Would this Make a Good Nike Ad? >>> The Power of Poetic Advertising

Disclaimer: This is not a Nike advertisement nor is it approved or endorsed by Nike. Nike's logo is included for commentary purposes only. 

Photo by: Clément Bucco-Lechat 

In an earlier article, I discussed some of the neuroscience and psychology underlying poetic advertising. In particular, I mentioned that:

1. Poetic Verse is replete with patterns (meter, rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, etc.) and that pattern stimulates the release of dopamine.
2. Dopamine is the primary neurotransmitter responsible for: the anticipation of reward; the creation of focus; the holding of attention; and, the formation of memory.

But I also mentioned that dopamine is but a force multiplier:

But dopamine is simply a force-multiplier: it multiplies the effect of whatever underlies the stimuli that created it. What underlies such stimuli is an idea, ideal or insight – with insight being the most powerful of the three.   

And this is where I'm going to pick up for this article, the title of which is, "Would this Make a Good Nike Ad?" 

To answer the question, perhaps a good place to start is by asking, "What is it that Nike sells?" 

You could be forgiven if you answered the obvious: sporting equipment. But I would argue that that is incorrect. Rather, I would proffer, Nike sells Excellence and Elevation and that the shoes, shirts and shorts are simply how Nike capitalizes it's income. 

In the world of advertising, there are as many definitions of the word Brand as there are ad agencies. So, let there be one more: A company's brand is the sum total of Other-Judging Emotions that a consumer has made for, or against, the company. That's mine.

Are You Judging Me!?   Well, Yes ... Yes I Am

Our brains evolved on the Plains of Africa, and did so according to the needs and demands of that environment. Nowhere in our ancient past was there a need to pass judgements on legal abstractions called corporations, as they did not exist. There was, however, an extreme need to be able to accurately pass judgement upon other human beings. We are incredibly social creatures, and one of our primary survival skills is the ability to distinguish friend from foe, and calibrate our beliefs and behaviors accordingly.  

As a result, we developed an app for doing just that. More specifically, we developed a small set of Other-Judging Emotions.

Gratitude

There are two kinds of gratitude: Absolute Value; and It's The Thought That Counts.

Let's say one day you show up at my door and give me $1 million! Why? Because my poetry has brought enlightenment and inspiration into your life. "Geese ... Thanks!" That's Absolute Value gratitude. The gift is simply worth a lot.

"It's The Thought That Counts," gratitude is contextual. 

I once had a friend give me a signed addition of a Walt Whitman book of poetry. I don't like Walt Whitman's poetry (and that's an understatement). There lots of signed Walt Whitman books of poetry floating around, and so, monetarily, it wasn't worth very much. But, it was the thought behind the gesture. My friend knew I was a poet and, not knowing much about poetry herself, thought Walt Whitman was one too (pardon the sarcasm). My friend thought it was something I would like. It showed that she was thinking of me and my happiness. That was kind-hearted and, for that, I was truly grateful.

That warm-fuzzy feeling I felt ... that was Vasopressin (mostly for guys, mostly Oxytocin for girls ... both get some of each), the hormone responsible for "bonding and trust."

As gratitude is pleasurable, it is an Approach Emotion. We want to get closer to it. 

Admiration

Admiration is based upon the Witnessing of Human Excellence. From an evolutionary perspective, being surrounded by people exhibiting Human Excellence was a survival advantage. Being around an excellent fisherman or hunter decreased the odds of you starving to death. Being around an excellent soldier similarly decreased the chances of you being slaughtered or enslaved by a neighboring tribe. And, being around an excellent tool-maker decreased the effort and energy required to accomplish a task.

As a result, our brains wired up to Admire Excellence. And, like so many mental sub-routines, the code was pretty simple. And such simplicity resulted in a rather extraordinary phenomenon: It doesn't matter what the excellence is about. Excellence ... is admired for its own sake.

I've never wanted to be a contortionist, nor have I ever known anyone who did. And yet, hundreds of thousands of people pay substantial sums every year to see Cirque du Soleil performers twist themselves into pretzels. Why? Because they're exhibiting Human Excellence. They're the Very Best ... at this utterly useless and wholly non-utilitarian skill. But, excellence is excellence, and we're programmed to admire it.

Notwithstanding contortionism, when we witness excellence, we want to emulate it. We want to "Do Like." 

Admiration is an Approach Emotion. 

Elevation

Interesting tidbit ... this term, as it applies to morality, was coined by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson coined it because he believed that there must be a positive mirror for Moral Disgust. Elevation occurs when we witness Moral Exemplar. While people differ on what constitutes the totality of moral righteousness, there nevertheless exists a core of universally accepted moral beliefs and behaviors upon which all (non-lunatics) agree.

Not surprisingly, Elevation also causes a desire to emulate, to "Be Like."

And, of course, Elevation is an Approach Emotion.

Anger

For all the negative press that Anger gets, it is arguably one of the most important emotions in maintaining relationships. Put any two people in a room and, sooner or later, there's going to be friction. One or the other is going to trespass. Anger is the first step in repairing the breach.

