Love or Hate AI as Writing Tool?

In 1959 a german computer scientist developed an automated text generator using Kafka’s novel, The Castle for source material.   Harold Cohen, a painter, used mechanical devices attached to a computer to create versions of his original art, which he sold in galleries.  This was 60 plus years ago. Using computers as writing or creative aids […]

Are You Defining Engagement Downward?

Aah Engagement, a euphemism if there ever was.  An English word that once had meaning, twisted and contorted to its lowest common denominator of likes, clicks and superficial, mostly meaningless outcomes. Too many groups jump to the end and cobble together non-financial behaviors (click, like, attend, follow) and call it an “Engagement Score”. Facebook calls […]

Does Your Job Security Match that of a Roman Emperor?

Being a Roman Emperor came with certain upside – power, money, luxury, debauchery (if into that sort of thing)… With that upside is a high likelihood of suffering a violent death.  Fundraising chieftains or those brought in to deliver a new world order won’t be publicly executed but their survival rate likely mirrors that of […]

My High Openness Got In the Way of Your Social Proof Nudge

One (tiny) facet of behavioral science is nudges or the tendencies of humans to be influenced by certain types of information or presentation. This is where Cialdini’s six principles of persuasion fit in. Authority: People are more likely to be swayed by those perceived as expert or authorities on a subject. Consensus (and it’s Social […]

Why Do Liberals Drink Lattes?

Are you a liberal?  Did you find yourself buying more from brands that took a political stand, especially during the Trump presidency? You’re not alone. Compensatory consumption theory says people buy as a way to compensate for psychological needs or deficits. In other words, if we feel like we’re lacking control or meaning in our […]

Fundraising And Dating

Badoo is a dating app with almost half a billion registered users worldwide and 300,000 new, daily sign ups.  But the dating app biz is  a crowded space with low barriers to trying other dating apps, low barriers to exit and  high promiscuity (had to, sorry). So, customer acquisition is only as good as their […]

Do You Use Personalized Matching In Your Fundraising?

Did either or both of these test ads beat the control?  No peeking. Neither test beat the control.  Or at least that’s the case if you assume everyone is the same and do a random nth test, which is 99% of all tests. How about this one, did either or both beat the control?  Go […]

Can You Persuade Donors?

Jack Trout was a TV ad man who helped pioneer the concept of brand positioning .  He famously quipped, “If your assignment is to change people’s minds, don’t accept the assignment.” Seems he knew what he was talking about.  A huge study of TV effectiveness on changing people’s attitudes and beliefs about social issues found […]

Do You Process Dots or Look for Patterns?

We report average gift as gospel.   And if the giving by your donors looks like the normal, bell curve on the left then average and standard deviation  (how tall or wide is the middle part) will have told you all you need to know.  This world view assumes the outliers are distraction.  How many times […]

Merry Christmas