The Allied Group

The Magnetic Middle

How can you get people to listen to the facts?  What can move them to action?  Previous blog posts showed why some resist or ignore factual evidence that contradicts their viewpoint and gave some ways to combat that tendency.  Once you’ve opened the minds of colleagues, team members, customers and prospects, how can you best present the facts and gain their buy-in?  This has been the subject of considerable research and a number of effective methods have emerged.  One important communication strategy is:  recognize and make good use of the power of the “Magnetic Middle.”

When the Magnetic Middle works against you

The Sherif study at Columbia University found that when the facts were unclear and groups of people had to make a judgment call, they quickly arrived at a compromise position and then stuck to that opinion, even when asked individually a year later.  Participants actually substituted the group’s judgment for their own.  This and similar studies led researchers to coin the phrase, “the Magnetic Middle.”

This would be no problem if a board or committee was deciding where to go to lunch. We would hope when an important matter is on the table, people would study it carefully and form knowledgeable opinions.  Thankfully, that often occurs.  But studies cited by eminent social psychologist Dr. Elliot Aronson and others revealed that the more important the decision, the more likely we humans are to rely on the judgments of others. 

One researcher asked each member of a group to publicly state the answers to a series of questions. Several members of the group had secretly agreed beforehand to give the same wrong answers.  When the stakes were low actual subjects, who were not in on the subterfuge, agreed with the group’s incorrect responses to 35% of the questions.  When the stakes were high they substituted the crowd’s bad judgment for their own 51% of the time.

Thus, when presenting unfamiliar facts on an important issue to a board or committee, an executive will often find individual members eager to stick to their established beliefs (confirmation bias).  Additionally, the group opinion, once expressed, will be very hard to change.

Making the Magnetic Middle work for you

While people’s tendency to follow the group can go against you, it can work for you as well.  For instance, a VP of IT may find it easier to gain approval for a major software purchase if he/she points out, not only the reasons for selecting it, but a list of similar companies who have already done so. 

Rather than relying on an expert to convince staff members of the need and benefit of implementing a new procedure, communications psychology expert Robert Cialdini, PhD recommends that wise managers employ the strong influence of a coworker who has already used this method in another situation.  As their fellow worker and colleague, he or she can often sway their opinions in ways an outsider could not.

Showing affiliates, like independent insurance agents, that others just like them already participate in a new program can greatly increase their willingness to adopt it themselves.  One major pharmaceutical company’s head of training asked trainees to write down one thing they really liked about the workshop they attended.  He then printed many of these testimonials on large posters and asked new participants to review them to see what their colleagues had said about the program.  According to Dr. Cialdini and his coauthors, this trainer wrote:

I was a little skeptical at first about whether such a simple thing would work, but the impact was incredible…What was interesting was that this catalog of testimonials also helped me to influence senior managers to support future projects I was leading.

The urge to join our colleagues and friends in the Magnetic Middle can be powerful.  Wise executives and marketers can use it to great advantage in moving others to take needed action.

The Allied Group offers full service fulfillment programs as well as one to one communications and other marketing communications strategies and marketing support to the insurance, benefits and healthcare industries.

“Why Won’t People Listen to Good Ideas?” discussed research showing that those with strongly ingrained views won't mentally process sound evidence presented by the other side. Is there anything we can do to encourage parents, students, colleagues or faculty to consider solid facts we raise?

First, it’s important to understand why many won’t listen. One reason became apparent in a series of studies starting in 1959. Eminent social psychologist Dr. Elliot Aronson explains that research began in a southern town deeply divided over racial segregation. Most today clearly recognize the evils of apartheid, but in 1959 it was a burning issue, particularly in the South. Researchers selected people with strong feelings for or against segregation. Then they presented a series of arguments on both sides of the issue. Some were plausible, others were lame. A survey on the points each recalled was telling. People remembered the logical arguments supporting their position and the illogical arguments that backed the opposing view.

A number of follow up studies produced similar results. The answer was clear. People ignored or quickly forgot points that might prove their opinion wrong. They focused on the opposition’s lame arguments because these strengthened their position. This phenomenon is called Confirmation Bias. Finding the right answer took a back seat to proving they were right. The highly respected Dr. Aronson explains:

During the past half-century, social psychologists have discovered that one of the most powerful determinants of human behavior stems from our need to preserve a stable, positive self-image. Most of us want to believe that we are reasonable, decent folks who make wise decisions, do not behave immorally and have integrity.

