Strip Poker Blues


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Strip Poker Blues

I study marketing and sometimes here in O-Land I have had difficulty explaining certain marketing concepts. There's something in the Objectivist philosophy that attracts people who are very uncomfortable with the fact that unconscious mind persuasion exists and it works.

One of the marketing concepts is perceived value as opposed to objective value.

An objective value is something in reality that can be measured and compared against a standard. A perceived value is subjective and intangible. However, since humans are all made the same basic way, there is an entire science now devoted to digging into this intangible part and trying to measure it. Marketers have been doing this for years by simple split testing.

For those who need a concrete example to understand this concept, think about the value of strip poker as a game. The vitamin ad below shows perfectly the perceived and objective value (of the game, not of the vitamin). :smile:

:smile:

In marketing, they usually apply this concept directly to products, not indirectly by association like above, but it still works. Then again, one of the sacred missions of marketers is to convince people to give them money. :smile:

Hopefully, the money giver gets an objective value with high perceived value added in return, but that part is only sacred to the ethical marketer. The money part is always sacred to all.

Note that the objective value may solve a problem or fill a measurable need, but the perceived value makes you happy. Just ask the strip poker players in the ad.

:smile:

Michael

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Lol. That's because unconscious mind persuasion doesn't work on Objectivists. :smile: Actually, I'm just speaking for myself. :smile: I'm not sure that unconscious persuasion has no effect, but I probably pay less attention to advertising than most people. Starting when I was a young child, long before I became an Objectivist, I taught myself to actively ignore TV ads. So, for the most part, I do. The downside is that I have a hard time understanding why other people are influenced by ads. So, I'd probably be lousy at creating effective advertising.

Still, now that I'm getting older, I have to admit that I like to engage in a little self deception when I'm with a woman and the lights are turned down low. The ad was a hoot. What was it for again? Oh right Centrum Silver. Been watching their ads for 20-30 years and still don't buy multivitamins of any variety.

Darrell

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Oh right Centrum Silver. Been watching their ads for 20-30 years and still don't buy multivitamins of any variety.

They are known as "bedpan bullets" in the industry, Virtual waste of money.

As far as TV ads go, I saved and ordered a Gabby Hayes wagon kit when I was maybe 7 yrs old and my dad and I got the money order filled out the form and sent it in.

Imagine my surprise when a cheap piece of pop out balsa wood garbage presented itself in a box to my image of what I saw on a small black and white TV.

Never made that mistake again, lol.

A...

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