An optimist and a pessimist were given presents. The pessimist was given a beautiful pony. When the pessimist saw the pony, all he could think of was the amount of work it was going to be to care for it. On the other hand, the optimist was given a huge pile of horse manure as a present and immediately started shoveling, thinking to himself that with such a large pile of crap there must be a pony underneath.
Perspective is everything! Our reality is based upon the world around us, as we perceive it. If one perceives a beautiful world, where possibilities are endless, then their outlook will be most likely be a sunnier and more positive one than a person who only views their reality as a struggle laden with danger. These different views don’t necessarily play out in any particular set manner and in reality, despite the rosy perception, the life of the person with a beautiful attitude may turn out to be more difficult than the person with the opposing viewpoint. One’s perception can often be a stubborn stance as we tend to define ourselves by what we know as “reality,” even though our realities are somewhat fragile and subject to change. An upbeat outlook can easily be altered by a traumatic experience and a negative attitude can be transformed by an act of kindness or generosity.
All About Objectivity
How we perceive the world around us has been the subject of many psychology books, magazines and studies. Our objective viewpoint is subjectively determined not only by sensory input, but by our physical abilities, energy levels, feelings and social identities. For example, due to internal and external changes, one would assume that a 70-year-old person would not perceive the world in the same way they did at the age of 18. As fragile as it might be perceived, reality is very real, that is until a different reality imposes itself — e.g., a person who jumps from a tall building thinking they can fly.
Most political rhetoric is about how a politician or political party is perceived, and not necessarily about how they are performing or might perform in the future. Studies have shown that a good slogan is often better than a detailed manifesto in getting one’s message across. Herbert Hoover used “a chicken in every pot” as a campaign slogan. Warren Harding successfully used “a return to normalcy” to get himself into the White House after World War I. In the U.K., Tony Blair used “things can only get better” to his advantage. Towards the end of his inaugural address, JFK called on his fellow Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” In recent years Barack Obama ran on “hope,” Bill Clinton had “don’t stop thinking about tomorrow,” and Donald Trump campaigned on “make America great again.”
Coke or Pepsi?
Not every politician with a good slogan has been successful, and obviously the person selling the slogan has to be believable enough to get elected to the office for which they are running, but a catchy phrase certainly helps mold our perception. Catchy phrases are the mainstay of advertising, and a good ad campaign usually has a great slogan and possibly a catchy tune to go with it. There’s a long-running dispute regarding which soda is better, Coke or Pepsi? Of course, there is a taste difference — which cannot be disputed — but which one is better? Both Pepsi and Coke have been around since the late 1800s, so there are quite a few slogans to choose from, but some memorable ads for Coke are, “things go better with Coke” and “it’s the real thing.” Only to be countered by Pepsi with such pithy ads as “come alive, you’re in the Pepsi generation” and now, it’s “Pepsi for those who think young.”
The Audio Side
Just to be clear, the best advertising doesn’t sell a product, but rather an idea. Politicians are selling change and new opportunity. Coke is selling the “real thing” and Pepsi is marketing youth and daring. My question is: Why is our industry different? Either I haven’t been paying attention or there are no great audio slogans with which we can align ourselves. Therefore, I wonder how we are making our decisions to purchase very expensive audio systems without the emotional taglines that sell most other products?
Are we, as audio personnel, really different from the rest of the world? Are we, as technicians, devoid of human emotion, or are we just so focused on tech specs that we are unreachable on an emotional level? Without a catchy phrase like (and I am making these up, as far as I know) “The sound of the future is the future of sound.” What is it that makes an engineer need to stand behind a quarter million-dollar console or in front of a quarter million-dollar speaker system? Is it just the superb quality of the system that sells itself, or is it something else? Do we not need snappy ads like (again, I am fabricating) “Sounds like a million bucks at half the price” to sell these systems? After all, not every engineer needs every offered feature that comes with these consoles or speaker systems, and if that’s the case, a few emotional ads might help sell more of these products.
Coke and Pepsi are the big dogs of the soda market, and yet they still advertise and sell an image through emotional marketing. So what makes our industry so special? Granted, as an engineer, there is something intrinsically sexy about standing behind a particular console and in front of a certain speaker system, and apparently that sex appeal does sell itself.
See, See… Riders!
Throughout the years, I have seen different gear dominate riders. Engineers were not considered truly “professional” if they were not using certain qualifying gear, and audio providers were not looked upon as “real players” if they were without said equipment.
Regardless of functionality, there is hardly an engineer who would stand behind a must-have console or system from a dozen years past, and very few companies would try to offer an “A” list band the same. Is the more expensive system a better system? One would assume so, but is one top brand better than the other top brand name? Sure, just like Pepsi and Coke, there is a difference, but in regard to one being better or worse than the other, it’s all in the perception.
