Perception is everything. Perception is a first impression, it's the car you buy, the shampoo you use, the clothes you wear, the puppy you choose from the litter. It guides us as individuals, corporations, consumers, and communicators. It determines how we react to someone or something and provides a foundation for drawing conclusions that are virtually unshakeable. Perception is 'the friend who comes to crash on your couch "for a few days" and never leaves' of the emotional world: once it's there, it's really hard to get rid of.
Perception leads to choice. And in the corporate world this makes it either your greatest ally or your worst enemy. In a world where options are endless, so too are choices. We've all heard the standard explanation that choices are made based on how we want ourselves to be and what we want other people to think of us, thus confirming that we are what we want to be. Ergo, if a woman wants to feel rich, she buys a ridiculously expensive handbag (and let's be serious, by buy, I mean put on credit!) and people think she's rich. Men wear shirts that are too tight, so they can show their muscles and attract women and assert dominance over other men. A study in perception should truly be done in the defunct and yet still 905-infused "Club District" in Toronto. Taking people-watching to the next level!
Anyway, all that to say, what interests me most about perception form a corporate perspective is what do you do to change a negative perception? If you're lucky, you can anticipate the cause and nip it in the bud (see Tom Cruise, quick divorce settlement), but most of the time, the best intentions lead to a PR disaster (see Tom Cruise, couch-jumping). Aside from following the coverage of the TomKat Combat, which has been a fascinating and skilled example of PR and communications on both sides, I first got thinking about this when I was talking to my Dad about getting a new car. Without outlining all his extremely particular wishes, I'll just say that I suggested Audi as it best fit his bill. His reaction was fascinating, because he's weary. Despite all the consumer reports, reviews, design upgrades, changes in ownership and manufacturing, for my Dad, Audi will always be the car that was in the news in the 60s for its rotary engines randomly exploding. He just can't do it. Now, admittedly, my Dad is one tough customer, and clearly Audi has managed to overcome this perception in most people in the rest of the world, but the power of perception here is so evident. When my Dad hears Audi, his mind takes him directly to the engine troubles of the 60s. How do you convince someone to think about something in a totally different way when a perception has made it reflexive rather than contemplative?
To handle a negative perception, should corporations 'listen to their mother', and take responsibility for their mistakes? Own the negative perception and flip it back on itself? I think in the digital age, this becomes more and more the way to go, because that negative perception will live on in internet infamy for all time. That gaffe that happened years ago is still happening now. It's harder to leave the past behind when it's a constant in the present. So embrace it, use it to empower your brand, your business, earn the respect and eventually dollars of your clients and customers. Imagine if RIM started a whole ad campaign where it made fun of itself for bombing so huge in trying to BE Apple instead of pushing what made Blackberry special. Hell, use talking fruit. But admit what everyone already knows and apologize for the error - acknowledge it as such! And then get back to making a better blackberry and leave the apples alone. Ironically, RIM just needs to think different.
