Instant apppeal

More Advance Praise for Instant Appeal ‘‘I was truly blown away after reading Vicki Kunkel’s new book Not only does she supply strategies that almost any business can immediately use in its marketing efforts, she explains why they work in a deep, satisfying way More importantly, the information in this book is evergreen and not based on some new marketing fad This is the kind of book that ends up dogeared with yellow highlights all over the place in a very short period of time!’’ —Michael Lovitch, CEO, The Hypnosis Network, www.hypnosisnetwork.com ‘‘Reading Vicki Kunkel’s Instant Appeal is a must Whether you want to market yourself, your products, or your business, you have to read this book She has mastered the understanding of what gets a person to act when it comes to making a purchase If you want to increase your profits, you’ll make this book your marketing bible!’’ —Kurek Ashley, international peak performance coach and best-selling author, How Would Love Respond? ‘‘If your business is persuading people, changing minds, building brands, or creating consensus, this book will change your life Instant Appeal reveals the scientifically proven secrets of human behavior that make your success in advertising, marketing, sales, and negotiation simple, predictable, and profitable.’’ —Dave Lakhani, author, Persuasion: The Art of Getting What You Want and Subliminal Persuasion: Influence and Marketing Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know ‘‘Spellbinding This book includes strategy after strategy that you can immediately use to understand why people what they and apply it to develop your own persuasive power An incredible read You won’t be able to put it down.’’ —Kenrick Cleveland, persuasion coach ‘‘Vicki Kunkel has done a great job with this book It is fresh, insightful, and entertaining to read, but most of all it is practical with applicable information that will make a dramatic difference for you in your journey to success.’’ —Douglas Vermeeren, achievement expert, film producer, and creator of the movie The Opus ‘‘If you’ve been looking for ways to attract more business, more influence, or more kudos, you just found some exciting answers!’’ —Rich Fettke, author, Extreme Success ‘‘Clearly, Vicki Kunkel is a teacher at ease with her subject as she convincingly provides her readers with an entirely new way of looking at the root causes of human interaction This is a must-read for any aspiring elected official.’’ —Michael D Bishop, Senate Majority Leader, Michigan State Senate ‘‘Amazing, outstanding, and exceptional The information in this book totally blew me away Vicki Kunkel not only understands primal appeal completely, but can also communicate it in such a way that the rest of us can understand and benefit from it Everyone who sells a product, a service, an idea, or even just themselves (in other words, all of us) should own this book Those who will make more money, serve others more effectively, and have more friends and a lot more fun.’’ —Bob Burg, author, Endless Referrals, and coauthor, The Go-Giver ‘‘Vicki Kunkel gives us the science, insights, and statistics behind what it takes to create instant appeal and make the factors of attraction work for you and your business This brilliant book is interesting, informative, based on solid research, and a must-read for anyone wanting to gain influence and attract others to their offerings like a magnet.’’ —Dr Joe Rubino, founder, CenterForPersonalReinvention.com, and creator, SelfEsteemSystem.com ‘‘Instant Appeal is both brilliantly insightful and entertaining It will show you how to use primal persuaders to make yourself stand out in a competitive marketplace and enhance your success It’s a must-read!’’ —Debbie Allen, author, Confessions of Shameless Self Promoters ‘‘This book teaches you about evolutionary psychology as it applies to business today By cultivating the characteristics of instant appeal, you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll never experience rejection again Vicki’s book is interesting, engaging, and, well appealing You owe it to yourself and your business to read it—and APPLY it—today.’’ —Rachna D Jain, Psy.D., author, Overcome Rejection: The SMART Way I N S TA N T APPEAL The Primal Factors That Create Blockbuster Success Vicki Kunkel American Management Association New York • Atlanta • Brussels Shanghai • Tokyo • • Chicago • Mexico City • San Francisco Toronto • Washington, D.C Special discounts on bulk quantities of AMACOM books are available to corporations, professional associations, and other organizations For details, contact Special Sales Department, AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 Tel: 212-903-8316 Fax: 212-903-8083 E-mail: specialsls@amanet.org Website: www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales To view all AMACOM titles go to: www.amacombooks.