Naming the problem

Marketing and advertising rely heavily on psychology. Often, success or failure comes down to picking the right appeal. After all, we are emotional beings. We make decisions based on dozens of subtle and explicit emotional triggers. 

A great example is the famous Claude Hopkins’ famous Pepsodent campaign. To design a winning campaign, Hopkins activated one of the most important marketing levers: the ability to name the problem. After devouring a library-full of boring academic text on dental health, he concluded that people would do anything to get rid of a problem. The problem was dental plaque, which he named film. 

Thus, Pepsodent found its audience. Along with the habit of running your tongue against your teeth came millions of dollars in advertising profit. People who wanted to get rid of unwanted film from their teeth gobbled up Pepsodent like it was going out of fashion. 

Perhaps, the lesson is that we should strive  to define the problem, be specific about the benefit and provide a clear path to purpose.