Red lightsaber tactics

The Daily Drip

When Listerine was first developed, it worked but it didn't work.

It killed germs as it claimed, but people didn't use it.

No one was buying it.

The whole story is still somewhat unknown, but we do know that someone at the Lambert Pharmacal Company had the idea to give customers the "feedback" that the product was working.

You know this as the little sting you get when you swish Listerine around in your mouth?

That's your feedback.

The sting doesn't actually help the product work any better, but it does feel, to the customer, as though the product is working.

It's just a signal.

Listerine doesn't need to sting to work, but it needs the sting to work.

There is a long list of products that underwent the same discovery.

When toothpaste advertisers started talking about the "film" on your teeth, this resonated with buyers and sales went up.

Of course, we know that the "film" on your teeth is a totally normal part of oral health, but advertisers used it as a point of reference to resonate with customers.

We could talk about the ethics of selling and how a lot of advertising was (and in my opinion, still is) pretty sketchy. This is what I call "red lightsaber tactics"--but the main point I'm trying to make is about feedback.

Without a positive feedback loop, people are less likely to do whatever it is they are trying to do.

This applies to brushing your teeth just as much as it applies to exercise or your career.

The more we start figuring out what we value and build in those reward systems for ourselves, the more likely we are to accomplish the things we dream of accomplishing.

I'm not asking you to use a red lightsaber, but I am asking you to take responsibility for enhancing the effectiveness of the habits that might make you successful.