Want Versus Should in Advertising and the 30 Day Hold List
September 4th, 2007In the battle over what we want to do, much of it can be framed in terms of a struggle between our ‘want selves and our ’should’ selves (some info from HBS). The want self wants the candy bar, cigarette, beer and ice cream now. The should self recognizes that you’ll feel better in the long run if you don’t.
It turns out that which self is stronger depends to some extent on whether we expect consumption to be sooner or later. Decisions that make an immediate difference are decided using the ‘want’ self, and longer term decisions, even just several hours away, are made using the ’should’ self. Candy next to the checkout lane is so effective precisely because eating it will happen very soon. We never buy a candy bar from the checkout lane so that we can eat it later on.
Marketers use this idea to get you to make ‘want’ decisions. “Drive it away now” and “Own your house immediately” are ploys to get us thinking in terms of immediate consumption and make decisions using that framework.
If you’re looking for ways to fight advertising, it can be helpful to recognize which self is active during your decisions. Do you really want to spend $2,000 on a plasma TV so you can go home and watch the game (I have to admit a love of technology. I would have a hard time saying no if I had an extra $2,000)?
The 30 Day Hold List
This is why the 30 day hold list for things works so well. The idea is simple: any time you want to buy an expensive new toy put it on a hold list for 30 days. If you still want it at the end of that 30 days, go ahead and buy it, but otherwise, cross it out.
The hold list forces your ’should’ self to do the thinking and devalues the importance of the ‘want’ self. The result is that you only buy the toys you really want, and the others you realize you don’t need.
-zot
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