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought Various names used by companies to distinguish their software and other products can be claimed as trademarks A list of trade and service marks in this book can be found on page vi AMACOM uses such names throughout this book for editorial purposes only, with no intention of trademark violation All such software or product names are in initial capital letters or ALL CAPITAL letters Individual companies should be contacted for complete information regarding trademarks and registration Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kunkel, Vicki Instant appeal : the primal factors that create blockbuster success / Vicki Kunkel p cm Includes index ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-0946-6 (hardcover) ISBN-10: 0-8144-0946-6 (hardcover) Success in business Success Consumer behavior Interpersonal relations I Title HF5386.K8794 2009 658.4Ј09—dc22 2008033513 ᭧ 2009 Vicki Kunkel All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 Printing number 10 T O M Y PA R E N T S Ralph and Darlene Kunkel Trade and service marks found in Instant Appeal 1-800-COLLECT Absolut Vodka Amazon America’s Next Top Model American Girl American Idol AMP Agency AOL Apple Barbie Barnes & Noble Beauty and the Geek Best Buy Billboard Borders Budweiser Burger King Cabbage Patch Kids Campbell Soup Kids Cap Snaffler Charmin Chicago Cubs Circuit City Compete.com Craigslist Dancing with the Stars Disney Donald Trump Dr Phil Dramamine E.T.: The ExtraTerrestrial Elle magazine Epcot Frys Garfield Google Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Heroes iPod Ixquick James Bond Jaws Jericho Jumbotron KFC Levi’s Long John Silver’s Lord of the Rings M&M’s Magic Kingdom Martha Stewart Mattel McDonald’s Michelin Man Mickey Mouse Microsoft Monopoly Mountain Dew MSNBC MySpace New Balance Nike Oprah Panera Bread Pepsi Pillsbury Doughboy Pizza Hut Playboy PowerPoint Pringles PT Cruiser Risk Rocky Scott Scrabble Showtime Rotisserie Shrek Snickers Star Trek Starbucks Subway Survivor Taco Bell TelePrompTer The Apprentice The Game of Life (Life) The Tonight Show Time Top Chef Trikke Trivial Pursuit Ugly Betty Uglydolls Wendy’s Whole Foods Market YouTube Yum! Brands Contents CHAPTER An Introduction to Instant Appeal CHAPTER Ducklings, Defects, and Devotion: The Conspicuous Flaw Factor 19 CHAPTER Does It Look Like a Duck? The Visual Preprogramming Factor 51 CHAPTER Small Dogs, Big SUVs, and the Failure of Epcot: The Reptilian Comfort Factor in Consumer Choices 77 CHAPTER Gaining Power and Loyalty Through Attraction and Repulsion: The Sacred Cow and Jackass Factors 117 CHAPTER Words, Names, and Story Lines with Addictive Appeal: The Biology of Language Factor (Or Why Agatha Christie Novels, Green Eggs and Ham, and The Young and the Restless Get Under Our Skin) 151 CHAPTER Good Vibrations: The Biotuning Factor for Career Success 182 CHAPTER What Our Minds Really See: The Mental Real Estate Factor 224 CHAPTER The Lessons of Instant Appeal: How Moral Entrepreneurs Use the Eight Primal Factors to Engineer a Crisis 253 viii Contents NOTES 260 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 283 INDEX 287 CHAPTER An Introduction to Instant Appeal Judy was depressed She recently left her six-figure C-suite executive job at a large downtown financial services company that she held for over 15 years to start a boutique furniture store It boasted high-end, ultramodern couches, chairs, tables, end tables, nightstands, and art in a hip section of the city As we sat eating lunch, she told me the reason for being so bummed: Six weeks after her grand opening, she hadn’t sold a single piece of furniture ‘‘I don’t know what’s wrong!’’ Judy sighed ‘‘I did my market research and the products and pricing should be right in line The people who come into the store seem to be the right demographic What’s going on? I know the economy isn’t the greatest right now, but my customers have a pretty healthy disposable income I can’t afford not to have this work out! I put everything I have into this.’’ As she talked on, she told me that customers would come into the store, walk around the entire space, even stop and, as she said, ‘‘look at something, pretending to be interested,’’ then would ultimately leave without buying anything Because I had helped her former company successfully implement primal branding techniques—marketing strategies that align with our innate preferences and fixed primal triggers—she thought I may be able to offer some advice But the first thing I needed to was visit her store On a bright, sunny Saturday afternoon, I walked up the sidewalk to her storefront The signage was fantastic, the curb appeal was great, and the window displays were well done As I stepped across the 282 Notes Collections Library, University Libraries, Pennsylvania State University, ‘‘Articles on Narcotics by Harry Anslinger, 1933–1961,’’ Box 1, Folder 12; and Reefer Madness, ‘‘Excerpts from Marijuana: Assassination of Youth,’’ http://www.reefermadness.org/propaganda/youth.html (accessed July 7, 2008.) George W Bush, annual State of the Union Address (January 29, 2002) CNN, ‘‘Report: No WMD Stockpiles in Iraq,’’ (October 7, 2004), http:// wwwy.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/06/iraq.wmd.report/ (accessed February 26, 2008) Acknowledgments With apologies to Hillary Clinton, it practically takes a village to write a book Instant Appeal, like many books by first-time published authors, came about when someone said, ‘‘You really should write a book about this.’’ That someone was a business colleague, Vickie Sullivan, who saw potential in the germ of an idea I had about what causes instantaneous and long-lasting appeal in people, products, and ideas Before Vickie’s declaration, I had simply been a voracious researcher who implemented and tested my theories with my clients But she convinced me that my ideas were good enough to ‘‘bring the rest of the world in on the secret.’’ Thank you, Ms Sullivan! The book would have never come about without your shove, er, I mean, encouragement This book would also not have come about—at least not as quickly—had it not been for a serendipitous interview with business writer Gary Stern in New York City Gary was interviewing me for a story he was working on when, just as the interview ended, he casually asked, ‘‘Do you have a book I could mention as part of your credentials in the story?’’ I told him I had a book partially written, but nothing complete He asked if I had an agent I didn’t And he graciously 284 Acknowledgments offered to send a summary of my book to his literary agent Gary, I will never be able to thank you enough for your kind actions that led me to agent Linda Konner (And I still owe you lunch and a latte next time I’m in New York!) And to Linda, thank you for seeing the value in my original book proposal, and suggesting ‘‘tweaks’’ to make it more palatable to publishers The many positive responses we received from various publishers are a testament to your expertise Speaking of publishers, I’d like to acknowledge the entire team at AMACOM, starting with Executive Editor Ellen Kadin, who immediately saw the value of Instant Appeal Ellen was a tireless advocate of the book and was my most enthusiastic cheerleader throughout the publishing process Thank you, Ellen Many others at AMACOM also deserve thanks, including Erika Spelman, who brilliantly orchestrated the copyediting and proofreading processes; Lydia Lewis, whose diligence and hard work kept the book production on schedule under some very tight timeline pressures; Irene Majuk for a wonderful job at promotions; and Sabrina Bowers, who designed the look of the book’s interior The entire team put in many long hours on my behalf to make sure the book had just the right title, just the right feel, and just the right look in the overall design Special thanks to Senior Development Editor Barry Richardson and content editor Chris Murray, who clearly understood the message of Instant Appeal and suggested subtle yet monumentally important changes that made the book much better than it was originally Michael Warrell of Design Solutions did a fabulous job on the cover design under some very tight time deadlines, and AMACOM Creative Director Cathleen Ouderkirk and her team were outstanding in identifying tweaks to make the cover design even better than it already was Tina Orem is the most astute and conscientious editor I know Tina, you are truly talented at what you Suzy Farren was such a godsend for reading and critiquing my original and very rough-draft manuscript Your quick mind and keen insights helped me to focus my message more clearly The same goes for Mark Hughes, author of the best-selling book Buzz Marketing, who Acknowledgments 285 volunteered his expertise and offered brief but valuable editorial guidance after reviewing sample chapters Some people simply helped me keep my sanity through the whole process Special thanks go to Michele Jochner, whom I could always count on when I needed to run an idea past someone or just needed to talk (or vent) Your friendship and support will never be forgotten Then there was my British comic-relief pal, John Cromarty, who kept me in stitches with his ‘‘Britishisms’’ whenever I was having a stress meltdown (His favorite was, ‘‘You bloody plonker! You’re really off your trolley today, aren’t you?’’ Somehow, that always made me laugh As did his wry sense of humor Thanks, John.) Instant Appeal required a lot of research, and the folks at many local university research libraries deserve a special mention Many thanks to the ever-helpful information assistants at the following colleges and universities: The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Wheaton College, Benedictine University, Elmhurst College, Columbia College, and the University of Illinois But there’s one group that warrants special recognition and thanks In addition to gratitude, I would like to send out my heartfelt sympathy to the students, faculty, and staff at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois I often preferred to my research sessions on your peaceful campus, in the laid-back and friendly setting The placid backdrop was a welcome retreat and well worth the drive out of Chicago I was deeply saddened by the tragedy of the deadly 2008 Valentine’s Day shootings on your campus and moved by your strength in coping with the unthinkable You are all a special group of people, and I am honored to have met some of you in the process of writing this book Every person—students and library personnel alike—whom I encountered on your campus, without exception, was always so kind and helpful with my many (and I’m sure often annoying) requests And many students had the patience of a saint, yet never complained, while I tied up the copy machines or microfiche Thank you for being part of my life while I was researching Instant Appeal Your strength, perseverance, and fortitude in the aftermath of tragedy are very appealing indeed! This page intentionally left blank Index Absolut bottle, 239, 240 Academy Awards, 226 adjunct suggestions, 167–168 Air Florida Flight 90, 121–126 allegiance capital, 15 alpha brain waves, 214–215 Alter, Adam, 192 Amazon, 93 American Girl doll collection, 33–34 Anderson, Gerald, 109 Aniston, Jennifer, 100 Anslinger, Harry, 253–255 anthropological motivators, 12–13 antibacterial soaps, 104 AOL, 87–88, 91 aphorisms, 165–166 Apple, 12–13, 84–87, 89, 90, 148 Appleton, Jay, on high-prospect, highrefuge places, 105 art biological basis of, 152–154 neurological reaction to, 238–240 see also biology of language factor articulation, perceived intelligence and, 204–205 asymmetry, preference for, 22 attraction counterintuitive elements of, 11 law of, 81–82 in linguistic fingerprint, 120–121, 147–149 attractiveness, see physical flaws; visual preprogramming factor audio guidance, 214 Automatic Millionaire (David Bach), 115 average, preference for, 21–28, 48 avian flu, Bach, David, 115 back-channel speech, 163–164 Barbie dolls, 32–33 Barnard, Neal, 14 Barr, Roseanne, 199 Beatles, 15, 154–156, 163, 209, 240 beauty, appeal of average vs., see physical flaws Beazley, Kim, 56 because, 4–5 Beck, Glen, 119, 120, 139, 147 Benn, Tony, 137–138 Berger, Jonathan, 182–183 bias, in news coverage, 139–141 biological motivators, 12–15 biological rhythms, 153–154 biological sympathetic oscillation, 196 biology of language factor, 151–181 limbic (emotional) brain in, 167–171 and linguistic opiates, 151–154 literary universals in, 172–178 meter in, 160–162 and need for reciprocal oscillation, 163–164 288 Index biology of language factor (continued) practical application of, 178–181 in songs, 154–157 specific words and phrases in, 157–160 truth and vagueness in, 164–167 biotuning factor, 182–223 in changing mental states and physiology, 216 and creation of vocal fingerprint, 200–206 cross-species impact of, 193–196 for healthy workplace, 216–218 and impact of voice on DNA and emotions, 196–200 with names, 183–192 and nonmusical effects of music, 220–221 practical application of, 221–223 and prediction of hit songs, 208–211 for profits and productivity, 211–213 and rap music, 218–220 rhythm and resonance in, 206–208 in sounds in the workplace, 213–216 and stock performance, 192–193 Blair, Tony, 56, 58 Blink (Malcolm Gladwell), 115 Bludorf, Franz, 160 Boaz, Franz, 176 body language, 7, 99–101, see also mirror neurons; movements bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), brain adventure preference in, 240–241, 250–251 appeal of games to, 110 frontopolar cortex and sulcus in, 136, 137 limbic (emotional), 97, 167–171, 168 and literary universals, 172–173 mirror neurons in, 226–233 music and maximum performance of, 214 neocortex in, 115 opiate circuit of, 14–15, 152 reptilian (primal), 35, 59–60, 78, 168 response to art in, 238 reward center of, 13–14 short-circuiting ‘‘thinking’’ part of, 168–171, 179 brain-wave entrainment, 214, 215 