Thus, when confronted with factual information that might show us mistaken or foolish, we automatically tend to ignore or dismiss it, focusing instead on any piece of data that might prove us right.

One study found smokers who tried but failed to quit were least likely to recognize the dangers of smoking. Clearly, dismissing inconvenient facts can prove destructive to individuals and businesses. It’s important, then, to recognize that while those on the opposite side of an issue may ignore sound evidence, we too are fully capable of making that mistake.

Removing the blinders

First, we must realize that every party in a discussion, including us, may display confirmation bias. How can we combat it? One way is to remind ourselves that our willingness to honestly consider all evidence takes moral courage and strength, highly admirable traits. That realization may help us past the tendency to protect our ego by defending a position. Researcher Dr. David Myers recommends that senior managers require their staff members who present arguments to give one good reason why they could be wrong.

To help others avoid ignoring valid evidence, we can try a psychological technique called “labeling.” We could begin a discussion by praising our associates for the open-mindedness and fairness they’ve previously shown. This technique was used to great advantage by former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Communications psychology expert Robert Cialdini, PhD relates,

Before international negotiations began, Sadat would assure his bargaining opponents that they and the citizens of their country were widely known for their cooperativeness and fairness.

Did his technique work? Despite the notoriously entrenched positions in the Middle East, Sadat and former hard-liner Menachem Begin negotiated the only modern peace treaty between an Arab nation and Israel.  I rest my case.

The Allied Group is a marketing communications company providing integrated marketing communications programs and full service fulfillment services including Search, Stealth and Yield programs as well as publication design, printing and distribution to colleges and universities.

“Why Won’t People Listen to Good Ideas?” discussed research showing that those with strongly ingrained views won't mentally process sound evidence presented by the other side. Is there anything we can do to encourage our colleagues to consider solid facts we raise?

First, it’s important to understand why many won’t listen. One reason became apparent in a series of studies starting in 1959. Eminent social psychologist Dr. Elliot Aronson explains that research began in a southern town deeply divided over racial segregation. Most today clearly recognize the evils of apartheid, but in 1959 it was a burning issue, particularly in the South. Researchers selected people with strong feelings for or against segregation. Then they presented a series of arguments on both sides of the issue. Some were plausible, others were lame.  A survey on the points each recalled was telling. People remembered the logical arguments supporting their position and the illogical arguments that backed the opposing view. 

A number of follow up studies produced similar results. The answer was clear.  People ignored or quickly forgot points that might prove their opinion wrong. They focused on the opposition’s lame arguments because these strengthened their position.  This phenomenon is called Confirmation Bias. Seeking the right answer took a back seat to proving they were right. The highly respected Dr. Aronson explains:

During the past half-century, social psychologists have discovered that one of the most powerful determinants of human behavior stems from our need to preserve a stable, positive self-image.  Most of us want to believe that we are reasonable, decent folks who make wise decisions, do not behave immorally and have integrity. 

Thus, when confronted with factual information that might show us mistaken or foolish, we automatically tend to ignore or dismiss it, focusing instead on any piece of data that might prove us right. 

One study found smokers who tried but failed to quit were least likely to recognize the dangers of smoking. Clearly, dismissing inconvenient facts can prove destructive to individuals and businesses. It’s important, then, to recognize that while those on the opposite side of an issue may ignore sound evidence, we too are fully capable of making that mistake.

Removing the blinders

First, we must realize that every party in a discussion, including us, may display confirmation bias. How can we combat it? One way is to remind ourselves that our willingness to honestly consider all evidence takes moral courage and strength, highly admirable traits. That realization may help us past the tendency to protect our ego by defending a position. Researcher Dr. David Myers recommends that senior managers require their staff members who present arguments to give one good reason why they could be wrong.

To help others avoid ignoring valid evidence, we can try a psychological technique called “labeling.” We could begin a discussion by praising our associates for the open-mindedness and fairness they’ve previously shown. This technique was used to great advantage by former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Communications psychology expert Robert Cialdini, PhD relates,

Before international negotiations began, Sadat would assure his bargaining opponents that they and the citizens of their country were widely known for their cooperativeness and fairness.

