The four-letter code to selling anything | Derek Thompson | TEDxBinghamtonUniversity

Key Concepts

• Golden Ratio: An ancient Greek concept suggesting a mathematical formula for beauty (approximately 1.62).
• Mere-Exposure Effect: A psychological phenomenon where repeated exposure to a stimulus increases liking of that stimulus.
• Maya (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable): Raymond Loewy's theory that successful designs balance novelty (neophilia) and familiarity (neophobia).
• Neophilia: A love of new things and an appreciation for the new.
• Neophobia: A fear of anything that is too new.
• Moral Foundations Theory: A framework suggesting that persuasion is more effective when it aligns with the target's existing moral values.

Main Topics and Key Points

The Cult of Novelty vs. The Power of Familiarity

• Advertisers prioritize "new" as a key selling point, creating a "cult of novelty."
• However, the mere-exposure effect demonstrates that familiarity breeds liking.
• Examples:
  • Popular songs often use familiar chord structures.
  • Top films are frequently sequels, adaptations, or reboots.
  • People prefer their mirror image due to familiarity, even if it's not objectively "better."
• Evolutionary basis: Familiarity signaled safety for hunter-gatherers.

Raymond Loewy and the Maya Principle

• Raymond Loewy, a prominent industrial designer, aimed to "beautify America."
• His notable designs include the 1953 Studebaker, Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 locomotive, modern Greyhound bus, Coca-Cola fountain, Exxon and USPS logos, and Air Force One's design.
• Loewy's core principle was Maya (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable): Balancing neophilia (love of the new) and neophobia (fear of the too-new).
• To sell something familiar, make it surprising; to sell something surprising, make it familiar.

Maya in Technology: Spotify's Discover Weekly

• Spotify's Discover Weekly algorithm initially aimed for entirely new songs.
• A bug that allowed familiar songs to slip through resulted in higher user engagement.
• The inclusion of familiar songs made the discovery platform more appealing.

Maya in Academics: The Formula for a Hit Paper

• Researchers at Harvard and Northwestern investigated the characteristics of successful academic papers.
• They found that papers with "optimally familiar" content were more likely to be accepted.
• The ideal paper balances novelty and familiarity, aligning with the Maya principle.
• Graph of score looks like an upside-down U, with most familiarity on one side, utmost novelty on the other, and optimal familiarity at the peak.

Maya in Fashion: The Hype Cycle of Names

• Fashion trends, including first names, follow hype cycles.
• Stanley Levison's theory suggests that people prefer "familiar surprises" in names.
• Example: The name "Samantha" rose and fell in popularity as it became both familiar and then overused.
• Siblings tend to have similarly common or uncommon names, indicating a parental preference for a certain level of familiarity.
• The use of "La" or "Le" prefixes in Black American baby girl names in the 1960s demonstrates a pattern of incremental novelty based on existing names (e.g., Latonia, Latonya, Latasha).

Maya in Politics: The Moral Foundations Theory

• Persuasion is more effective when it starts with the target's existing moral code.
• Instead of directly challenging someone's beliefs, find common ground and build from there.
• Example: When talking to a Trump supporter, acknowledge the Republican Party's emphasis on patriotism before questioning Trump's adherence to those values.
• This approach aligns with the Moral Foundations Theory, which emphasizes the importance of understanding and appealing to someone's core values.

Maya in Space: Loewy's NASA Design

• Raymond Loewy's final assignment was designing the interior of NASA's first space orbital.
• His most significant contribution was adding a window, providing a familiar connection to Earth in an unfamiliar environment.
• The window symbolizes the Maya principle: a connection to home within a new world.

Applying Maya to Promote Understanding Across Diverse Backgrounds

• Focus on "sensitive periods" in development when tastes and familiarities are formed.
• Create diverse neighborhoods where people of different backgrounds and ideologies interact.
• Promote multiculturalism from a young age to foster open-mindedness and understanding.
• Justice should be thought of as a project that involves the neighborhood level.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The key takeaway is that human preferences are driven by a balance between novelty and familiarity, as encapsulated in Raymond Loewy's Maya principle. This principle applies across various domains, including technology, academics, fashion, politics, and even space exploration. By understanding and leveraging the Maya principle, creators and communicators can design products, ideas, and messages that resonate with a wider audience and promote understanding across diverse backgrounds.