breathy voice, 202, 203 Brezhnev, Leonid, 240 BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), Buckinghams, 155–156, 163 Bull, Michael, 170–171 Bush, George W conspicuous flaws of, 26, 40 facial characteristics of, 56, 57, 59, 72 jackass factor of, 119, 120, 133, 134 moral entrepreneurship of, 256–258 multiple primal factors used by, 134 retaliatory language used by, 146 sacred cow factor of, 135, 137 Bushman, Brad, 235–236 Bylak, Bob, 51–52, 54 Cabbage Patch Kids, 10, 13, 30, 44 caricatures, 27–28, 239–240 Cetera, Peter, 196–197, 201 Chabris, Christopher, 234 change blindness, 236–238, 248–249 character flaws, 45–46 Chicago Cubs, 11, 191, 246 Christie, Agatha, 14–15, 157–159, 166, 180–181 Cialdini, Robert, 4, Clark, Helen, 56 Clear Channel Communications, 118 Clinton, Bill, 202 Clinton, Hillary caricatures of, 28, 239–240 facial characteristics of, 60 and universal dominance of men, 95–96 variations on name of, 189–190 voice of, 205, 206 Clooney, George, 23 CNN, 139–141, 149 Index Cochran, Johnnie, 165, 231 Colmes, Alan, 139 comfort foods/art/literature, 151, see also biology of language factor commercials, memory of, 235–236 communication changing style of, to fit face, 69–76 human universals in, 115 kinship relevancy in, 112–113 mental real estate factor in, 246–252 see also linguistic fingerprint company name, 11, 192–193 competence, facial features associated with, 65, 74 confidence, 135 conflict, as human universal, 132–133 Connery, Sean, 199 conspicuous flaw factor, 19–50 and character flaws, 45–46 in job interviews, 42–44 in manufacturing systems, 46–47 and performance flaws, 39–42 and physical flaws, 19–39 in popular culture, 44–45 practical application of, 47–50 in website design, 38–39 Coon, Carleton, on problem-solving, 47 Cooper, Anderson, 41–42 corporate personality, 148, 149 corporate spokespersons, 74 Cosell, Howard, 199 Coulton, Jonathan, 97–98 Couric, Katie, 199, 204 Cox-Arquette, Courteney, 37, 38 Craigslist.com, 38 craving response, 14 Crawford, Cindy, 48 credibility and gender-neutral pronoun use, 127–129 and linguistic fingerprint, 122–127 and ‘‘sandwich’’ criticism, 130 and voice quality, 202–204 crises, engineered, 253–258 Cronkite, Walter, 75 289 Cubbie’s diner (Beaufort, North Carolina), 144–145 cubicle offices, 108–109 current events and appeal of dog types, 102–103 reptilian brain response to, 109–112 and threat of beauty, 33–34, 54 Davis, Kristin, 37, 38 Daw, Nathaniel, 136 Dewey, Melvil, 79 Dhanaraj, Ruth, 154–155 Dichter, Marc, 206 differentiation, 240, 250 dirty laundry, airing, 49–50 disease threats, 8–9 Dixie Chicks, 133–134 DNA, 15, 160, 196–200 Dobbs, Lou, 139 dogs, 102–103 Dole, Bob, 202 Donahue show, 30 Donaldson, Sam, 199, 204 Donaldson-Evans, Catherine, 37 dopamine, 13–15 Dove campaign, 44, 47–48 Dreams from My Father (Barack Obama), 46 Drescher, Fran, 199 drugs, war on, 253–255 duality, 105–106, 177 Duelfer, Charles, 256 Dyer, Wayne, 247 Elliott, Ted, 172 emotional vibrato, 196–198 emotions appeal to, 112–113 engaging, 168–169 impact of voice on, 196–200 Emoto, Masaru, 195 empathy, 230–231 endorphins, 14–15 enemies common, 106 290 Index enemies (continued) and linguistic fingerprint, 120, 133–134 retaliatory language unique to, 146–147 engineered crises, 253–258 Epagogix, 176–177 Epcot, 98–99 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, 13, 29–30 Eve, Robin, 163 exaggeration, preference for, 239–240 exploitation, exploration vs., 136–169 faces average vs beautiful, 21–28 changing communication style to fit, 69–76 minor defects on, 29 perfect, 23–24 and role of a person, 54–55 see also visual preprogramming factor face shape relevancy, 58 facial dominance, 64, 65 facial expressions, mirror neurons and, 228 failure on the first try, 47, 78, 79 FAP response, see fixed action pattern response fear of beauty, 34–36 Ferrara, America, 37 Fisher, Ron, 238 fixed action pattern (FAP) response, 3–4 flat voice, 203–204 flaws, see conspicuous flaw factor Fogle, Jared, 136 foods, 14, 110, 151 Fosar, Grazyna, 160 Four Seasons, The, 163 Fox News, 139–141, 148, 149 frequency-following response, 214 Friedman, Jon, 41 games, 110–111 Gandour, Jackson, 199–200 Garfield Rule, 79, see also least effort, principle of Garland, Judy, 12 Gates, Bill, 21, 49, 250 Gellar, Sarah Michelle, 37 gender, 96, 207–208 gender-neutral pronouns, 127–129 Germania Life Insurance, 145 Gibb, Barry, 197 Gibson, Mel, 199 Gladwell, Malcolm, 115, 177 Gnarls Barkley, 210 goals, 96–98 Golden Ratio, 23–24 Goldthwait, Bobcat, 199 Gonzales, Alberto, 201–202 Google, 12–13, 38, 84, 87, 88, 91 Gore, Al and conspicuous flaw factor, 26–28, 40, 41 facial characteristics of, 56, 57, 68 and sacred cow factor, 138, 150 Gospel of Germs, The (Nancy Tomes), 