Squirrel? Or a rat with a bushy tail?

As marketers and communicators, a great arrow to have in our proverbial quivers, is one of understanding human psychology and behaviour.

Sure, we all know our products or services inside out—that’s a given.

But just how deep is our understanding of people? Just, people.

(Obviously, we're all human, but our points of view can be very different.)

And I’m not talking about the obvious stuff. I’m talking about the dirt. The gory details. The nitty-gritty. The not so obvious stuff.

I’m a student of people, constantly watching, observing and listening.

Because the better I know people, the better my ideas, my communication. It’s an ongoing quest and I’ll do whatever it takes to gain advantage for clients. And if that even means going through peoples’ bags, so be it!??

What? Yes, that’s what I said. More on that, later.

First, I’d like to share an anecdote.

Years ago, I moved from Edmonton to Toronto, to attend OCA—now OCAD University. I had a small apartment on Bloor Street in what used to be the infamous Rochdale College, a University of Toronto residence in the late 60’s to mid 70’s. It’s had quite the storied past—rumour has it, a biker, while tripping on LSD, drove his Harley off the roof. Irrelevant to this article, thankfully, but an interesting sidebar.

Anyway, one year, my mother came out to visit me. During our first morning together, we sat at my kitchen table having coffee. It was beside a large window that overlooked an alleyway, three floors below. I left her at one point, to get ready for school.

From my bedroom, I heard, in an alarming voice: “Clarke! There are rats running around, down there!” I ran to look. “No, mom, those aren’t rats, they’re black squirrels—cute, furry, little black squirrels.”

I don’t bring this up to poke fun at my mom, though it is funny. But rather because it’s a great example of my point, earlier. As as humans, were capable of seeing things completely differently. I didn’t see that one coming with my mom, at all.

On one end of the spectrum there’s cute. On the other end—vermin. Incredible, really.

Perspective is everything.

Certainly with regards to those little rodents, it’s safe to assume everyone in Ontario sees them as squirrels (cute), not rats.

Point is, we all have baggage. Baggage being past experiences (or lack of), ideals, beliefs, biases, etc. that we’ve collected over the years and stowed away (to stick with the metaphor) in our brains. These shape who we are and control how we react to situations, in the present.

A striking example would be touching a candle flame as a kid: “Ouch! Fire is hot. Won’t do that again.”

Or almost drowning as a kid and having a life-long fear of water.

Baggage is a term normally reserved for describing the psychological scars we bring into personal relationships. And the connotation, usually negative. Many claim to not have any baggage—that amazes me, because how could you not? Let’s be honest, we all have baggage (good and bad) because we’ve lived.

We also have baggage as it relates to products or specific brands. Brand baggage—look at me, coining a new term. (It may not always be in reference to a specific brand; could be more general, or directed toward a category of product.)

Politicians are an example. I think generally speaking there’s collective, similar baggage about all politicians, no matter which party.

Just as personal baggage accumulates over the years, so does brand baggage. From interaction with products (or services), perception of products, ad campaigns, PR, health reports, etc.

The state of the economy can play a roll. As can life stage.

As marketers and communicators, we can view the collective target’s baggage as being either good baggage or bad baggage, depending on our strategy. Good baggage can help us make a sale. Whereas, bad baggage, needs to be overcome. That’s way harder.

Take cigarettes, for example. A relaxing, pleasure to some. But a filthy, cancer causing habit to many. Obviously, that’s really bad baggage, if you make cigarettes. (I don’t think even the best campaign in the world could convince people that cigarettes aren’t bad for you.) However, that’s good baggage, if you’re promoting lung health.

Times sure have changed. Not soon enough, unfortunately.

What about beef? There’s nothing finer than a good steak right off the BBQ and a cold beer on a summer evening with family or friends. That’s good baggage, to a beef producer.

On the other hand, a large number of the population is angry hearing reports of cruelty to cattle and inhumane living conditions. That’s bad baggage, if you’re a beef producer. Good baggage, if you’re a vegetable grower.

Volvos are the safest cars. KFC chickens are fed growth hormones. Coke contains tons of sugar. Aspartame is bad for you. Cell phones cause brain cancer, spoon, fork, canned asparagus is mushy, Walmart doesn’t treat their employees very well, aren’t McDonald’s French fries sprayed with pesticides?, Let go of my Eggo, Just don’t do it—the list is endless.

Peoples’ bags are packed with stuff and just waiting to be snooped through.

So, go for it!

Unpack them, unzip all the pockets, check for hidden compartments, look in the shoes—don’t be shy.

The best part is, they’ll never know.

Think of all the “goodies” you could discover. I guarantee, you’ll find something you weren’t expecting.

You may not always like what you find, but don’t ignore it. If it’s there, it’s packed away and isn’t going anywhere.

Happy snooping.

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Clarke Smith is CD, chief creative problem solver at Clarke Agency, a boutique agency located in Toronto. A small shop with big aspirations. Visit?clarkeagency.ca