Turning the traditional advertising model on it's head...

The advertising world's obsession with creating awareness and emotional connections is an outdated model which needs a serious overhaul as Adam Ferrier so eloquently articulates in his recent post "Action Advertising Over Emotional Advertising" which is a must read...

In basic terms, he suggests that the point of advertising is not to create an emotional response via a passive medium, but rather to get people to DO something, take action and experience a brand first hand. Following this, a person will normally post-rationalise their actions to make sense of their behaviour (which is where the emotional connection and awareness comes in)...

So try turning your advertising model upside down from funnel to pyramid - I assure you it works.

...and just in case you don't trust Adam, try out this guy:

“A large body of psychological research shows that social and physical environments affect thoughts at an unconscious level. People are nicer, for instance, when they are outside a bakery with the smell of fresh bread in the air or after they have just found a dime in the slot of a pay phone. In addition, our happiness is affected by what we do, not just what we think. Successful therapy for depression isn't just a matter of shifting perspectives; it's getting the sufferer to change his or her behavior. Even something as superficial as coaxing a person to smile more can have real, positive effects”.

Paul Bloom, Professor of psychology at Yale University