The video explores the concept of marketing by drawing a parallel between the strategies of homeless individuals seeking donations and large corporations like Microsoft. The speaker argues that effective marketing, whether by the homeless or by businesses, focuses on the buyer or giver, not the seller. 

Initially, the speaker posits that good marketing is buyer-centric, while bad marketing is seller-centric. To illustrate this, the speaker uses the example of a homeless person with a sign asking for money. This act is framed as a transaction where the homeless person is selling 'goodwill.' When someone gives money, they feel good; when they don't, they feel nothing or bad. The speaker asserts that the giver is essentially paying for this feeling. 

To test this hypothesis, the speaker collaborates with a homeless woman. Her typical sign yielded $20-$30 over an 8-10 hour day. The speaker then provided her with a new sign that read, "If you only give once a month, please think of me next time." This revised message shifted the focus from the seller (the homeless person) to the giver, addressing common reasons people hesitate to donate, such as not knowing if the recipient is genuine or being unable to give to everyone. 

With the new sign, the woman earned $40 in just 2 hours. The speaker explains that this sign implicitly answers the giver's potential objections: it acknowledges they can't give to everyone and asks them to consider her during their next donation, implying she is a legitimate recipient. The core idea is that by framing the request around the giver's perspective and potential actions, the effectiveness of the 'marketing' (donation request) significantly increased.

Marketing Brilliance

All marketing was the same thing. Good marketing talked about the buyer and bad marketing talked about the seller. I wanted to prove that what the homeless do and what Microsoft does is the same thing.

So if you think about what the homeless do, there is advertising. They sit there with a little sign, right? Microsoft has a billboard that says more memory, bigger screen, all the rest, right? And what the homeless are selling is goodwill. So if you walk past a homeless person, you put money in their cup, you feel good. If you give them nothing, you either feel nothing or feel bad. You paid for that feeling. There's an exchange of consideration. I sold you goodwill. You paid for it. You got it.

So, I found a homeless person who was willing to help me. And her sign was pretty typical. And I found out that she makes between 20 and $30 a day selling Goodwill and she works an 8 to 10 hour day. So, I asked her if I could change her sign and we did. And the sign that I gave her, she made $40 in 2 hours. The sign that I gave her said, "If you only give once a month, please think of me next time." It wasn't about the seller. It was about the giver.

What are the reasons people say they don't give? How do I know that they're genuine? I can't give to everyone. So, I simply answered the question. If you only give once a month, please think of me next time. I know you can't give to everybody. I'm legit. That's all, mate.

This Simple Sign Made Strangers Give More Money

All marketing was the same thing. Good
marketing talked about the buyer and bad
marketing talked about the seller. I
wanted to prove that what the homeless
do and what Microsoft does is the same
thing. So if you think about what the
homeless do, there is advertising. They
sit there with a little sign, right?
Microsoft has a billboard that says more
memory, bigger screen, all the rest,
right? And what the homeless are selling
is goodwill. So if you walk past a
homeless person, you put money in their
cup, you feel good. If you give them
nothing, you either feel nothing or feel
bad. You paid for that feeling. There's
an exchange of consideration. I sold you
goodwill. You paid for it. You got it.
So, I found a homeless person who was
willing to help me. And her sign was
pretty typical. And I found out that she
makes between 20 and $30 a day selling
Goodwill and she works an 8 to 10 hour
day. So, I asked her if I could change
her sign and we did. And the sign that I
gave her, she made $40 in 2 hours. The
sign that I gave her said, "If you only
give once a month, please think of me
next time." It wasn't about the seller.
It was about the giver. What are the
reasons people say they don't give? How
do I know that they're genuine? I can't
give to everyone. So, I simply answered
the question. If you only give once a
month, please think of me next time. I
know you can't give to everybody. I'm
legit. That's all, mate.

Get Our Mobile App

This Simple Sign Made Strangers Give More Money

Transcription