I watched a woman try to bribe her child with an icecream. She wanted him to be quiet while she bought a whatchamacallit. He was bored. She told him she would buy him an icecream. As a bribe, it didn't work.
Not that I advocate bribery, necessarily.
Two problems.
1) She didn't check that an icecream was a suitable incentive.
2) - and perhaps more crucially - she didn't link the incentive with the required behaviour.
So the child got his icecream, the mother got a headache and both were a bit confused by the mild ill-will created on both sides.
When working with pre-schoolers (and adults too, if I'm honest) I check that the 'reward' is going to inspire.
"If you can be quiet until I finish talking to Mum, I will give you this shiny sticker. Do you think that the sticker will help you remember to be very quiet?"
Marketers need to remember this more often.
Today I was offered a $60 MYER voucher to attend a marketing seminar. I explained that I wasn't planning to buy, and had attended the seminar in the past (and I didn't buy then either). The poor phonesalesman told me three times about the voucher. It was not motivating.
If he'd asked me was I interested in winning a $60 MYER voucher, I would have said, "No" and we could both have got on with something useful.
So, don't assume. When in doubt...ask.
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