Inception, Perception and Leonardo DiCaprio

Posted on 25 July 2010 | by Christina Quist

If you haven�t seen the summer movie Inception, you probably should. Sure, it�s a fun metaphysical mind bender but it also serves as a catalyst for marketing. The movie is based on the premise that a person�s subconscious is a tunnel to be traveled and can be altered or influenced by certain ideas. The main character played by Leonardo DiCaprio says,

"What's the most resilient parasite? An Idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules."

If you think about it, marketing is about planting an idea so that a customer will act on it. How do you plant an idea into someone�s subconscious? Instead of throwing a blanket advertising campaign on your audience, the most savvy marketers will study and analyze their audience. A good business will show you what you need before you know that you need it. Or, mentally meet the consumer at the inception of an idea.

Instead of the pretentious �everyone needs this� campaign, a great marketer will allow the buyer to believe that he is part of the campaign and the idea or the progression of an idea, was his. After all, it�s for a specific customer that this product was born.

When Microsoft launched Windows 7, their advertising slogan was �I�m a PC and Windows 7 was my idea.� Looking at the website, the first line is: �You told us what you wanted in a PC. Here's how Windows 7 can help...� Well, how can I not like you when you make me feel important? Perception is crucial and inception perception could be invaluable. View your customer feedback as a building block for a future idea instead of a confirmation of a present, existing idea. Where there�s ownership, there could be partnership, and a loyal customer.

Survey, study, poll, and research repeat habits. A couple of online surveying tools are www.zoomerang.com and www.surveymethods.com, to name a few.

When information cyclically flows freely between consumer and creator, it could be hard to tell which is the dream and which is the reality