The Idea: Pavlov’s Second Experiment

Posted on December 30th, 2008 in Blog, ideas, story by brody

Learning
We all know how Pavlov could ring a bell and get a dog to start drooling.

But do you know about Pavlov’s second experiment? This time he tried to use shapes to stimulate salivation.

Over time, the dog was trained to salivate at the sight of a circle. But he was also trained to stop salivating when a long oval was on display.

Maybe Pavlov was a bit of a sadist when he started to change the shape of the oval to become more circular. When the shapes became very similar in shape “the dog became highly agitated and the previously conditioned reflex was lost.” Ultimately the confused dog ignored Mr. Pavlov entirely.

Mixed Signals
Here’s the lesson: If you want people to complete an action that you desire, your message must be singular, focused, clear, and repetitive. Your message must be bound to a need your audience already feels.

Are you sending mixed signals? Why don’t you figure out your own story and tell it over and over. Make sure your customer is the main character.

Otherwise, people might stop listening to you and you’ll be left with drool to clean up.

Here’s to an effective 2009. Happy New Year!
Brody