104 Gottfried, Gilbert, 199 Grace, Nancy, 119, 139, 149 Grassian, Stuart, 177–178 Green Eggs and Ham (Dr Seuss), 159, 176 Guja, Cornelia, 194–195 Hague, William, 56 hair, 75 Halpern, Steven, 206 Hannity, Sean, 139 Harry Potter novels, 15, 173–175 Hart, Mary, 206 Hassin, Ran, 68 head, shape of, 54–55 high-prospect, high-refuge preference, 105–109 hiring, 20, 42–44, 62–65 Hogan, Patrick Colm, 174–176 honesty, perception of, 27, 74 Hopkins, Anthony, 199 Howard, John, 56, 58 human body, ratios of, 242–244 Index human universals, 13, 31, 77–78, see also reptilian comfort factor Hunter, Michael, 207, 208 hyponasal tone, 202 I, use of we vs., 128–129 Iacoboni, Marco, 232 I-Doser, 216 inattentional blindness, 234–237, 248–249 Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Robert Cialdini), infomercials adjunct suggestions in, 167 least effort principle in, 81 mirror neutron activation in, 228, 232–233 primal factors in, 6–7 instant appeal response, 5–18 counterintuitive factors in, 9–11 and disease threats, 8–9 in drawing a crowd, 6–8 foundations of, 12–16 importance of, 11–12 primal factors in, 16 intelligence, perception of, 66–70, 204–205 intent, mimicking, 232 iPod, 240 Iraq, war against, 256–258 Ixquick, 88 jackass factor, 118–120, 144–149 job interviews, performance in, 42–44 Jobs, Steve, 148, 250 John, Elton, 240 jokes, corny, 6–7 Jonas, Tom, 70–71 Jones, James Earl, 199, 201 Jones, Norah, 15, 156, 157, 211 Kapferer, Roland, 157–159 Kennedy, John F., 75, 162 Kennedy, Robert F., 93–94 Kerry, John 291 and conspicuous flaw factor, 26, 40, 41 facial characteristics of, 56, 57, 59 and sacred cow factor, 137, 138 voice of, 205 Kidman, Nicole, 38 King, Martin Luther, Jr., 162 Kinnock, Neil, 56 kinship protection and survival, 102–106 kinship relevancy factor, 83–94 application of, 112–114 key words activating, 113–114 marketing based on, 91–94 in shopping behavior, 89–91 and Web options, 84–89 Klein, Joe, 137, 138 Lakshmi, Padma, 48 Langer, Ellen, Latham, Mark, 56 leaders, gender of, 96 least effort, principle of, 79–83 Leno, Jay, 245–246 Letterman, David, 48–49 Levitin, Dan, 209, 211 Levor, Janet, on cultural messages, 96 libraries, 79–80 Limbaugh, Rush, 117–120, 147 limbic (emotional) brain, 97, 167–171 Linde, Charlotte, 122–123 linguistic fingerprint, 10, 117–150 attraction and repulsion principles in, 120–121 and biased news coverage, 139–141 and crash of Air Florida Flight 90, 121–126 factors in, 118–120 gender-neutral pronouns in, 127–129 and jackass factor in communications, 130–135 and ‘‘moniker’’ jackass factor, 144–147 practical application of, 147–150 and promotions, 141–144 292 Index linguistic fingerprint (continued) and ‘‘sandwiching’’ of bad news, 129–130 and ‘‘sure thing’’ mentality, 136–139 linguistic opiates, 151–154, see also biology of language factor linguistic repulsion factor, 133 linguistic sabotage, 122–127 literary universals, 172–178 literary works biology of language in, 152–154 literary universals in, 172–178 primal factors used in, 14–15, 92–93 three-unit cycles in, 161 Little, Anthony, 56 lizards, Logan, Beth, 154–156 Longoria, Eva, 37, 38 Lucci, Susan, 37 mad cow disease, Madonna, 48–49, 119 Madson, Laura, 127–128 Maher, Bill, 134, 147 Maines, Natalie, 133–135 Major, John, 56 marketing, 91–94, 232–233 Marquardt, Stephen, 23–24 Mattel, McCready, Mike, 209–210 McDonalds, 137 McGraw, Dr Phil, 36 mental real estate factor, 224–252 and inattentional blindness/change blindness, 234–238 mirror neurons in, 226–233 and neurological reaction to art, 238–240 practical application of, 246–252 in product packaging, 240–242 and ‘‘stage’’ for style/brand, 245–246 visual shapes/patterns in, 242–245 mental shortcutting, 61 meter, biology of language and, 154, 160–162 Mickey Mouse, 10, 31–32 Microsoft, 12–13, 84–87, 89, 90, 113 The Mind and Its Stories, The (Patrick Colm Hogan), 174–175 minimum cognitive distraction, 159 mirror neurons activating, 246–248 and human universal factor, 178 in mental real estate factor, 226–233 Moltz, Martin, 250 ‘‘moniker’’ jackass factor, 144–147 Monroe, Marilyn, 202 Moore, Demi, 65 moral entrepreneurship, 134, 253–259 motivational speakers back-channel rhythms of, 164 kinship relevancy used by, 94 motion used by, 101 and principle of least effort, 81–82 sacred cow and jackass factors used by, 135 Motorola, 47 movements and mirror neurons, 228–230, 233 repetitive, 99–101 movie franchises, 92 movies, 92, 172, 175–177 MSN, 91 music, 208–209 cross-species effects of, 194–195 nonmusical effects of, 220–221 predicting success of, 209–211 for productivity, 213–216 rap, 218–220 tempo of, 211–213 and voice qualities, 196–199 see also songs name-letter effect, 184 names, 11 associated with physical traits, 52–54 