poor rich people - changing the perceptions of giving

Poor Rich People!

By Jessica Brookes

Who am I?!

•  Jessica Brookes, change and humour are the two constants in my life.

•  Ambition, imagination and relentless cravings for information have landed me in communications (Goodby Silverstein & Partners)

•  Digital evangelist, forward looking and ambassador of impromptu kindness.

Why am I talking to you?!

“A lot of our industry is very disposable, even the best stuff. I’m not fortunate enough yet to be able to donate a billion dollars - but I can donate my imagination.

A lot of the biggest issues in the world could be solved with lateral thinking and imagination.” David Droga

What do I know?!

•  Perception is not reality. Reality is reality.

•  An intrinsic part of advertising is to alter perception and behaviour.

•  A change in perceived value can be just as satisfying as what we consider “real” value.

•  Change the interface, change the mindset, change the lens.

!at, and some other stuff…

The Evolving Landscape!

•  !e landscape has shifted to an inclusive process that involves the consumer.

•  Media effectiveness is down circa 20%. But its fairer - the nature of the web has left brands naked.

•  People are becoming overwhelmed with brand clutter thus savvy at ignoring it.

The Paradox of Choice!

Does eliminating consumer choices greatly reduce anxiety for shoppers?

What do I want to do?!

Change the perception of Giving

The Real Problem: Poverty!

Facts about the ‘Poor’!

•  Half the world live on less than $2.50 a day.

•  According to UNICEF, 24,000 children die each day due to poverty.

•  Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

•  Water problems affect half of humanity.

Some Insights & Background!

Facts about the ‘Rich’!

•  !e richest 20% accounts for three-quarters of the world’s income.

•  !e world’s richest 1 billion people use 80% of the world’s resources.

•  !e working poor tend to give a larger share of their earnings than people of higher income.

We’re the rich.

Why do people give?!

“Although some people may be altruistic when giving, economics tells us that the dominant motivation is the internal satisfaction that individuals derive from the act of giving itself ”.

!e Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis “!e Economics of Charitable Giving: What Gives?”

The Science of Giving!

•  Psychologists say that when people give they are empowered because they no longer feel like victims.

•  !ey're part of the solution - voluntary solutions to social problems.

•  In other words, if I can help solve a problem of my own accord, through my own freedom, I can actually make myself happier.

•  !is gives me meaning; this gives me effectiveness; this gives me control.

•  Brain scientists noted that when people give they actually get opioids. Endorphins are released into their system. It's called the "helper's high" and it is medically observable.

“Its better to give than to receive”!

•  Psychologists reported that people feel happier after spending on others rather than themselves.

•  People perceive the contrary - there is a large chasm between what we think will make us happy and what actually does.

People who donate money tend to be happier than people who don't. !e challenge is perception.

Shopping vs. Giving!

•  Shopping and Giving have similar affects on the mind.

•  !ey give us a feeling of control and empowerment.

•  It’s a way of articulating our freedom.

!ey both can make us feel happy.

Charity Advertising!•  Its a crowded marketplace, having 'a good cause' is no longer

enough - it relies on awareness, impression and perception. •  People give to charity as a way to satisfy their deeply held need to

#nd meaning in life and where it has affected their lives in some way.

•  !e frequency of shocking ads in recent years, has questioned whether their impact is as effective as it once was.

•  Highlighting the emotional consequences of the issues - how it will affect your conscience or your loved ones - is the new trend.

•  !e theory is that the public have all heard about the problems that they face before, and have now learnt to simply ignore the ads that try to shock them and vilify them for their behaviour.

Campaigns make us feel guilty!

“How does it make you feel?”!

“I feel guilty, I feel bad for who I am, for what I choose to spend my money on.” “…it doesn’t affect me and its far away so I don’t relate to it.” “I feel under pressure to commit to something.” “It makes me feel uncomfortable.” “…we’ve become numb, we see war everyday on the news…”

Challenge!

Get people to experience the happiness of giving.

The Sweet Spot!

[need gratification]

act of spontaneous purchase

act of giving

instant gratification empowerment happiness expression of freedom meaning control

Emotions Behaviour !oughts

depressed feeling worthless dejected

Perso

n

Communication Idea!

How can the poor help the rich?

“Poor Rich People”!

Demonstrate the sufferance of the modern life of the ‘rich’ how they spend money on goods to appease dissatisfaction.