Did his technique work? Despite the notoriously entrenched positions in the Middle East, Sadat and former hard-liner Menachem Begin negotiated the only modern peace treaty between an Arab nation and Israel.  I rest my case.

The Allied Group is a marketing communications company providing marketing, marketing support and full service fulfillment services to the insurance, benefits administration and financial services industries.

Well, I'm sure by now you have probably realized from my last post and now this one... I love starting my day with a nice cup of coffee.

So, I thought I would share an experience I had the other day. I pulled up to my local Starbucks drive through for the first time in months and the barista, Starbucks employee, who took my order sounded hurried. I thought it was a little odd given Starbucks has a brand identity of being laid back and focused on making good coffee and not necessarily of being in a hurry. Since there was no one behind me, I shrugged it off as they must have a big line inside.

Then as I was patiently waiting to pull up to the window the barista chatted it up with the car in front of me. I thought it was nice that she spent the time being personable with probably one of her regulars. When I did eventually pull up to the window, only 5 minutes later, I was greeted with a big smile and asked how I was doing. Then I was handed a free drink card for the next time I visited a Starbucks. Score! I'm definitely going to come here more often!

The next day I came across an article that highlighted how Starbucks had strayed away from their typical ambient setting and was focusing on how to serve people faster. In doing this, they alienated some of their regular customers. Realizing their misstep of straying too far away from their brands core values, they asked their customers for help with the launch of a website, mystarbucksidea.com.

In launching this as part of an integrated marketing communications program, they gave their community a place to give the brand some feedback on what they are doing right & wrong, what coffee flavors they want them to bring back & different promotions they think Starbucks should offer, such as free coffee on election day and mini Starbucks cards.

Obviously - the barista who gave me the free coffee card has achieved the perfect balance the launch of the website was striving for. She realized she had rushed me and in doing so, had strayed away from their brand identity. To make up for it, she offered me a free drink. Starbucks found what their customers were looking for by using a personalized virtual place for people to give feedback and then strategized and implemented plans to keep their customers happy.

We can all take this into consideration when it comes to our daily interactions as marketing and sales support professionals. We don't need to be the one to provide the fastest or the cheapest quote. It is more important to have personal relationships with our clients by focusing on the one to one communication, finding out what's important to them and offering them a personalized experience with their marketing communications company that they don't receive anywhere else. 

Stick to your core brand values.  That's what keeps the regulars coming back.

Another new year....What cliche shall I use? Perhaps a comment about how fast the years go by or maybe a list of new years resolutions that will be broken by February?

Instead, I believe the best course of action is to stick with something that has a history of success... so I am pleased to announce that The Allied Group will continue to innovate and be a thought-leader in our market space for 2012.

We have always tried to differentiate ourselves from the “traditional business model”. So... in that same spirit, I would like to introduce two new coming attractions in 2012 that add to our diverse line of products and services:

First: we are going to offer a completely integrated, multi-channel marketing solution which expands our value equation to include output and measurement of social media and mobile technology.

Second: we are launching a digital asset management solution which will help our clients with the all-important task of “protecting your brand”.

Obviously, much, much more needs to be said regarding these exciting concepts and we will get to explaining them over the coming weeks.

I simply want to introduce and perhaps make you curious. If you want to learn more ASAP, then contact us or give me a call directly (800-556-6310 x 3142).

In the meantime, thank you for your business and your support and best wishes for a happy, healthy and successful 2012.

Senior administrators, admissions officers and college marketers frequently have to persuade others to agree and act on their point of view. At times that can prove extremely difficult. Senior staff members may want to include important new initiatives in their institution’s priorities for the coming year. Admissions officers need to influence colleagues, faculty, guidance counselors parents and students. Senior marketers are required to come up with marketing communication strategies to achieve the college’s goals and evaluate plans for individual campaigns.

In each case, the key players involved must agree. But at times agreement can be extremely hard to achieve. Sometimes it seems that people just won’t listen to good ideas. Researchers have carefully studied this phenomenon using controlled scientific experiments. The results may surprise you.

Why can’t they see the point?

