“People Don’t Buy What You Do, They Buy Why You Do It” ~ Simon Sinek — that’s the power of why!
My Inspiration For The Power Of Why
To understanding the Power Of Why, let’s talk about biology… yes “biology”. We are all inspired — at the top level — by our experiences. From there our feelings take over; and while we are always gathering information, that ‘information’ influences our feelings… which in turn influences our decision, and ultimately, we buy based on what we feel, not what we know.
“When we are confronted with a decision, emotions from previous, related experiences affix values to the options we are considering. These emotions create preferences which lead to our decision.” ~ Peter Noel Murray Ph.D.
So how does this tie into biology you ask?
When you look at the information and “decision-making regions” of the brain — top down, like the image above — the”Neo-Cortex” is the ‘WHAT’ ring, and the “Limbic Brain” (or “Allocortex” region) are the center two, ‘HOW’ & ‘WHY’ regions respectively. When we buy, our final decisions are most often attributed to the ‘why’. In other words, does it make us feel good, or special, or sexy, or smart, or [whatever].
So more often than not, your marketing message must seek to tap into that Allocortex response region, eliciting an emotion, putting the buyer on a path to make a decision in your favor.
This is only century-old knowledge, and the ‘message delivering methodology’ within this knowledge is at the core of why DRM (Direct Response Marketing) works so well. In fact, one of the most successful companies in the world uses this methodology all the time. That company? Apple.
So, Gimme Some Examples Of DRM and The Power Of Why
Okay, we are just scratching the surface here, here are a few ‘slogans’… see if you can name the brand:
- “Think Different” (we all want to be unique)
- “Melts in your mouth but not in your hands!” (still true)
- “Fly the friendly skies!” (well not so much anymore)
- “Snickers really satisfies!” (okay that one is a give away)
Well, how’d you do? My guess is, most will — while maybe more in a sub-conscience way — easily relate to the emotional experience we have had with each brand. The first one, by the way, was Apple. “Think different.” was an advertising slogan for Apple, Inc. (then Apple Computer, Inc.) in 1997 created by the Los Angeles office of advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day. The slogan has been widely taken as a response to IBM’s slogan “Think”.
The Golden Circle — Explaining The Power Of Why
Simon Sinek codified this whole concept in the creation of “The Golden Circle”, and with 32.6+ million total views, you can be guaranteed that more than a few have been inspired. Here is that video:
I hope you left inspired today about “The Power Of Why”!
You likely know that specific words matter. You click on a headline because a single word strikes you.
I don’t know about you, but I thought Langer’s third request was rather elementary. Yet it didn’t matter. The trigger word “because” was all she needed. 
Nowadays, much more than just a search engine, Google offers a variety of analytical tools for companies to see, understand and act upon data about their website, online advertising, mobile applications, websites, and social media networks.