Entries by Brian Ahearn, CMCT®

Does Celebrity Advertising Really Work?

A few weeks ago a friend, Paul Hebert, tweeted me to get my opinion on what Robert Cialdini might say about an article from The Consumerist titled “Study: Putting Celebrities in TV Ads only Makes them Worse.” Some of the ads featuring celebrities that scored worst included: Tiger Woods “Did You Learn Anything” (Nike) Lance Armstrong’s “No Emoticons” […]

“I Know, I Know” – The Illusion of Knowledge

If you have a teenager, or have raised one, then no doubt you’re familiar with the phrase, “I know!” It seems like no matter what you say the response is almost always the same, “I know!” You might say, “Clean your room,” and it’s met with, “I know!” Or how about this, “You need to […]

Changes Coming to Influence PEOPLE

I decided to have an extra post this week to let you know about a few things to keep an eye out for on Influence PEOPLE this year. I hope you’ll find them interesting ways to continue learning about ethical influence. First is something that’s not entirely new but will be presented in a different […]

The Upside and Downside of Fixed-Action Patterns

I’ve been having a hard time with something lately — brushing my teeth. Some of you are thinking that’s gross but don’t worry, I brush several times a day and floss too. I guess my problem is really with the toothpaste container. Jane bought Colgate Total, fine toothpaste by the way, but it comes in […]

People Buy Based on Emotion and Justify with Logic

In sales it’s common to hear, “People buy based on emotion then justify after the fact with logic.” If you’re in sales that’s not a newsflash but it’s worth exploring little more because the implications go beyond sales when it comes to your ability to influence people. Feelings are incredibly powerful and no matter how […]

Will You Be Making New Year’s Resolutions?

Will you be making New Year’s resolutions in a few days? If so, then you’ll want to read on IF you want to have a realistic shot at making those resolutions stick. I blogged about this last year, but with so many new readers and so many people making New Year’s resolutions I thought it […]

Personality Types and Persuasion Approaches

In May I wrote an article on what I thought were the best ways to persuade people when you had a handle on their personality type. I came to find out there were no studies on influence approaches and personality types so I decided to conduct my own research in the form of an online […]