Critically, Anger judges the action, not the actor. So long as the actor ceases the offending action, apologizes and, if necessary, makes amends, the relationship will continue. 

As a result, Anger is actually an Approach Emotion. The angered party "gets in your face" (approaches), "You're hurting me ... stop it!"  

Contempt

Contempt is where things start to get ugly. Contempt judges not just the act, but the actor as well ... and part of that judgment is the assessment that the actor deserves to be punished. This is more a passive, philosophical assessment than an active call-to-arms. 

Not surprisingly, Contempt generally means the end of the relationship and is an Avoidance Emotion.

Disgust

Disgust is as bad as it gets. Disgust judges not just the act, but the actor as well ... and part of that judgment is the assessment that the actor deserves to be punished. But crucially, not only does the actor deserve to be punished ... but "it would be morally wrong not to punish him." It now becomes the Judger's personal responsibility to punish the actor, lest they themselves commit a moral wrong through their abstention. 

If you wish to explain the insanity of modern-day political discourse, look no further. The Far Left and the Far Right are disgusted with one another. But, crucially, the Far Left is also disgusted with the Center. The Center won't support them in their crusade to punish Trump. And this abstention is, in and of itself, a moral wrong meriting punishment. 

Disgust is an Avoidance Emotion.

A Nike Poetic Ad

A perfect advertisement, then, would trigger Gratitude, Admiration and Elevation while avoiding Anger, Contempt and Disgust. This can be a pretty tall order.

In the hypothetical poetic ad at the beginning of this article, how did I do?

Gratitude: If you simply read the poem, the level of dopamine sloshing around your brain went through the ceiling (anticipation of reward). Pattern-recognition, and the brain's reaction to it, is involuntary and can't be turned off. 

Dopamine is associated with wanting and wanting is what drives sales. But if you also Liked the poem, it's because your brain was flooded with Endorphins (endogenous morphine) and Endocannabinoids (endogenous marijuana). That's right, verse poets are drug dealers. It's the same reason why so many people take pleasure from listening to music ... music is but pattern on steroids, and pattern equals dopamine (and endorphins and endocannabinoids if you liked it). To quote Steve Pinker, Harvard linguist and cognitive and evolutionary psychologist, "Music is auditory cheesecake." 

Throw in a little vasopressin/oxytocin and you've got a pretty powerful soup. Irrespective of the underlying neuroscience, most people feel gratitude when made to feel pleasurable.  

Admiration: Poetry, and Mastery of High-Order Language Skills in general, are Human Universals.

Wikipedia states:

Human Universals is a book by Donald Brown, an American professor of anthropology (emeritus) who worked at the University of California, Santa Barbara. ... Brown says human universals, "comprise those features of culture, society, language, behavior, and psyche for which there are no  known exception." According to Brown, there are many universals common to all human societies. Stephen Pinker lists all Brown's universals in the appendix of his book The Blank Slate. The list includes several hundred universals, and notes Brown's later article on human universals in The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences. ... The list is seen by Brown (and Pinker) to be evidence of mental adaptations to communal life in our species' evolutionary history. The issues raised by Brown's list are essentially darwinian.  

A recent article by Donald Brown addresses the issue in some further detail.

Mastery of High-Order Language Skills are viewed, universally, as Human Excellence. So, if you thought the poem was beautiful, then it almost certainly triggered within you Admiration. Again, this is subconscious and involuntary. 

Elevation: What about Elevation, the witnessing of Moral Exemplar? 

The message of the poem is one of inspiration. To inspire, even in the face of ridicule and belittlement ... people to strive to be excellent! It's what Shakespeare did. It's what I strive to do. It's what every athlete and entrepreneur and minnow on Steemit is striving to do (which is the reason I included the poem in my IntroPost). And, it's what Nike has been telling you to do for decades. 

And remember, excellence is excellence, and therefore the metaphors of excellence are inter-changeable. Hence, what Shakespeare was to literature, so too is Michael Jordan to basketball. And, figuratively, "a poem" is no less a figure skater's "Triple Lutz," than a poet's Quatrain in Ballad Meter. 

There is a reason why the underdog trope figures so prominently in literature throughout the ages ... we elevate, through ovation ... those who have the vision, determination and courage to defy the naysayers and rail against mediocrity ... for these are the people who change the world. Having the courage of your convictions is a core moral value, respected by everyone. 

So ... we end up where we started: 

Would this Make a Good Nike Ad? 

Let me know your thoughts in the Comments section.

 

Miscellaneous Business:

• @dswigle ... this poem is dedicated to you.
• @cryptogee ... where are you man? This one's for you.
• @old-guy-photos & @c0ff33a ... just because you're old guys.
• @karenmckersie ... (fellow Canuck, help.) Did I do everything I need to do to join TeamCanada? Is there a dedicated sign-up on Discord, if so I can't find it.  
• To everyone who UpVoted and Commented on, Deziy, Rest In Peace Old Friend ... thank you. It meant a lot.