Baaaaaaa….
Are the sheep killing corporate innovation? When thinking about why some companies can innovate and others can’t, I’ve started looking at our most basic needs, and what impact they have on companies and the markets they serve. I guess humans are still animals after all, which makes it hard to fight the instinct to hide in the herd and avoid being singled out and killed…or perhaps fired. I used to think that it was hard for a company to innovate because they were too busy running the day to day operations - but now I’m starting to believe the herd is to blame.
Perhaps the herd theory is why marketing works? Edward Bernays, the father of public relations, was an expert at herding public opinion. He called it “engineering of consent”, and used it to create the create the “all American breakfast” of bacon and eggs. His client made bacon (he he), so he surveyed doctors and asked them if they supported a light breakfast (which was the norm) or a hearty breakfast - without any mention of specific food groups. The doctors unanimously said a hearty breakfast was best, and with this third party recommendation in hand, he went to work on his campaign - molding consumer opinion about bacon. The impact of this campaign is still visible today, with bacon and eggs continuing to reign as the “all American breakfast”.
Like Edward, I also dig the opinion molding opportunities of the herd - when applied to marketing. But sometimes the herding methods can have negative social impact. In 1954, Bernays used extreme PR tactics on behalf of his client, United Fruit Company, to overthrow democratically elected president of Guatemala. It is also believed that the writings of Bernays were used to help engineer the Third Reich execution of the Holocaust.
This is a first post on this subject and I plan continued exploration on social behavioral theories and the impact on business and society.
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Scott Templar is a digital media consultant consultant and can be reached at info@scotttemplar.com