Social psychologist Lee Ross’ research led him to conclude that people often express what he calls “naive realism.” Each person assumes that they perceive events as they really are. Eminent social psychologist Dr. Elliot Aronson explains that since we are sure we recognize reality, our tendency is to assume that others who are reasonable should be able to see things our way. If they don’t, we assume that they aren’t reasonable. But are we ourselves always able to see the facts clearly?

NBC news reported on a study done on “seeing the facts” in the political arena. During the 2004 presidential race between George W. Bush and John Kerry, Drew Westen, Director of Clinical Psychology at Emory University conducted a study using functional MRI (fMRI) equipment. This machine allows researchers to monitor blood flow to different parts of the brain, revealing how people’s minds react in various situations. One study found, for example, that the brain area normally involved in reading did not activate when those coping with dyslexia attempted to read. Another neural region tried to do the job for which it was not equipped (like star quarterbacks Tom Brady or Drew Brees playing nose tackle).

In Dr. Westen’s study, staunch Republicans and Democrats heard contradictory statements released by Bush or Kerry on important issues while monitored by the fMRI equipment. When hearing their own candidate’s points, supporters’ brain regions involved in reasoning and emotion lit up. They paid close attention and liked what they heard.

But when listening to the opposing candidate, the reaction was quite different. "We did not see any increased activation of the parts of the brain normally engaged during reasoning," the researcher reported. People paid little attention to a viewpoint that contradicted their own. According to NBC, “The test subjects on both sides of the political aisle reached totally biased conclusions by ignoring information that could not rationally be discounted, Westen and his colleagues say…The study points to a total lack of reason in political decision-making.”

That’s a scary finding. And if people whose minds are made up can discount or ignore inconvenient facts in a crucial matter like national leadership, what hope do we have of winning colleagues to our point of view on institutional initiatives or admissions matters? Fortunately, research has not only revealed human biases, but some helpful approaches for overcoming them as well. Stay tuned.

The Allied Group is an award-winning marketing communications company that provides search, conversion,yield and stealth programs for college admissions. Allied is a leader in employing one-to-one communication programs for admissions and advancement based on important research in marketing and social psychology.

Executives frequently have to persuade others to agree and act on their point of view. At times that can prove extremely difficult. Senior managers may want to include an important new initiative in the organization’s priorities for the coming year. IT executives have to agree on the most efficient way to manage company data as well as evaluate, purchase, implement and customize software that will run day to day operations.  Senior marketers are required to come up with marketing strategies to achieve company goals and evaluate plans for individual campaigns. 

In each case, the key players involved must agree. But at times that can be extremely hard to achieve. Sometimes it seems that people just won’t listen to good ideas. Researchers have carefully studied this phenomenon using controlled scientific experiments. The results may surprise you.

Why can’t they see the point?

Social psychologist Lee Ross’ research led him to conclude that people often express what he calls “naive realism.” Each person assumes that they perceive events as they really are. Eminent social psychologist Dr. Elliot Aronson explains that since we are sure we recognize reality, our tendency is to assume that others who are reasonable should be able to see things our way. If they don’t, we assume that they aren’t reasonable. But are we ourselves always able to see the facts clearly?

NBC news reported on a study done on “seeing the facts” in the political arena. During the 2004 presidential race between George W. Bush and John Kerry, Drew Westen, Director of Clinical Psychology at Emory University conducted a study using functional MRI (fMRI) equipment. This machine allows researchers to monitor blood flow to different parts of the brain, revealing how people’s minds react to various situations.  One study found, for example, that the brain area normally involved in reading did not activate when those coping with dyslexia attempted to read. Another neural region tried to do the job for which it was not equipped (like star quarterbacks Tom Brady or Drew Brees playing nose tackle).

In Dr. Westen’s study, staunch Republicans and Democrats heard contradictory statements  released by Bush or Kerry on important issues while monitored by the fMRI equipment. When hearing their own candidate’s points, supporters’ brain regions involved in reasoning and emotion lit up. They paid close attention and liked what they heard. But when listening to the opposing candidate, the reaction was quite different. "We did not see any increased activation of the parts of the brain normally engaged during reasoning," the researcher reported. People paid little attention to a viewpoint that contradicted their own. According to NBC, “The test subjects on both sides of the political aisle reached totally biased conclusions by ignoring information that could not rationally be discounted, Westen and his colleagues say…The study points to a total lack of reason in political decision-making.”

