Well, how about you? Got LUST in your advertising? Don’t be so quick to rule out the use of Lust in your strategy and ad creative. Lust is a powerful trigger that causes people to lower their defenses and consider something they might not otherwise.

Source: http://sallyhogshead.com/archives/320

Last month I wrote an article about Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation, and I thought it would be helpful to dive into each of the triggers in more detail, and learn more about how to use them for advertising. The first trigger, Lust, is one of the most exciting, because it throws all sense of logic right out the window.

How many times have you made a choice that absolutely was not rational, but you did it anyway, or bought it anyway?  Well, I hate to admit it, but I have…plenty of times. That candy apple at The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory simply had my name on it–in marshmallows. I am sure I complained about the sugar dripping off the corner piece, as I shoved it in my mouth.  Yup…lust!  A craving that you just want to satisfy. You may find when you give in to it, it often doesn’t satisfy you anyway.  But, at least you no longer have the craving.  Why is that?  Forget about the why…how can you create that same lust with products that just aren’t, well, sexy or alluring?

Sally Hoghead shares her bag of sensory tricks for Lust:

• Stop thinking, start feeling.
• Make the ordinary more emotional.
• Use all five senses.
• And tease and flirt.

Instead of selling a brand simply on rational benefits, this trigger focuses on creating an experiential attachment. Remember the commercial–sing it, “I am stuck on Band-aid brand, ‘ cause Band-aid’s stuck on me!” The ads I remember had images of kids that were so happy to have their boo-boos all fixed up.  Any parent can relate to the emotion of a child having an emotional breakdown over the smallest little scratch.  Johnson and Johnson (J&J) always humanize their products, making the ordinary more emotional.  So, feelstorm with your teams.  Well, you can’t brainstorm. You have to stop thinking and start feeling! Humanize your brand and invite your customers to come closer.

Sally Hoghead shares two great examples to compare, Windows and Apple.  Is there anything more to say?  You can incorporate all of your product information and facts on your websites, brochures, and campaigns.  But, you will never win against a brand that can make the ordinary more emotional. In fact, when a company launches a new product, and other people create compelling advertisements, you can be sure they were triggered by lust.  A perfect example is the video created by Jesse Rosten,  iPad + Velcro = Love.

iPad + Velcro from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Start thinking about how your product or services would could apply to all the senses, and rethink your creative strategy. I dare you!  And, I can’t wait to hear about them.  If you have examples of products you love that have done this well, share them here.

Thanks,

-Kim

Tags: advertising, Apple, Fascinate, iPad, Jesse Rosten, JnJ, Johnson and Johnson, Lust, Microsoft, Sally Hogshead