Re: Hooks

William N Woo (YA25@UTEP.BITNET)
Thu, 13 Oct 1994 12:54:48 MDT

I have been following the thread started by John Mcreery concerning,
"Hooks for selling anthropology especially in the Ad game." The diff-
erent threads that resulted were quite interesting. Someone once told
me of a conversation that they overheard on a plane between several
businessmen. They were flying into El Paso, Texas and the conversation,
needless to say, was very ethnocentric and lacked an understanding of
the culture to which they were trying to do business. How effective
were they? I do not know. But I believe that they may be even more
effective businessmen if they knew what made their clients tick.

Thus the "Hook" is this- Advertisers try to appeal to human wants
(or perception of wants), who better to relate than an Anthropologist.
As with all hooks this may be short, simplistic, and problematic.

Now are Anthropologists more plugged in to what people want then
a Psychologist or a Theologian. After all ads appeal also to "spiritual
issues. They try to sell us things that will feel some void in our
lives, by buying such and such you will feel happy.

I am reminded of the coke ad, "I want to teach, the world to sing
in perfect harmony...I want to buy the world a coke, and keep it
company."