NORTHERN PLANNER

We really don't know much in the UK, we really don't.

According to this poll:

We think teen pregnancy is 25 times higher than it is.

We think crime is going up when it's going down.

We think we spend more on unemployed folks than pensioners, when it's massively the other way.

We think benefit fraud is exponentially higher than it is.

And so on.

 

Why? My view is that the national discourse tends to support these assertions, and mere facts rarely change the mind of people who's minds are firmly made up. Perception is reality.

Which, in planner land, shows the danger of using rational facts to change people's perceptions, and perhaps points to the need to create new frames of reference.

Think of our own industry and the stuff we tend to get wrong.

TV is dead, when it's becoming more effective.

Brands are all about engagement and involvement now, when the data shows most people really can't be bothered.

Strategy is a choice between frequency and penetration, when penetration is the only game in town.

You can't spend you way to growth, when the IPA Databank has a precise formula showing you can.

Creative awards only serve vanity, when awarded campaigns are more effective.

Promotions create trial, when they mostly build sales from existing, lighter buyers.

Icon brands are different, when Dell has comparable loyalty levels as Apple and Adidas shares a massive amount of buyers with Nike.

Word of mouth began with and is ruled by social media, when 90% of it still happens offline.