One
of my many weaknesses is writing letters to The Times. Just before the Scottish
independence referendum I penned one about how the ‘No’ campaign was all wrong
because negativity didn’t sell. Anyone in advertising will tell you that. They
rarely use knocking copy as it turned audiences off.
The
famous Saatchi & Saatchi campaign ‘Labour isn’t working’ is the exception
that proved the rule. Yes, it helped the Conservatives win an election.
However, it was also more positive than is often remembered: it actually had
the tag line, ‘Britain’s better off with the Conservatives’.
There’s
nay positivity
Back to the Scots,
everyone at the time, even tennis ‘personality’ and superstar Andy Murray were echoing
the same message. The ‘No’ campaign had failed to enflame the voters of
Scotland because it was just too much of a downer.
Dear
Sir, I was wrong
The ‘No’ campaign, of
course, won. Thankfully, my letter didn’t get published. But what’s the truth?
Does negativity work or not? I turned to my current favourite book, YES! 50
Secrets from the science of persuasion for a conclusive answer. As anyone
who read our September post will know, this gem of a book is based on a
lifetime’s analysis by one academic of all the scientific research into persuasion.
This is the gist of his findings:
