ideasarehere

(This is a follow-up to this post.)
First answer from the public bus company arrived today, popping up more questions.

Quote: “Some of the buses do already have some of the suggested markings, but we did not observe them to show the desired success.” My question: How did you communicate the purpose of the markings? How did you measure their effectiveness? And: How did you define “success”?

Now for the most symptomatic part, this is just another example. Quote: “We’re sorry, but we cannot but resign in the face of this problem, which explains the occasional frustration of our driving personnel. Unfortunately, some passengers do show ignorant behavior by not reacting to the request to stand away from the doorway. We are convinced that an additional sign will have no effect on this. We may remind you about the Fare-ness Campaign [note: It wasn’t the term they used, but something of similar… wit.], which also took up the door blocking issue.”

You could look at it from the funny side if the topic wasn’t so annoying. First off, one good piece of advice: Never ever blame the customer. Not everyone will eat that frog, and it’s quite possible that the situation may tip. Number two: Frustrated staff is a no-no. Especially the kind that vents their emotions over a PA. Third, never assume anything. Assuming that one more sign won’t help is just as wrong as assuming that only because I happened to have moved to this city, I know of everything that’s been going on there last year. Hint: I don’t. And even if I knew, maybe I don’t care. It might not have affected me back then. (After doing some online search, I found out they posted this campaign one year ago, but I still have to figure if there were any posters or flyers — anyway, first impression: This could have been done way better.)

So now I’m wrapping up the last paragraph as a bunch of questions to ask for details. Update will follow shortly.

In their book, Thaler and Sunstein describe the major effects minor changes can cause. My daily example is the public bus. It’s always overcrowded with coeds going from or to the university. The bus doors use a light barrier as a security measure, so the doors won’t close as long as there’s something in the way.

And every day an angry bus driver is telling the people via crackly PA to step back because the doors won’t close. Everyone is annoyed. Yet the problem is easy to fix: Why not have some red-yellow stripe pattern on the floor area that needs to be untouched? People are already conditioned not to step on red-yellow, so it’d be worth giving it a shot. To make it even more effective, they could also put stickers on the door windows that explain what this new thing is for.

A no-brainer in theory, and I’ve sent them a mail and keep you updated about what’s happening.

A friend of mine put it in fantasticly straightforward words:
“Do what the most successful person in your business does.
Then you become successful.
And have a Porsche.
And you do models.”
Nothing to add here.

But this is not enough to endure at the top, because it’s not enough to just remain as good as you are. The next in line is already about to do the same (more success–bigger Porsche–hotter models), and most likely more motivated to accomplish it.

Step 1: Ask “What would I do different if my budget was only half as much?”

Step 2: Do it.

(Yep, I do know that profit is a geometric progression, but anyway.)

Every now and then someone pops up to take false credit for things have been known for years. This is possible because the people who invent or use something often forget to label it, and ideas that do not have a label are not that viral, so they spread more slowly. Of course, sometimes those who put it into practice act like they knew about some secret alchemy that must be kept confidential — until someone has the crazy idea to publicize and monetize it. Spoiler.

So now managers now officially know that ad-wise, they should adress the customers’ feelings, because that’s where decisions are made — this is the part the previous paragraph refers to (no news, sorry). The news is that this technique now bears the name “Neuromarketing”.

Yet my point is a different one, but not entirely. Because aside from all the bravado of the newly coined term, its father still suffers from misunderstanding what business is about. Quote:  “We want to get to our customers’ money […].” Reminds me of “Make as many people as you can believe -now on an emotional level- that they have a problem that fits your solution.”

The 1950s must have really been a great time, there is hardly any other good reason that people still are mentally stuck in there.