The Attraction Economy

It’s not everyday that brilliance comes to an ordinary man, but this morning after enjoying my peppermint hot chocolate it hit me. I have been reading The Lovemarks Effect by Kevin Roberts and in the first chapter Roberts addresses a challenge that every small business owner- post 1999 has had to come to terms with. Although I have heard “post 9/11” or after the “bubble burst” these terms did not quite describe the underlying movement that has been happing. Roberts referred to this movement with consumers as an “Attraction Economy.” That caught my attention.Kevin Roberts, is the Worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world’s leading creative organizations, so it is safe to say he might know what he is talking about.

Roberts idea of the “Attraction Economy” contains a good dose of puffery but there are three keys that I did buy into:

Mystery:The unexpected. Curiosity, and the thrill of the unknown. The usual “Early and Often” principle just is not enough anymore. That was branding. This is Lovemarks.

Sensuality: Keep the senses guessing. Think about texture, taste, smell, everything working together. It’s no longer an Advertising Campaign or a Website it’s an experience.

Intimacy: A small gesture. An example might be a thank you note that is hand written, or a birthday card. Without intimacy people will not own the brand.

At Root & Madison we have already started to implement this strategy with several of our clients and are seeing great results.

AR

Cause and Effect

Cause…and Effect…Cause + Cause…Effect.

The world is a great cause and effect logic tree.  If you plant a tree and it gets fresh rain and sunshine, it will grow.  Cause + Cause = Effect.

The world is full of problems too.  I don’t make enough money.  I hate my job.  My spouse and I don’t get along.  I suck at golf.

Are these problems really what we should be focusing on to fix in our lives?  If the world is nothing but a bunch of causes and effects, then each of these problems must have a cause, right?  Why try to solve the effect, only for it to come back because we igored the real causes.

A simple solution to give all of us clarity on our ‘core’ problems in life is to ask why 5 times.  I don’t make enough money…why? Because my employer doesn’t pay me enough…why? Because he doesn’t feel I deserve more…why? Because I don’t do more than is asked of me to merit a raise…why? Because I don’t care enough = core problem.

The logic tree above could have several branches going to the top (the top is the verbalized problem: I don’t make enough money), but very few people associate that problem with a core problem within them.

Start to evaluate your problems at the core.  Change things that you can control.  Better your effects.