the Persian Gulf, said, “Now consumers can ask Angela Lansbury their
questions about Bufferin!”
As a normal human, the natural reaction to this announcement is:
“Huh?” Meaning: “What does Angela Lansbury have to do with Buf-
ferin?” But this commercial featured several consumers who had appar-
ently been stopped at random on the street, and every one of them had a
question for Angela Lansbury about Bufferin. Basically, what they asked
was, “Miss Lansbury, is Bufferin a good product that I should purchase,
or what?”
These consumers seemed very earnest. It was as if they had been
going around for months wringing their hands and saying, “I have a
question about Bufferin! If only I could ask Angela Lansbury!”
What we are seeing here is yet another example of a worsening
problem that has been swept under the rug for too long in this nation:
The invasion of Consumers From Mars. The look like humans, but they
don’t act like humans, and they are taking over.
FIGURE 4-6
Just Your Average Martian on the Street
Apparently I am not alone in noticing the number of blatantly phony
“unrehearsed”
testimonial ads these days. Humorist Dave Barry has registered their
prevalence too
and has labeled their inhabitants Consumers From Mars, which is a
term I like
and have even begun using myself. It helps remind me that, as regards
my buying
habits, I should be sure to ignore the tastes of these individuals who,
after all, come
from another planet than me.
(KNIGHT RIDDER NEWS SERVICE)
I know that whenever I encounter an influence attempt of this sort,
it sets off in me a kind of alarm with a clear directive: Attention! Atten-
tion! Bad social proof in this situation. Temporarily disconnect automatic pilot.
It’s so easy to do. We need only make a conscious decision to be alert
to counterfeit social evidence, and the smug overconfidence of the ex-
ploiters will play directly into our hands. We can relax until their
manifest fakery is spotted, at which time we can pounce.
And we should pounce with a vengeance. I am speaking here of more
than simply ignoring the misinformation, although this defensive tactic
is certainly called for. I am speaking of aggressive counterattack.
Whenever possible we ought to sting those responsible for the rigging
Robert B. Cialdini Ph.D / 121