Sell perception, not reality

You have probably heard perception is reality many times but when you read the following facts its a good thing to keep in mind taken from Bob Bly newsletter this week.

If you think people are guided more by logic,
truth, and reality when you market to them, rather
than perception and emotion, consider these facts:

1. "Jaws" was a smash hit because it played on
people’s universal fear of sharks. Yet 24 times
more Americans are gored to death by cattle each
year than are killed by sharks.

2. People joke about George W. Bush being dumb.
But at Yale, he had a better grade average than
John Kerry, widely portrayed as being the more
intellectual candidate.

3. In a Princeton University study, people were
shown photos of rival candidates for dozens of
seats in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Based solely on the photos, they picked the
correct winner 70% of the time -- demonstrating
that voters are less rational and "more shallow
than we would like to believe."

Source: The Week (6/24/05, p. 5, 19)