biotuning factor of, 183–192 changing, 188–191 of companies, stock performance and, 192–193 and success of person, 186–188 Index visual preprogramming for, 51–54 visual stereotypes of, 51–54 Naparstek, Aaron, 183–184 narrative universals, 172, 174–175, see also literary universals nasal tone, 202 national elections, 10, 12 character flaws in, 46 concern for the present in, 94–96 performance flaws in, 40–41 physical attractiveness in, 26 visual preprogramming in, 55–61 and voice qualities of candidates, 202 in wartime vs peacetime, 58–61 Nelson, Leif, 187 neocortex, 35, 115 nested loops method, 170–171 neural system fatigue, 158–159 neuroacoustics, 152 neuroaesthetics, 152, 154 neurophonetics, 199–200 neutraceuticals, 110 New Balance, 233 news broadcasts, 9, 41–42, 139–141 niceness, facial features associated with, 69–70 Nike, 233 Novak, Ben, 210 novelty, brain’s need for, 159, 171 Obama, Barack, 28, 35, 60, 96, 206 O’Connor, Sinead, 65 O’Doherty, John, 136 O’Donnell, Rosie, 199 O’Neil, Tom, 37 01 Lesson: Beautiful Women Prefer Nerds! (Ross Quigley), 45 onomatopoeia, 53 opiate circuit of brain, 14–15, 151–152 Oppenheimer, Danny, 192 oppression, beauty and, 34–35, 39 orchestras, biotuning and, 216–218 O’Reilly, Bill, 139 Orent, Wendy, organization of speeches, 167–168 orotund voice, 205 293 Osteen, Joel, 119 overweight people, perception of, 28–29 Panera Bread, 109 patterns, primal appeal of, 242–245 peak-shift effect, 239–240, 249–250 perceptual bias, 168 perfection, 79, see also conspicuous flaw factor performance flaws, 39–42 Personality and Individual Differences, 59 pharynx, 204 physical flaws, 19–39 and backlash against beauty, 36–38 and commercial appeal of ugly, 29–31 and fear of beauty, 34–36 and perception of fat people, 28–29 in physiques, 31–34 in politics, 22–28 and preference for ‘‘average’’ over ‘‘beautiful,’’ 21–22 pitch of voice, 199–200, 206–208 plants, 106, 193–195 Platinum Blue Music Intelligence, 209–211 play, 110, see also games Polit, Georges, 175, 176 political correctness, 127–129, 144 politics aphorisms in, 166 beauty and, 22–28 and rap music, 219 retaliatory words and phrases in, 145–147 ‘‘sure thing’’ mentality in, 137–138 use of names in, 192 see also national elections Politics Lost (Joe Klein), 137, 138 Popeil, Ron, 81 popular culture, attractiveness of flaws in, 44–45 position, fit of name and, 54–55, 189–191 present, overriding concern for, 94–99 Presley, Elvis, 12, 198, 240 294 Index primal branding techniques, Private Parts (Howard Stern), 118 product choices conspicuous flaw factor in, 46–47 mental real estate factor in, 240–242 protection factor in, 104–105 productivity high-prospect, high-refuge spaces for, 108–109 and mirror neuron functions, 227 music and increase in, 211–213 promotions, 11, 62–65, 141–144 protection factor, 104–109 PT Cruiser, 240 public speaking, fear of, 40 Quigley, Ross, 45 racial harmony, rap music and, 219–220 Ramachandran, Vilayanur, 233, 239, 240 Ramani, Venkat, 206 Rapaille, G Clotaire, 46–47 rap music, 218–220 Ray, James Arthur, 135, 164 Reagan, Ronald, 75, 94–95, 137, 162, 179 reality TV, 44, 224 reciprocal oscillation, 163–164 repetitive motions, 99–101 reptilian comfort factor, 77–116 and current events, 109–112 and high-prospect, high-refuge preferences, 106–109 and kinship protection and survival, 102–106 and kinship relevancy factor, 83–94 and overriding concern for the present, 94–99 practical application of, 112–116 and principle of least effort, 79–83 and repetitive motions, 99–101 resources for applying, 114–115 reptilian (primal) brain, 35, 59–60, 78, 168 repulsion, in linguistic fingerprint, 120– 121, 147–149, see also jackass factor resonance, 206–208 restaurants, seating in, 10–11, 13, 106–109 ‘‘retail-tainment,’’ retaliatory language, 145–147 reward center of brain, 13–14 rhythm and biology of language, 154, 160– 164, 179–180 and biotuning factor, 208 Richards, Ann, 135 Rivers, Joan, 199 Rizzolatti, Giacomo, 226 Robbins, Tony, 171, 247 Roberts, Julia, 199, 201, 204 Romney, Mitt, 26 Rossio, Terry, 172, 175 Rowland, Neal, 145 Rowling, J K., 173, 174 Rudski, Jeff, 173 Ryan, Meg, 199 sacred cow factor, 118–119 jackass factor with, 147–149 and loyalty from intended audience, 119 and ‘‘sure thing’’ mentality, 136–139 in TV news, 139–141 St John, Richard, 20–21 Salerno, Steve, 94 ‘‘Sam’’ (ugliest dog), 45 ‘‘sandwiching’’ bad news, 129–130 Scheff, Jerry, 197 Scrabble, 12, 111 seating arrangements, 10, 106–109, 243–245 Secret, The, 81–82, 92, 135 Secret History, The (Donna Tartt), 34 self-help books, 81–82, 174 self-improvement goals, 96–97 September 11 terrorist attacks, 256–257 Seuss, Dr., 159–162, 176 SHAM (Steve Salerno), 94 shapes, primal appeal of, 242–245 Sheehy, Gail, on