Brandwashed

country, I discovered something surprising. Most Russians hate the taste of vodka and hate the accompanying ritual (they even have to scarf down food afterward to get rid of the burning taste in their throats). In other words, they don’t do it because they enjoy it—they do it because it’s simply what everyone else does—it generates a sense of belonging and camaraderie. Plus, there were no alternative rituals.
Which is when I thought, Huh.
By introducing a new drinking ritual, one that people actually enjoyed, maybe I could not only gain awareness for a new brand but also show the Russians a new (and healthier) way to drink vodka.
Now, the thing about the scol ritual is that it requires that everyone drink at exactly the same speed: fast (which was actually bad for the vodka company, because a person who drinks too much

too fast will also be on the floor that much more quickly, thus reducing overall vodka intake). This countrywide ritual was like a fraternity during hazing week; it was creating peer pressure to binge drink. By altering the ritual, my hope was that we could change at least the speed of drinking.

country, I discovered something surprising. Most Russians hate the taste of vodka and hate the accompanying ritual (they even have to scarf down food afterward to get rid of the burning taste in their throats). In other words, they don’t do it because they enjoy it—they do it because it’s simply what everyone else does—it generates a sense of belonging and camaraderie. Plus, there were no alternative rituals.
Which is when I thought, Huh.
By introducing a new drinking ritual, one that people actually enjoyed, maybe I could not only gain awareness for a new brand but also show the Russians a new (and healthier) way to drink vodka.
Now, the thing about the scol ritual is that it requires that everyone drink at exactly the same speed: fast (which was actually bad for the vodka company, because a person who drinks too much too fast will also be on the floor that much more quickly, thus reducing overall vodka intake). This countrywide ritual was like a fraternity during hazing week; it was creating peer pressure to binge drink. By altering the ritual, my hope was that we could change at least the speed of drinking.

countrywide ritual was like a fraternity during hazing week; it was creating peer pressure to binge drink. By altering the ritual, my hope was that we c

This is all well and good, you might be thinking, but how could that supermarket use this information to make more money off us? Well, first and foremost, it could create what’s known in retail parlance as an “adjacency.

“Happiness is not something you experience; it’s something you remember,”

For example, if a suitcase manufacturer or coffee company announces, “It’s time for a new set of rolling wheels,” or “It’s espresso time,” we’re more likely to respond positively to these ads than not. Why? Because time, quite simply, is one thing we all wish we had more of yet rarely give ourselves permission to savor.

It’s worth noting that allusions to time persuade us to buy in other ways as well. Did you know that just mentioning time in an advertising campaign makes us more likely to buy a product?

In short, we want to trust in these messages, even when we may also be deeply skeptical.

humans want what other humans want.