Seduction
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 11:19AM 
When you think about seduction what often comes to mind? Charm and enticement? Sexual temptation? A woman using her allure to gain the attention and trust of a man? When she seduces, the relationship that ensues is either superficial for a short term gain or for the pursuit of a long and meaningful relationship. When done right, the latter becomes something very powerful.
Now the power of seduction isn't just a talent of women. Men hold it as well. Famous seducers from history or legend include Giacomo Casanova and the character Don Juan.
In either case, when you look at the notion, when you consider the idea, seduction is about intention, aesthetics, communication, and action. Deep down inside what do I truly want with this person? How do I present myself? What do I say and how do I say it? What actions do I take once its all said and done?
These are the very ideas brands should be considering when engaging their audiences - putting forth the intention of capturing and holding someone's attention.
A few posts back I covered Lee Clow (director of media arts for TBWA\Worldwide) and his ideas about "media arts" a term that describes how brands can be made inseparable from culture. He believes every brand touch point needs to be treated as if it were an opportunity to seduce an audience. He's speaking about a brands ability to attract customers, followers, and fans in a meaningful way, that builds an intimate relationship that provides value - something people need, want or desire.
My good friend Mike Bonifer in his book GameChangers also talks about seducing as a way of turning mistakes into gold. He talks about using this as a way to maneuver out of a floundering situation and move yourself into a better direction (good stuff - definitely check out his book!)
Seduction isn't generally an idea synonymous with brand building, but at a minimum, it shifts your perspective on the 'relationship' conversation between companies and their customers.
Seduction can be a loaded word, but at the end of the day it can be of immense value. This is what brands should become deeply aware of.
I will venture to say that we all want to be seduced by something/someone we like, are fond of, or admire (it's natural). The thing is that this isn't even on the radar of most companies. They can't, don't know how or could care less about how to seduce their audience.
It's an undervalued and underutilized approach. The reason that it should be used more often?
Well think about it.
What happened the last time you seduced someone or even the last time someone seduced you?
Reader Comments (5)
Your observation on "the usual" pairing is right on. But in order to instigate new dialogue and inject unusual and unique insights on the world sometimes you have to challenge established ideas and maybe even present paradoxes. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from F. Scott Fitzerald: "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."
So, what's are you suggesting (in terms of business) why companies wouldn't utilize seduction? I understand the "can't" and the "don't know how", but why would they "care less" if that could lead to profit? I'm guessing it's laziness (i.e. it's too much work to develop a long-term relationship/make that consumer fall in love with them and be a repeat customer for years, so they'd rather just turning over and over customers that are basically "one night stands"?) Or, were you thinking of something totally different in their business reasoning?