“The reason kids like rock ‘n roll is their parents don’t.” – Mitch Miller, Born Jul. 4, 1911. In people’s minds, there are always some people they find detestable – People so alien and “other” that anything and everything about those perceived enemies is to be resisted. Mitch’s example are teenagers who only like noisy […]
The Fastest Route to “Us” Is a Well-Defined “Them” Read More »
“A good conversationalist is not one who remembers what was said, but says what someone wants to remember.” – John Mason Brown, Born Jul. 3, 1900. To become influential, it’s a good idea to create material for people to copy from you and claim for themselves. That might seem counter-intuitive. After all, isn’t it important
A Secret For Manufacturing Your Influence Over Others… Read More »
“We love in others what we lack in ourselves, and would be everything, but what we are.” – Richard H. Stoddard, Born Jul. 2, 1825. You can drive a lot of human behavior very easily if you know who and what your mark wants to be instead of who and what they currently are. Envy.
It’s Not What The Target Craves to Have, But Who They Desire to Be Read More »
“Even truth needs to be clad in new garments if it is to appeal to a new age.” – Georg C. Lichtenberg, Born Jul. 1, 1742. Are you one of those people who kicks yourself over wanting to be creative and original and fresh and new all the time? That shit is hard, right? Guess
How To Steal Ancient Wisdom and Take Credit For It Yourself Read More »
“The chief product of an automated society is a widespread and deepening sense of boredom.” – C. Northcote Parkinson, Born Jun. 30, 1909. We are drowning in a sea of data. More new data is created and recorded now every day than in centuries of history prior to the modern era. Information bombards us. Messages
Break the Pattern of Boredom By Daring To Be Interested Read More »
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Born Jun. 29, 1900. One of the hardest ways to get people to do what you want
Two Sneaky Methods For Writing So That People Will Obey Read More »
“Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Born Jun. 28, 1712. What I love about this quote is that people generally believe it, and that makes it easy to trick them. “Nature” is an amorphous idea that most people would struggle to define. But it’s “real” and it’s “truth”
People Believe This, And You Can Use It To Manipulate Them Read More »
“The active part of man consists of powerful instincts, some of which are gentle and continuous; others violent and short; some baser, some nobler, and all necessary.” – Francis W. Newman, Born Jun. 27, 1805. One of the mistakes a novice persuader can make is to attempt to work on the mark’s logic. But that’s
To Persuade Quickly: Attack Instinct Via Emotions, Then Logic Read More »
“Great advertising, in and of itself, becomes a benefit of the product.” – George Lois, Born Jun. 26, 1932. What old George is saying here is that objects (like products, for example) all have a story. They just do. Someone invented those products, for some purpose, to solve some problem, to sell to some person,
If They Don’t Buy Into the Story, They Won’t Pay For the Product Read More »
“When I was writing ‘Kitchen Confidential,’ I was in my 40s, I had never paid rent on time, I was 10 years behind on my taxes, I had never owned my own furniture or a car.” – Anthony Bourdain, Born Jun, 25, 1956. I didn’t start doing this “Cult of Copy” thing – my life’s
It’s Only Too Late To Start If You Woke Up Dead Today Read More »