perfection of Al Gore, 46 Index Shipley, Jenny, 56 Shock and Awe (Harlan Ullman and James Wade), 145 shopping ‘‘tribes,’’ 89–91 show business, 37–38, 44–45 Simmons, Joseph, 187 Simons, Daniel, 234 Simpson, Jessica, 23 Simpson, O J., 231 Sirius Radio Network, 118 Six Sigma, 47 SMART goals, 97 soap operas, 169–170 social isolation, 177–178 songs back-channel rhythm in, 163 biology of language in, 152–157 biotuning factor of, 208–211 emotions elicited by, 196–197 power of the present in, 97–98 in random-shuffle mode, 170–171 see also music sonification, 182–183 sound symbolism, 53 sound-wave vibrations, see biotuning factor Sox (White Sox), 191–192 speaking and speeches alignment with biological processes in, 178–181 aphorisms in, 165–166 back-channel rhythms in, 164 and biology of language, 178–181 conspicuous flaw factor in, 40–42 engaging emotions in, 167–171 and four-minute attention cycles, 158–159 kinship relevancy in, 93–94 motivational, see motivational speakers and overriding concern for present, 94–96, 98 rhythms in, 160–162, 179–180 sacred cow and jackass factors in, see linguistic fingerprint 295 showing dirty laundry in, 49 vagueness in, 166–167 voice qualities for, 198–200 Spears, Britney, 65 Spence, Gerry, 250 Spielberg, Steven, on E.T., 29–30 stage and staging, 245–246, 251–252 Stern, Howard, 118–120, 199 Stewart, Jimmy, 205 Stewart, Martha, 21, 245 stock performance, company name and, 192–193 stories literary universals in, 172–178 nested, 168–171 reliving vs retelling, 231–232 Streisand, Barbra, 199 Studio 60, 44 Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky and Rich (Richard St John), 20–21 Subway, 136–137 success, attractiveness and, 20–21 suffering, appeal of, 46 Super Bowl, 226 ‘‘sure thing’’ mentality, 136–139 survival instincts, 240–241 SUVs, 104–105 Swank, Hilary, 38 Taco Bell, 136 Tartt, Donna, on fear of beauty, 34 teddy bears, 32 tempo of music, 211–213 tense voice, 204 Thatcher, Margaret, 138 Theron, Charlize, 38 Thomas, Robin, 52–53, 74–75 three-unit cycles, 161–162, 179 throaty voice, 204, 205 ties, current events and, 109–110 title, fit of name and, 54–55, 189–191 Tomes, Nancy, 104 Toner, Robin, on Rush Limbaugh, 117–118 Total Quality Management (TQM), 47 trance-derivational search, 170 296 Index trigger words/features, 3–5 Trikke, 100 Trope, Yaacov, 68 truisms, 165–167 Trump, Donald, 45, 190–191, 245 trust facial features associated with, 65, 74 and physical attractiveness, 26, 27, 35–36 Tyson, Mike, 199 ugliest dog contest, 45 ugly, commercial appeal of, 29–31, 39 Ugly Betty, 44 Ullman, Harlan, 145 unconscious mind, 95 underdog concept, 224 universal human traits, 77–78 U.S Army recruitment, 82–83 US Jesco, vagueness, 166–167 Valli, Frankie, 163, 197 valuation of ugly, 39 Ventura, Jesse, 75, 131–132, 135 Verdi tuning method, 217 Verliebt in Berlin, 44 visual preprogramming factor, 51–76 and fit between face and role of a person, 54–55 in hiring and promoting, 62–65 for names, 51–54 in national elections, 55–61 in perception of intelligence, 66–70 practical application of, 70–76 visual signaling, 30–31 visual triggers, see mental real estate factor; visual preprogramming factor Vitale, Dick, 199 Vitruvius Pollion, Marcus, 242 vocal fingerprint, 200–206 voice DNA and emotions impacted by, 196–200 resonance of, 206–208 and vocal fingerprint, 200–206 vulnerability, attractiveness of, 30–31, 36 Wade, James, 145 Walt Disney, 98, 99 water, impact of sound-wave vibrations on, 195 we, use of I vs., 128–129 Webcats, 80 websites, ugly elements of, 38–39 Whole Foods Market, 110 WIND AM 560, 157 Winfrey, Oprah alignment of appearance and linguistic style of, 75 and Asian flu pandemic, conspicuous flaw factor of, 30, 31 enemies of, 133 primal appeal factor of, 10, 13 speaking voice of, 199, 203, 204 Wittman, Bianca, 241 word opiates, 158 workplace biotuning factor in, 213–218 high-prospect, high-refuge spaces in, 108–109 kinship factor in, 83–89 Worldcat, 80 Wrigley Field, 246 Yahoo!, 88, 91 Yum! Brands, 137 Zahn, Paula, 23 Zeki, Semir, 154 Zero Defects, 47 zero-defects manufacturing, 79 Zillman, Dolf, 219 ... Lessons of Instant Appeal: How Moral Entrepreneurs Use the Eight Primal Factors to Engineer a Crisis 253 viii Contents NOTES 260 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 283 INDEX 287 CHAPTER An Introduction to Instant. .. rooted deep in our DNA Instant appeal taps into many other primal secrets—such as human universals—that have been previously unexplored in the context of mass appeal 6 INSTANT APPEAL U S I N... triggers that make us buy Yes, even those corny jokes An Introduction to Instant Appeal that no one finds funny are one instant appeal factor that triggers us to buy Through her performance, this