Let Me Fascinate You With Power
Last week at Content Marketing World, things were kicked off with a presentation about fascination by Sally Hogshead. She didn’t just get on stage and talk about being fascinating — she’s has done years of research into why consumers are fascinated by certain triggers and what different companies do to fascinate and attract customers. There are seven fascination triggers:
- Power (take command)
- Passion (attract with emotion)
- Mystique (arouse curiosity)
- Prestige (increase respect)
- Alarm (create urgency)
- Rebellion (change the game)
- Trust (build loyalty)
Volvo uses trust. Godiva uses lust. Fedex uses alarm. (“When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight.”) Triggers help companies sell products off shelves, persuade shareholders to invest, and convince key employees to stay.
Sally has done so much research into the topic, that she has even devised a test so that everyone who has clients or customers — or even just wants their husband to help with the dishes — can determine which triggers they work best with and which ones they could be utilizing. So, I decided to visit fscoretest.com and see what I had going for me. I expected that Trust would be my primary trigger, the thing that draws friends and strangers and clients to me. I’m reliable and stable after all. I was wrong. (Though Trust was my secondary trigger.)
It’s Power. I’m wielding Power. That was a bit of a surprise.
What wasn’t a surprise for me is that my dormant trigger — the one that I’m not using at all but could — is Rebellion. Give me a deadline; I’m going to meet it. Ask me to RSVP; I promise I will. I put on my seatbelt before I even pull out of the garage. When my results were presented to me, the question was asked: “Should you dial up your Rebellion trigger?” Doing so might help me “tweak boring traditions, shake up dusty routines, and become a more pioneering force for your message.”
It’s all very interesting to me. How can I use these triggers to help in my work at Creek Content? Can I use my Power? Will people continue to Trust me? Should I Rebel and buy a pair of leather pants?
Buy the leather pants!
In all seriousness, shaking up dusty routines is good for everyone!
I love this! My primary fascination apparently is passion, my secondary trigger is rebellion (WHAT A SHOCK) and my dormant one is mystique. Which, honestly, I find a crock of shit. Have you met me? I am a goddamn open book. (Or “WYSIWYG,” as Laura once called me and I am very proud of.)
Oh, I get it. Mystique is dormant for you, so you keep nothing hidden or held back. You could bring your Mystique out to create some mystery or curiosity and not be so “WYSIWYG”. But don’t do it! We love you just the way you are!
My primary trigger is mystique (huh?!) and my secondary is trust. My dormant trigger is prestige. I agree with the secondary and dormant triggers, but I’m not so sure about the primary. What say you?
I wish I could think of a specific example, but I’d say that fits. You often give me 90 percent of an answer and expect me to just *know* the other 10 percent. You’re just quiet and reserved enough to make everyone around you wondering what you’re thinking…
that’s scary, cole … apparently my primary is mystique, my secondary is rebellion, and my dormant is prestige …
what say we discuss this over beer? … ;p
This is a great post Summer – really interesting. Turns out my primary is Passion, followed by Power.
Thanks makes sense to me. Food and passion go hand in hand…
28 questions, 7 triggers, 1 long-ass fortune cookie message … (>__<)
btw, don't get the leather pants … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIhnKbIhVcw … ;p
HA! That’s one way to look at it… Too funny!