The Modern Stockholm Syndrome

My family got harassed by our next door neighbour this summer. I couldn’t believe it at first, but after several reports to the police and even getting the “Lady next door” a restrictive order in court, we finally had to leave home. Sad but true.

When I was delivering the news in the neighbourhood, one of the receivers got angry at me saying he didn’t believe a word. It made no difference that he was holding a signed verdict in his hand. Astonished about his visionary views on right and wrong, I knew I had just witnessed “the modern Stockholm syndrome” at its purest. It is surprisingly easy to show signs of loyalty to the bad guy if it means maintaining the equilibrium – being able to go on living life the same way things have always been. No matter if change equals improvement.

Fear makes us easily deny even the clearest facts we see. And what does this have to do with marketing? A lot actually. First of all, if there is a business field where decision making is based mostly on gut feelings and hunches, it is marketing. It doesn’t get any more emotion fueled than that.

In most cases one understands the benefits of investing into a marketing campaign or business opportunity. However, no matter how  efficiently you’d be able to estimate the success of a complete-out-of-the-box-approach, people you’ll find it toughest to close the deal with are very often those in your own team. Talking about the power of emotion. If the campaign possesses a threat to your team members looking silly, naive, socially unacceptable or simply not posh enough, they will do all in their power to oppose the new approach.

One does become blind sighted to the most obvious things when there are emotional factors involved. This is why doctors aren’t encouraged to treat their own family members. Creating an open environment that will encourage your team to participate and share their views is the best way of avoiding the syndrome from spreading in your business.

To make sure your money shot campaign will get its daylight, remember to concentrate in nurturing your team’s “emotional roller coaster ride” by securing the work environment. Next time your team meeting is turning into a hostage situation, do the McDaddy and gently paint the approach warm and cozy. With signs of something they are used to.