Sally Hogshead is the author of a book called Fascinate. She is also a speaker, a brand innovation consultant, and all around advertising maven. I had an opportunity to hear her speak today. She talked about 7 “fascination” triggers: mystique; power; lust; prestige; alarm; vice and trust. She mentioned a “brand personality test” called f-score, available on her website. In the interest of science, I decided to check it out. My results:
Yikes. