It’s official. Although not nearly enough people have realised it yet: thoughts ARE things.
In my last post, I mentioned that there was a scientific basis for Viral Marketing, Word-of-Mouth advertising and Social Currency.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I am talking about Memes.
A meme is a thought, action or idea that is really catchy (in the same way a virus is), so people pass it on to each other, e.g. a funny joke, a pop song or a style of dressing. Memes survive by reproduction (in much the same way as do genes) – literally by people imitating the ideas and perhaps adapting them slightly to suit their intentions.
The implications of this are deep, so I recommend checking out: Richard Dawkin’s explanation (Dawkins is the prof. who originally proposed it); and also the Wikipedia entry on “Meme“.
If you don’t follow the links above, then just take my word for it: what people think, do and converse about is VERY important – even if they aren’t rich and famous. (i.e. what you think, do & talk about is very important… Seen or unseen)
Here are 6 things that affect the success of your memes.
- Experience: if a meme does not correlate with an individuals experience, then that individual has a reduced likelihood of remembering that meme. (e.g. A message combined with a sample)
- Happiness: If a meme makes people feel happier, then they’re more likely to remember it. (e.g. a good joke)
- Fear: If a meme constitutes a threat, then people may be frightened into believing it. (e.g. if you don’t use this product you will be miserable)
- Censorship: Restrictive controls (such as copyright) put memes at a disadvantage. (show and tell = new economy).
- Economics: If a meme tends to increase the riches of the person holding it, then that meme tends to spread. (Put customer success first).
- Distinction: if the meme helps the people who use it to be more respected (e.g. seem intelligent or insightful), then it has a greater chance of spreading. (e.g. be a content provider — make your “advertising” useful).
If you can engineer memes (products, ideas etc) that are good replicators, then you’ve got it made in the Attention Economy.
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Of course, I completely buy into the notion that markets are conversations. Or, more simply, markets are driven by what’s “cool to talk about”.An example: Back in the 1960’s, bubblegum companies started competing by offering free trading cards inside their packaging. Soon kids started trading those cards, and the cards became more valuable than the gum itself. Soon companies were selling a whole pack of cards with just one stick of gum, and a new industry was born for cards with images of sports stars.
The cards were more successful than the gum itself, because they provided a richer context for interaction… Kids can only debate the merits of one gum over another for so long before getting bored, but can discuss the stats and merits of one player’s card over another for a lot longer.
See, the cards aren’t ends in themselves, they are the basis for human interaction… or as Douglas Rushkoff puts it “Social Currency�.
This is very much the foundation for what is being referred to today as “Viral Marketing� – or marketing that works in much the same way as a virus does – by self-replicating and being passed on person to person because it is so catchy (e.g. chain emails). And it thrives on what is cool and trendy in the moment (e.g. anime comics, Apple i-pods, Chuck Norris jokes etc.)
What I have recently discovered, is that there is a scientific basis for these ideas, originally put forward by a British Zoologist in 1976! Curious? Stay tuned, all will be revealed in subsequent posts.
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A focus group Moderator is a master of conversational guidance and flow. She has a very short time to get raport with a bunch of strangers, and then get all of them to discuss their feelings, anxieties, frustrations and the depth of their convictions around a particular topic. For some people that takes years, but a good moderator get to the heart of it in under an hour!
Since business is heading in a more conversational direction (e.g. Web 2.0), I thought I’d share three of the moderator’s conversational tactics with you (*):
- The Chain Reaction: Build a cumulative effect by encouraging each member of the focus group to comment on a prior idea suggested by someone else in the group by adding to or expanding on it.
- Devils Advocate: Express extreme viewpoints to provoke reactions from the group and keep the conversation moving forward in a lively manner.
- False Termination: Falsely conclude the discussion, thank the group for participating, and inquire whether there are any final comments. These “final comments” frequently lead to new discussion avenues and often result in the most useful data obtained.
Mark my words: As communication media proliferates, so does the need for people in businesswho can channel all that communication and put it to good use: Conversationalists! (e.g. Microsoft’s Blogger, Scoble)
*From the textbook Marketing Research by Aaker, Kumar & Day
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“If you have an apple and I have an apple, and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have an apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange those ideas, then each of us will have two ideas”. - George Bernard Shaw
Thoughts and ideas are things, they are real. Actions result from ideas, and ideas result from thoughts. Ideas, due to their viral nature, can span the earth if they are powerful and simple enough to pass on.
So, join me today in recognising that our thoughts and ideas have power beyond our material means.
(and if you have a good thought to share – don’t be shy with it!)
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