My family and I were recently sitting in a cab in Buenos Aires.
There was a lot of traffic, the cab was stopped at the lights.
In front of us, a young woman stepped off the kerb.
She stopped in the middle of the road and began waving two large red flags.
She began by making large fluttering arcs, first separately then together.
Then in opposite directions.
Then spinning around as she rotated the flags.
Then she threw them high in the air and caught them expertly.
All the while moving backwards and forwards in front of the cars.
After about half a minute she stopped.
The lights changed.
As the traffic moved past her, most of the cars slowed and gave her money.
The young woman had put on an excellent show.
She knew exactly how long the lights would stay red.
She timed her performance to fit.
And she repeated it each time the lights changed.
If people hadn’t been in their cars they would have applauded.
Instead they gave her money.
Willingly.
The next day we were in another cab, at another set of lights.
A young man walked out in front of the waiting cars.
He began juggling.
First simply tossing the balls in the air and catching them.
Then bouncing them on the ground and catching them.
Then alternating between the two, while spinning around as he did it.
Again, he stopped just as the lights changed.
Again, most cars slowed and gave him money as they moved off.
Contrast that with the experience at London traffic lights.
Someone with a dirty sponge comes along the line of cars.
You’re hoping the lights will change before they get to you.
You wave your hand to tell them no.
But usually they put the sponge on your windshield anyway.
You don’t want your windshield cleaned.
Even if you did, there isn’t time to do it properly here.
They just smear the grime and get suds over the paintwork.
This isn’t about exchanging money for services.
This is trying to embarrass you into giving them money.
Contrast that with the Buenos Aires experience.
Both last about thirty seconds.
Both involve someone trying to persuade us to part with money.
Notice any parallels between that and what we do?
Thirty seconds, persuasion, money?
Also, notice which one works better.
Not the London way, which is about pestering and nagging you into paying.
But the Buenos Aires way, which is about charming you into parting with money.
In London, the window-washer is an irritation, a nuisance.
In Buenos Aires you actually want to give the performer some money.
To show your appreciation for the entertainment.
In London the people approach your car and you have to make an active effort to be left alone.
In Buenos Aires no one approaches your car.
This is a different kind of advertising.
Not intrusive and hectoring.
But realising, if they are asking for your attention, they must give you something in exchange.
Something that will entertain and amuse you.
Something you like.
Remember when we used to do advertising like that?
I loved this anecdote – I’ve wanted to go to Buenos Aires very much for a long time, and this only adds to all the wonderful things I’ve heard about the city!
Hope you had a great time. I’m off to practise my fire-eating skills at the local traffic lights.
Seb - 16 January 2012 10:43 am
Also Dave, the Buenos Aires example is for more than one person, also giving them the opportunity to get more return.
Lots of positivies in there.
Ian Loseby - 16 January 2012 10:45 am
Hadn’t thought of that Ian.
That makes it even better.
Dave Trott - 16 January 2012 11:29 am
A nudge beats nagging
http://davetrott.campaignlive.co.uk/2010/02/03/a-nudge-beats-nagging/
john p woods - 16 January 2012 2:39 pm
Brilliant observation. And I’m going to Buenos Aires next month. Double result.
Markham Smith - 16 January 2012 3:30 pm
Dave, I went 2 buy some bananas 2 improve my nana juggling @ home but I ate all the bananas on the way back. Next time I’m going 2 improve my banana juggling in the shop. I think I can earn some extra nana buying money into the bargain as I’m sure they’ll pay something just 2 get rid of me – PS Maybe that’s what the majority of advertisers r trying 2 do: run ads so snooze-inducing that viewers pay them not 2 air them. Bet they built it in2 their business plans.
Grilla Login - 16 January 2012 5:21 pm
A new young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to help the other monks in copying the old canons and law of the church, by hand.
He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript.
So, the new monk goes to the head abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up. In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.
The head monk, says, “We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son.”
So, he goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery, where the original manuscript is held as archives in a locked vault that hasn’t been opened for hundreds of years.
Hours go by and nobody sees the old Abbot.
So, the young monk gets worried and goes downstairs to look for him.
He sees him banging his head against the wall, and wailing “We forgot the ‘R’, we forgot the ‘R’.”
His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably. The young monk asks the old abbot, “What’s wrong, father?”
With a choking voice, the old Abbot replies, “Celebrate, the word is Celebrate!”
john p woods - 16 January 2012 7:29 pm
I really enjoyed this anecdote. Thanks Dave.
JeroenBours - 17 January 2012 5:07 pm
Dave,
Was I being too obtuse with my last comment? The trick is to go back to the original. Bernbach, I presume.
john p woods - 17 January 2012 7:42 pm
Las Malvinas – they didn’t ask u 4 them back, did they Dave?
Grilla Login - 18 January 2012 6:21 pm
Grilla,
There was a railway station we all kept very quiet as the train went through, called Belgrano.
Dave Trott - 18 January 2012 6:58 pm
Dave, would you recommend a two star visit to Buenos Aires?
I was in Mornington Crescent tube one night when a Rab C Nesbitt came up to me.
“Will you buy a poem from a Scotsman for a quid?”
It seemed cheaper than having a brawl
and a cheaper way of getting rid of him.
He’d got the better of my curiosity.
I can’t remember what I read on his tiny scrap of dirty paper
for no sooner had I handed over the quid and read it
he snatched the scrap of paper back and said “Ta!”
I don’t regret the incident at all.
It was black comedy.
Kev - 18 January 2012 10:02 pm
Kevin
Baldrick also wroted a novel about a little sausage on a tiny scrap of paper. Possibly it was on the reverse of the piece the poetic Scotsman thrust @ u?
Grilla Login - 19 January 2012 9:51 am
Dave, whenever I pass through Belgrano station I get a peculiar sinking feeling. Something 2 do with my aversion 2 political correctness, maybe?
Grilla Login - 19 January 2012 1:09 pm
Grilla,
“Wroted” on both sides?
That would have cost me two quid at least.
Maybe Guineas for the spelling mistake.
Kev - 24 January 2012 9:05 pm
Kevin
Surely u r familiar with the long-running American detective series starring Angela Lansbury – ‘Murder, she wroted’?
Grilla Login - 25 January 2012 10:03 am