We can’t ‘unthink’ an insight
Mental Model #2 An Insight permanently changes how we behave, because once we know it, we cannot ‘unthink’ it
Concepts: consumer insight
I have been inconsistently consistent with some kind of exercise routine for the last 15 years.
But since August 2021, I have been consistently consistent and have been working out 4 days a week.
One of the tricks to working out consistently, is to remove stress and friction from the process. I managed to do that to a great extent, but the floor exercises stressed me out.
That’s because my shoes were leaving dirt marks on the mat. Even after a thorough machine wash, they would leave sole imprints on my pristine, teal color mat.
Like an inflexible contortionist, I twisted and side stepped to avoid the mat even as I followed exercise instructions. I stepped gingerly around it, did not rest my full weight, or tip toed around it. Instead of focusing on the quality of my workout, I was focusing on the quality of cleanliness of my mat.
Then one day, just like that, I stopped obsessing about a clean mat! I freely stepped on it with my full weight and even did jumping jacks on it. Because I remembered that Dirt is Good. A dirty exercise mat meant that it was being put to good use. And the dirtier it got, fitter I became.
Just like that! This powerful insight helped me resolve my tension, and made my workouts better. I could not help but marvel at the power of great insights.
I learnt that once we hear an insight, we cannot ‘unthink’ it. And this bestows great power on marketers, to do responsible marketing, with insights that can make us better people, friends, and citizens.
Three lessons for marketers
- Great insights fundamentally and permanently change the way we think.
- Great insights go beyond the situation showcased in the advertising and percolate down to each life situation.
- Great insights apply to all types of people. The protagonist or the situation, are only one way to communicate the insight in a simple way.
Genesis of “dirt is good”
Note: Take a look at the launch ad of ‘Dirt is good’ by Omo (Surf is called Omo in Latam). The proposition was first launched in Latam and then rolled out globally.
The “dirt is good” proposition is based on the insight that moms got stressed about their kids’ dirtying their clothes during play, without realizing that clothes are bound to get dirty whole playing and learning. Surf or Omo helped moms accept and even celebrate dirty clothes (and help kids grow and learn) because it washed clothes sparkling clean each time.
Originally published at https://performonks.com on January 8, 2022.
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