Wishing for the Attainable

September 7, 2010

A recent Harris Poll asked U.S. adults which they’d most want to be: richer, thinner, smarter or younger. Interestingly, the two most popular choices are the most attainable.

People want to be rich or thin, and realistically both of those can be achieved through a lot of dedication and hard work. Of the respondents, 43 percent chose richer and 21 percent chose thinner. Just 14 percent chose smarter, and 12 percent chose younger. Take all the ginkgo biloba you can find, it’s not going to make you smarter. And Cher can sing all about turning back time, but we’ve seen how well that’s worked out for her.

The results of the poll varied by age group. For example, it was less common for people ages 18 to 34 to wish for youth (4%) compared to people 55+ (19%). People 55+ still wish for riches (34%), but they do so less than people ages 35 to 44 (53%). That’s an interesting phenomenon; perhaps the older age group has accumulated more wealth, while people in their 30s and 40s are more likely to still be raising a family.

What do these little insights mean for advertisers? Think about who you’re marketing to and what wishes are still within their reach. People like to dream, but they still like their fantasies to be in the realm of possibilities.

By amie

Filed Under Advertising, Marketing

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