A long, long time ago (well in the late 70s) in a galaxy far, far away a certain Luke Skywalker gave a great demonstration of the science of persuasion.  (Stop reading now if you haven’t seen the film yet)  He managed to get his pop Darth Vader to turn against the evil emperor, saving his own life and restoring hope and peace etc… to the galaxy. 

As you can imagine there are huge parallels between saving the galaxy and getting your client to buy a few pre-rolls as part of their next TV campaign!  When Skywalker said to his dad “I know there is still good in you.  There’s good in you, I can sense it” the little weasel was obviously using a key social influence principle.  In fact was employing the ‘labeling technique’ – assigning a trait, attitude, belief, or other label to a person and then making a request of that person that’s consistent with that label. 

It sounds obvious but it’s very effective.  If you tell a client that they’re one of the most forward thinking MFs you know (sorry), that they’re always the one looking to push the boundaries, they might just be a bit more inclined to sign-off the next somewhat experimental comms solution you suggest!

Just don’t go over to the Dark Side and use this persuasion skill for evil.  Only use ethically when the trait, attitude, belief, or other label reflects the audience’s natural capabilities, experiences or personality.  I know you wouldn’t even think of using this strategy in an incorrect manner – I sense so much good in you!