Don't think of an Elephant

The way the human mind works is amazing. If you read the title, it's a good guess you probably thought of an elephant whether you intended to or not. Plus, if you continue reading and I mention your left knee, then you are probably aware of your left knee, and you weren't before. Maybe you say something like, I was thinking of my left knee because it always hurts, and it's never out of my conciousness. O.K. Fair enough.

What about the sensation on the back of your neck? Whatever you read about or hear, the amazing part is this:  reading about it or hearing it brought it into existence in your mind.  So you can bring anything into your mind. So what?

The what is this: Your thought of an elephant, a crowd, a bottle of beer occurs in your mind in a way that is unique to you.  That's why advertising is not 100% effective at eliciting precise behaviors. Sally may have an image in her mind of an elephant as a smelly, huge, loud and wild beast, whereas James might have an image of an elephant as sweet, harmless and pink, like Dumbo. And there is no way to know what sounds, images or feelings that the words and images of marketing communications conjure up in  individuals. The reason communications work at all is that there are some agreed-upon mental maps that can be used in marcomm. Some images, such as that of a mother and child, even transcend culture. But some kind of communication is required in order for an idea to be known. Something has to elicit the elephant.

Whatever the technological means for communicating ideas—blogs, ads, articles, newscasts—they must be made known. Someone needs to say "Don't think of an elephant". Otherwise, a thing ceases to exist. Who's thought of a Chia pet, or a Model T Ford recently? Can you even think of the Oscar-winning movies from last year? Ideas—and the companies that represent them—compete an increasing chaotic world for even a fragment of your attention.

So think of Sun Microsystems. What comes into your mind when you do? Post a comment and tell me about it. I'll blog more about this idea when I hear from you.