The 7 Human Hijacks - Covert Marketing Methods the Brain Can't Resist
Oct 31, 2023
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Craig Clemens, founder of a billion-dollar company, shares 15 years of marketing wisdom packed with groundbreaking strategies. He discusses the '7 Human Hijacks'—tactics that play on consumer psychology. From using powerful brands like Pepsodent and Lucky Strike to demonstrate the illusion of choice to innovative demonstrations that captivate audiences, Craig reveals how these methods can completely reshape markets. His insights on sensory marketing and the educational approach to promoting probiotics provide a fresh look at consumer engagement in today's competitive landscape.
Demonstrations and powerful visuals play a crucial role in marketing campaigns, as seen in successful examples like Claude Hopkins' toothpaste campaign and Otis elevator's demonstration.
Effective branding and sound bites are essential in capturing and retaining audience attention, demonstrated by campaigns such as Lucky Strike's rebranding and Nike's association with athletes like Steve Prefontaine and Michael Jordan.
Utilizing hijacks in marketing, such as appealing to rebellious instincts and providing educational content, can shape consumer behavior and lead to successful market domination, as exemplified by the probiotics brand that leveraged educational marketing and market curiosity to gain significant traction.
Deep dives
Mastering the Art of Marketing: The Seven Human Hijacks
In this podcast episode, Craig Clements shares his expertise in marketing and discusses the seven human hijacks that he has used to sell over a billion dollars of products online. He emphasizes the power of creating a powerful demonstration to grab attention and influence behavior, citing examples such as Claude Hopkins' toothpaste campaign and Otis elevator's demonstration. He also highlights the importance of making marketing about the audience and the benefits they will experience, rather than focusing solely on the product. Furthermore, he analyzes successful marketing campaigns such as Nike's association with Steve Prefontaine and the impact of powerful slogans and sound bites, exemplified by Donald Trump's political branding. Finally, he touches on the positive impact of campaigns aiming to change behavior, like the successful anti-drunk driving and anti-drug campaigns of the past.
The Role of Demonstrations in Effective Marketing
Demonstrations and powerful visuals play a crucial role in marketing campaigns. Craig Clements discusses the impact of demonstrations by highlighting successful examples. He explains how Claude Hopkins' toothpaste ad campaign, utilizing a demonstration and making it about the user, led to a significant increase in toothbrushing habits. He also illustrates how Otis elevator's demonstration and event-style presentation instilled confidence and trust in their product. Furthermore, he mentions the importance of powerful demonstrations in modern marketing, referencing companies like MiniKatana, which showcased their swords cutting through bullets, and the rise of flat, barefoot-style shoe brands rebelling against established shoe giants. These examples illustrate the influence and persuasive power of well-executed demonstrations in marketing.
The Power of Branding and Sound Bites
Craig Clements delves into the significance of effective branding and sound bites in marketing. He highlights historical examples such as Lucky Strike's rebranding campaign, which targeted women and co-opted the feminist movement to promote smoking. He also discusses the impact of Nike's association with athletes like Steve Prefontaine and Michael Jordan, using their successes as powerful demonstrations of product superiority. Additionally, he examines how political figures like Donald Trump and Barack Obama utilized branding and memorable sound bites to shape their public image and influence public opinion. These examples underscore the importance of branding and concise messaging in capturing and retaining audience attention.
Using Hijacks in Marketing to Influence Behavior
The podcast episode explores the concept of using hijacks in marketing to influence consumer behavior. It discusses how marketers have successfully utilized various psychological techniques to shape consumer perceptions and drive sales. One example mentioned is the strategy employed by Edward Bernays to promote smoking among women. By associating cigarettes with notions of freedom and rebellion, he was able to change societal attitudes towards smoking. Another example is the campaign to popularize bacon as a breakfast food, which involved leveraging the credibility of doctors and promoting the idea of a hearty breakfast. These examples highlight the power of making marketing about the customer, creating events and demonstrations, providing unquestionable proof, and appealing to the desire for rebellion and superiority.
The Impact of Educational Marketing on Probiotics
The podcast episode also explores the success story of a probiotics brand that used educational marketing to create a marketing wave and dominate the market. The brand's educational video campaign, which exposed the harmful effects of artificial sweeteners and sugars, and highlighted the benefits of probiotics, gained significant traction and reached millions of viewers. The video's educational approach, combined with hijacking the market's growing curiosity about probiotics, led to a surge in searches and a significant increase in demand for probiotic products. This example showcases the power of educational marketing, making marketing about the customer, providing unquestionable proof, and helping consumers feel like rebels or superior by offering a solution that challenges the status quo.
Episode 514: Shaan Puri (https://twitter.com/ShaanVP) invites Craig Clemens (https://twitter.com/craigclemens) to drop a knowledge bomb based on 15 years and a billion dollars worth of marketing insights. If you want to hear Craig’s backstory check out episode 95 (https://tinyurl.com/jwbb88sd).
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(35:00) Great American Breakfast: Unquestionable proof
(43:00) NIKE: Sell the dream
(49:00) Social campaigns: Verbal Kill Shots
(56:00) Probiotics: Creating a category
(1:04:00) Recap: 7 Human Hijacks
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Links:
• Golden Hippo - https://www.goldenhippo.com/
• Craig’s first MFM episode - https://tinyurl.com/jwbb88sd
• Pepsodent - https://www.pepsodent.com/
• Otis - https://www.otis.com/
• Lucky Strike - https://www.luckystrike.com/
• Vibram - https://www.vibram.com/
Past guests on My First Million include Rob Dyrdek, Hasan Minhaj, Balaji Srinivasan, Jake Paul, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Gary Vee, Lance Armstrong, Sophia Amoruso, Ariel Helwani, Ramit Sethi, Stanley Druckenmiller, Peter Diamandis, Dharmesh Shah, Brian Halligan, Marc Lore, Jason Calacanis, Andrew Wilkinson, Julian Shapiro, Kat Cole, Codie Sanchez, Nader Al-Naji, Steph Smith, Trung Phan, Nick Huber, Anthony Pompliano, Ben Askren, Ramon Van Meer, Brianne Kimmel, Andrew Gazdecki, Scott Belsky, Moiz Ali, Dan Held, Elaine Zelby, Michael Saylor, Ryan Begelman, Jack Butcher, Reed Duchscher, Tai Lopez, Harley Finkelstein, Alexa von Tobel, Noah Kagan, Nick Bare, Greg Isenberg, James Altucher, Randy Hetrick and more.
