<\/p>\n
During my time working in Subway, I saw 2 renaissances.<\/p>\n
Jared the weight loss guy and the 5-dollar footlong special.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Subway subs aren\u2019t the best.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of places which have way better food.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n
What Subway mastered were their commercials.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
They had a compelling narrative that gripped the public\u2019s psychology.<\/p>\n
Once you grab their mind, you have control over their bodies\u2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jared the Subway Guy<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
Jared was this guy who used to be huge.<\/p>\n
One of the fattest guys I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He said he lost weight by only eating Subway.<\/p>\n
Ever since he went on his all-sub diet, he became half the size.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Subway capitalized on the moment.<\/p>\n
They would have Jared bring his old pants in the commercials to show the contrast from then and now.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The public loved Jared.<\/p>\n
He didn’t seem like a threatening figure.<\/p>\n
He looked like the everyday man.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Plus, Subway was smart in another way.<\/p>\n
Rather than constantly bringing in new people who lost weight in their commercials, they just presented Jared from different angles.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Why was this smart?<\/p>\n
Because it allowed the public to build a connection with one person.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Soon, they viewed Jared as their friend.<\/p>\n
If Jared recommends Subway, then it must be good!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This was Subway\u2019s first genius move with commercials.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eventually, the Jared shtick got old.<\/p>\n Plus, he had a shady past.<\/p>\n Subway needed to pivot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That’s when Subway created the greatest commercial of all time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 5.<\/em><\/p>\n 5-dollar.<\/em><\/p>\n 5-dollar footlong!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the 2007s, this was the jingle heard around the world.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Such a crisp unit in exchange for another crisp unit.<\/p>\n 5 dollars.<\/p>\n 1 foot.<\/p>\n Sounds like a deal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was working in Subway once this jingle went viral.<\/p>\n One evening, there was this little girl who stood next to her mom as she ordered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As the mom was ordering, the little girl busted out into a song.<\/p>\n \u201c5, 5-dollar, 5-dollar footlong!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n She even did the hand movements.<\/p>\n Where she was sticking up all 5 fingers for the 5-dollar motion, and she was putting each palm parallel to each other to indicate the footlong sub.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Subway had control over her mind and body.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A lot of commercials don’t need to make sense.<\/p>\n What commercials do is they show off a thing that happens with regular humans, then they connect their brand to it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Think about the Geico commercial.<\/p>\n What’s the point of them having a gecko as the mascot?<\/p>\n What does a gecko have to do with insurance?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not much.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n All the gecko is meant to do is create associations.<\/p>\n This gecko is relatable to you because it\u2019s talking and living like an average Joe.<\/p>\n Then they connect that relatability to their brand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reliability is built through:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A lot of commercials don’t need to make sense.<\/p>\n If it’s catchy enough, then we will keep inviting it back into our lives.<\/p>\n Soon, we will grow attracted to their products.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The reason I think the 5-dollar footlong commercial was the greatest of all time was because it was catchy and<\/strong> practical.<\/p>\n It was the best of both worlds (which is rare).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There was a clear line of action:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Plus, there was a jingle.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘Don\u2019t you think jingles are a bit corny Armani?’<\/p>\n I think they are corny, yes.<\/p>\n But my nervous system doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The nervous system LOVES rhythms.<\/p>\n That’s why each culture discovers its own type of music.<\/p>\n We are built for it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A jingle that has a message infused in it speaks to our nervous system and intellect.<\/p>\n That’s how a commercial grabs control of us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The purpose of a commercial is to create impressions in the mind.<\/a><\/p>\n Soon, the impressions grow in power, and we begin to purchase from the brand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The impressions may get so strong that we get angry if anyone ever badmouths our brand.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Let me repeat\u2026<\/p>\n The main purpose of a commercial is to create impressions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You may think that a commercial won’t affect you for the time being\u2026<\/p>\n But if you evaluate your life in hindsight, then you will see that you’re not immune.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A part of living in society is to purchase things.<\/p>\n Clothes, a car, toothpaste etc.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When we have to purchase something, eventually, we need to reach our decisions with certain mental models.<\/p>\n Sometimes, we may be highly practical with one purchase while emotional with another one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With toothpaste, we are practical.<\/p>\n Anything cheap will do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But pasta sauce?<\/p>\n Nah, we are emotional.<\/p>\n Why in the blue hell would we get great-value pasta sauce when Ragu exists??<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We must get Ragu!!<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When you initially question why you MUST get Ragu, you won’t know why.<\/p>\n But after peeling back the layers, you’ll see that some sort of advertisement (word of mouth, newspaper ad, commercial) must’ve worked on you.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The purpose of this post is not to scare you.<\/p>\n You may be looking at your current living facility with a whole new lens.<\/p>\n \u2018Wow! I’ve been influenced a lot.’<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don’t sweat it.<\/p>\n Purchasing things is a big part of living in a society.<\/p>\n We are going to get influenced.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just know how commercials work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They will create impressions that are relatable, practical, and have a jingle (catchiness).<\/p>\n Over time, the impressions will grow in power.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One day, you will need to make a purchase decision.<\/p>\n Rather than weigh out all the options, you just shortcut to the impression in your mind.<\/p>\n The impression that the commercial has been working hard on building.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The commercial has some control over you.<\/p>\n If it didn’t, then your house would be empty.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How Commercials Affect Our Psychology I know for a fact that commercials affect our psychology. Do you know how I know? Subway. During my time working in Subway, I saw 2 renaissances. Jared the weight loss guy and the 5-dollar footlong special. Subway subs aren\u2019t the best. There are a lot of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Rise of Subway Once Again<\/h2>\n
Why Commercials Influence Our Psychology<\/h2>\n
\n
Commercials That Are Catchy & Make Sense<\/h2>\n
\n
You Are Not Immune<\/h2>\n
Commercials Aren\u2019t Bad<\/h2>\n
\n
If you enjoyed this talk, and want to learn more about psychology and narratives, then check out the Art & Science of Storytelling book<\/h2>\n
\u2728Ebook<\/a><\/h3>\n
\u2728Paperback\/Kindle<\/a><\/h3>\n
\u2728Audiobook<\/a><\/h3>\n
\u2013 ArmaniTalks\u00a0
![\"????\ufe0f\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/12.0.0-1\/svg\/1f399.svg\")
![\"????\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/12.0.0-1\/svg\/1f525.svg\")
<\/strong><\/h3>\n