Hope & Love … Yeah, Right!
Seth Godin says that people take action based on one of three emotions … fear, hope, or love.
Not to play semantics, but I think this is a somewhat limited palette of emotions.
For many in the direct response biz, the key emotional drivers consist of the “Super Seven” …
Fear
Flattery
Greed/Advantage
Guilt
Anger
Exclusivity
Salvation/Hope
This is a pretty common formulation. Interesting that it's devoid of love!
Here's direct marketing guru Denny Hatch on the motivators, looking at the issue form a copywriting standpoint.
We'd all like our relationships with members, donors, activists and other supporters to be grounded on the purest and highest of motives. And that's certainly something to strive for.
But the research — and experience — indicates that people seek to “cover-off” on their “basest” needs first. Woe to the fundraiser who forgets that reality.
Love ya.
Tom
Behavioral Science Q & A
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