Poor Rich People?!

•  People empathise with the realities and complications faced with modern life.

•  Living in the developing world can be very stressful.

•  Stressors like traffic jams, angry bosses, and screaming children for example.

•  A growing reliance on medication to “numb the pain”.

•  We are money rich, time poor. •  People buy things to make them feel

better (hence “Retail therapy”).

Single-minded?!

Giving makes you really happy.

What the poor can do for the rich!

•  Communicate what the poor can do for the rich by facilitating their happiness (by accepting their money).

•  Like purchasing a designer out#t, the poor can empower you to feel good about who you are.

•  !is angle isn’t to make our audience feel vili#ed or stupid. •  Its not about the lives of the poor, its about putting an

honest mirror in front of the rich. •  !e result is to empower and demonstrate the happiness in

the act of giving in an engaging way. •  !is is a new approach. Its changing the lens in order to

change the perception in the value of giving.

Reasons to Believe!

Emotional: •  Giving makes you happy and being happy is to be healthy,

empowered, in control and free. Rational: •  Real-world efficiencies that giving can afford, less clutter,

less complications. •  Donating is tax deductible.

Charitable donations aren't purely rational calculations.!

•  Decisions are deeply in%uenced by the quirky social machinery of the brain.

•  Which is in%uenced by variables like empathy (How close do we feel to the bene"ciaries of the good cause?)

•  and the ability to detect agency (Does the charity make us think of other people?).

•  !e decision to give is inherently social.

Why might people talk about this idea?!

•  !ey perceive a bene#t to engaging in the action.

•  Having a fresh perspective on the relationship between the rich and poor is remarkable.

•  By rewarding and recognising followers; we give them a stakehold in the movement.

•  You can’t put a price on happiness. Like money, it translates in to tangible value.

Target Audience?!

The Spendthrift!

•  !e Spendthrift tends to be compulsive and uncontrolled with their spending.

•  !ey do so particularly when depressed, feeling worthless or dejected.

•  Spending is an instant but short-lived grati#cation that frequently leads to guilt.

Bulls-eye!

•  Men & Women between 25 - 35 (swing female). •  Live and work in capital cities. •  Work hard, play hard attitude to life. •  Younger couples without children

(highest disposable household income). •  Target the in%uential, thought-leaders, the #rst to adopt a

movement and those brave enough to be #rst to follow. •  Early adopters in technology, fashion, music, art and culture.

What do their lives look like?!

Who we’re not talking to?!

[Yet]

How do we engage? "!•  Remember what we do changes what we perceive. •  We want media that can be used to make an un-missable,

galvanizing stand and evoke consumer involvement. •  Drive awareness through participation in a movement, not an

interruption. •  Remember audiences are dropping rapidly from dominant media. •  Facilitate media multitasking and mesh the interface between

web and reality. •  Create a media space; allow for word of mouth by being

memorable. •  In order to get good cut-through, we have to do something that

grabs people's attention and stands out. •  !is is a ‘social’ social mission.

Thanks!!

•  Remember - this is just an idea. •  I’m open to hearing feedback;

good and bad. •  Please share your learning’s and

knowledge. •  Shoot me an email:

jessica.m.brookes@gmail.com

Resources!TED Talk Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man John Pilger – !e New Rulers of !e World Australian Beureau of Statistics NRP Study: Spending Money on Others Makes Us Happy Time: Why We Buy the Products We Buy New Scientist: !e Secret to Happiness !is Is Your Brain at the Mall: Why Shopping Makes You Feel So Good  Reason.com - Who Gives to Charity? Times Online: Have we forgotten how to concentrate? Psychology Today: !e Myth of Stress Revealed Satisfaction: !e Science of Finding True Ful#llment by Gregory Berns ABC News Excerpt: "Satisfaction: !e Science of Finding True Ful#llment” Google Books: Personal Finance for Dummies Yahoo! Answers: Spending money makes me feel good about myself....? Product Creation: Sacri#ce To Win: Branding Strategy Insider Global Issues: Poverty Facts and Stats Stanford Social Innovation Review : Why Do People Really Give to Charity? ( June 25, 2008) !e Independent: !e facts of (modern) life An honest conversation about the impact of aid Close-Up: Does shock advertising still work? How to get shock value for money !e Frontal Cortex