That’s a scary finding. And if people whose minds are made up can discount or ignore inconvenient facts in a crucial matter like national leadership, what hope do we have of winning colleagues to our point of view on company initiatives, enterprise software or marketing strategies? Fortunately, research has not only revealed human biases, but some helpful approaches for overcoming them as well. Stay tuned.

The Allied Group is a full service fulfillment and marketing communications company that provides marketing and marketing support as well as transactional document programs to companies in the insurance, benefits administration and financial services sectors.

You might be thinking that as you blog away feverishly trying to increase traffic and search engine rankings. While blogging alone will give you some results, you really want to optimize your efforts and increase the traffic to your blog. Blogging is such an important part of marketing communication strategies so why waste your efforts. I recently came across a great article on the topic.

Make your blog title interesting and intriguing
The title is the most important part of your blog post. Make sure your title is engaging and use numbers like "Top 5 tips..." and don't be afraid to be a little controversial and unique.

Make your content easy to read
You want the reader to breeze through your post not struggle and give up. Use bold font and bulleted and numbered lists.

Optimize your content for search
Use keywords in your titles and descriptions and make sure that you are using links within your posts.

Encourage interaction
Don't hesitate to ask for what you want from your readers. If you want comments or suggestions as for them and also make sure you ask your readers to share your posts.

Social media sharing
An important part of any integrated marketing communications campaign or plan is social media so be sure to share all of your posts on your social media channels as well.

To read the original article click here and to learn more about The Allied Group as a top direct marketing agency click here.

Have you or your staff ever had an experience like this one? You have a conversation with a high school student who’s appears to be a perfect fit for your institution. He/she is responding with enthusiasm to your message. You’re certain that this student will be a member of your incoming freshman class. And then…you never hear from them again.

What happened? Did you say or do something wrong? Often, the answer is no. Everything you said and did clicked with the student. But in the time between your conversation and the time to inquire, apply or enroll, something or someone else got in the way.

Technology to the Rescue

Fortunately, as often happens, new technology can help you prevent situations like this one from happening over and over again. That technology is mobile marketing. Mobile marketing allows you to capture a response from students while they feel like responding. Is there an event you’d like them to attend? Tell them about it, and then give them an easy way to register right there on the spot with their mobile phones. Do you want them to visit a website to respond to your college’s offer or inquire in some other way? Mobile technology can allow them to do it while they’re in the mood.

Mobile Rated Effective

The Noel-Levitz report “2011 Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions” shows that 64% of admissions officials responding rated mobile apps as “somewhat effective” or “very effective” in recruiting freshmen, yet only 16.9% actively use them. Could this be due to the fact that mobile apps must be created by talented but overworked college IT departments? 

An Easier Way

Using QR codes (two-dimensional bar codes) can provide an easier way to reap a major benefit of mobile marketing – immediate response – while avoiding the hassle of creating your own mobile apps and getting students to download them. Every smartphone user can download a free QR code reader, and new initiatives by Coca-Cola, Best Buy, Macy's and other major retailers will encourage your prospects to install them on their phones.

Displaying QR codes on admissions marketing materials or posters can allow students to immediately visit mobile websites created and sponsored by qualified partners. There they can respond to an offer, get a customized electronic brochure for the program of their choice or register for an on-campus or online event. This can prove an excellent way to “strike while the iron is hot,” increasing qualified inquiry, application and yield rates.

Is your institution looking to improve in any of these areas? Using mobile marketing and QR codes might just be the way to accomplish it.

The Allied Group is a marketing communications company that offers mobile marketing along with Search, Stealth, Conversion and Yield programs for colleges and universities. 

Being that I am in technology I have been asked many times "What exactly is cloud computing?" Basically it's the delivery of an application over a network like the Internet. Ever heard of SAAS (software as a service)? Well many software companies are moving over to the cloud and just because we are a top direct marketing agency and not a software company doesn't mean we don't talk about cloud computing.

It affects us all and it really is an amazing concept. Marketing and sales support teams can now manage the deployment of new software without getting their IT involved (or involved minimally). I found a great video on the web of what cloud computing is all about. Check it out.