The Power Of Asking Questions
In the 5/93 Issue of THE NO BS MARKETING LETTER, I quoted a DDB/Neeham research study that revealed the differences between what the ad agency executives thought people thought and did vs. what people really thought and did. For example:
1. “I want to look different from others.”
Ad agency Guess: 89% Public: 62%
2. “There is too much sex on prime time TV.”
Ad agency guess: 50% Public: 78%
3. “There should be a gun in every house.”
Ad agency guess: 9% Public: 32%
4. “TV is my primary form of entertainment.”
Ad Agency guess: 28% Public: 53%
One ad exec admitted: “I have met the customer and he
ain’t me.”
Often, a client will say things to me like “I would never read all that copy” or “I would never respond to something like that.” But you are rarely your customer. It’s easy and dangerous to get in the way of what works based on your own biases and preferences, as well as your assumptions about your customer. Such assumptions can prove very costly. If you don’t KNOW how your customer will react, then you need to go and learn more about the customer – not guess.
