaging, it might have devalued his service, or at least made him a talented sell out.

I think there is a very fine line between selling packaging and selling a product, and marketers are supposed to do both, in a completely cohesive and complementary way. The problem is, I think, that when someone is not selling, marketers resort to typically traditional selling techniques…sex, celebrities, excitement and hurrah, adding more features, or copying what everyone else does. And sometimes, when they rely on those tactics too much, or blatantly abuse them, they backfire in their face, resulting in an even worse catastrophe.