The mind is a deeply complex organ, at times influenced by small, seemingly trivial things, and at others closed off to any external stimuli. Think of it as an onion, with belief at the center and perception at the outermost layer. Subtle stimuli can alter perception not just more easily than they can belief, but also can alter perception in nearly imperceptible ways, as air overtime hardens and dries the top layer, not affecting the layer beneath.

Case in point: Associations with brand logos. No core belief is needed to deal with company logos and associations made with them, thus those associations are more easily influenced. A recent study showed people subliminally exposed to Apple’s logo were more creative with their tasks than people exposed to IBM’s.

Likewise, as posted on the Today show’s website, it’s easy to send subtle cues to other people physically in order to get them to associate certain positive traits in their mind. For example: having a picture of a dog on your desk to convey loyalty or wearing a black suit to convey authority. This is what is also referred to as “the power of suggestion.”

In short, perception is easily manipulated because people are less likely to guard their perceptions than their beliefs. Changing someone’s faith, on the other hand, would be a much more difficult task, as belief is protected at the center of the onion.

Understanding this relationship is important when considering the implications of other studies and how those implications apply to marketing efforts. More than one piece of research has found, for example, that people are more likely to be influenced by friends and families than they are an A-list blogger. Part of that rests with the belief that someone is trustworthy versus the perception that someone is trustworthy. Some, though, take that information and jump to the conclusion that blogger endorsements and celebrity endorsements are over-credited for effectiveness.

The underlying assumption is that it all comes down to how much trust people put into a recommendation. People these days are much less likely to put trust in a celebrity they know is paid to say something. That distrust could extend to bloggers as well, either for that reason, or lack of certainty of the person’s identity (especially in light of recent hoaxes), or a myriad other reasons not to trust a stranger.

So, a consumer in the market for an automobile is more likely to trust a friend or relative, especially one with long-term brand experience than a blogger in another state. Yeah, well, when you put it that way, it’s not such a surprise, is it?

Veteran communications specialist Shel Holtz doesn’t think it should be shocking, either, and criticizes competing viewpoints that trust is the most important metric in marketing:

“Whatever happened to the importance of building awareness?” asks Holtz at his blog. “While the influential bloggers—the so-called ‘A-listers’—may not have influence, they do have eyeballs. They are A-listers, after all, because people read them. I may have greater trust in my friend in the next cube, but where did he hear about it? And if he heard about it from a trusted friend or family member, they read about it from a source that gets broad distrtibution [sic]. The information has to start somewhere.”

A good place to start, it could be argued, is search ads (regardless of direct ROI), especially if a affiliate marketer has strong organic rankings with specific keywords. Exposure to the brand, with reinforcement along the discovery process (sponsored plus organic), sends a subtle message to viewers that will sit somewhat idly and relaxed in the perception areas. If not there, a nice endorsement from someone respected is also a good start, just for those subtle associations people don’t take too seriously but do allow to alter their behavior just slightly, either negatively or positively.

This is why branding professionals are so careful (and sensitive about) the person spreading their message. It’s not as much about trust as it is about association and perception. Perception and associations can change very quickly, which is also why OJ Simpson doesn’t get endorsement deals anymore.

• ISBN13: 9780307451361
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
Blogs are everywhere. They have exposed truths and spread rumors. Made and lost fortunes. Brought couples together and torn them apart. Toppled cabinet members and sparked grassroots movements. Immediate, intimate, and influential, they have put the power of personal publishing into everyone’s hands. Regularly dismissed as trivial and ephemeral, they have proved that they are here to stay.

In Say Everything, Scott Rosenberg chronicles blogging’s unplanned rise and improbable triumph, tracing its impact on politics, business, the media, and our personal lives. He offers close-ups of innovators such as Blogger founder Evan Williams, investigative journalist Josh Marshall, exhibitionist diarist Justin Hall, software visionary Dave Winer, “mommyblogger” Heather Armstrong, and many others.

These blogging pioneers were the first to face new dilemmas that have become common in the era of Google and Facebook, and their stories offer vital insights and warnings as we navigate the future. How much of our lives should we reveal on the Web? Is anonymity a boon or a curse? Which voices can we trust? What does authenticity look like on a stage where millions are fighting for attention, yet most only write for a handful? And what happens to our culture now that everyone can say everything?

Before blogs, it was easy to believe that the Web would grow up to be a clickable TV–slick, passive, mass-market. Instead, blogging brought the Web’s native character into focus–convivial, expressive, democratic. Far from being pajama-clad loners, bloggers have become the curators of our collective experience, testing out their ideas in front of a crowd and linking people in ways that broadcasts can’t match. Blogs have created a new kind of public sphere–one in which we can think out loud together. And now that we have begun, Rosenberg writes, it is impossible to imagine us stopping.

In his first book, Dreaming in Code, Scott Rosenberg brilliantly explored the art of creating software (“the first true successor to The Soul of a New Machine,” wrote James Fallows in The Atlantic). In Say Everything, Rosenberg brings the same perceptive eye to the blogosphere, capturing as no one else has the birth of a new medium.

Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It’s Becoming, and Why It Matters