Change My Mind
Why it's so hard to change minds. And should that even be the goal?
TL;DR
Changing minds is hard. Why?
Humans make buying decisions based on emotion 85-95% of the time
Emotions are hard to change
Belief + emotion + ego is a brick wall to logical facts
Understanding > Changing Minds
Of course if I had a real solution to how to change someone’s mind I’d be charging you for it right now. Don’t be fooled, neither does anybody else. But doesn’t marketing and advertising have all the tricks and answers you might say? In advertising, we generally are trying to communicate the values of the brand and/or show you something you didn’t know existed, less than we are trying to change your mind. And you’re either someone who those values will resonate with or you’re not the target and that’s OK.
A thought experiment: What brand of laundry detergent do you buy? I’m going to guess first that you buy the brand you grew up with. If not that, then the brand you like the smell of the most. If not that, the brand you perceive as the most eco-friendly. How am I doing? If cost is a factor, then you’re probably buying the cheapest version that still ticks one of those boxes for you. Or the Kirkland Signature version. I’m assuming a certain amount of privilege by you being able to choose your laundry detergent from many options. The point is, we’re not usually trying to change minds, it’s often more about helping a brand find its community. Because changing minds is next to impossible.
Occasionally though, we need to lead a perception change for a brand. Again, all we’re doing is reinforcing what the brand stands for and maybe giving a new perspective or a new way to think about it. It takes a long time and assumes that the company is fixing whatever internal issues may have contributed. Advertising cannot fix the product itself.
Where does that leave us? This really started with this article by Liz Neeley. You might think that the more facts you give someone, or the more bullet points and features you throw at them, they will surely be convinced. However, "You cannot change a feeling with a fact."
As in the laundry example above, most of the brand decisions you make are emotional decisions, not logical decisions. Cost can be a logical decision, but there are also plenty of emotions tied up in money.
..studies show 85-95% of buying decisions are driven by emotions, not analytical considerations like functionality.” – Psychology Today
I think Adam Grant is correct when he separates belief from values:
Beliefs are what you think is true, values are what you think are important…when you start to base your identity, your sense of self and your ego and your self esteem and self worth on what you think is true, then admitting you were wrong is a major threat. Whereas when you start to see yourself as someone who values curiosity or is a lifelong learner, now changing your mind is a moment of growth.
If you believe something is true, I will never convince you otherwise because in your mind that is who you are. And beliefs engender strong feelings and those feelings are much harder to navigate as opposed to a fleeting opinion or fun fact where there is little emotion invested. Should we even be trying to change peoples minds? What if Understanding > Changing Minds?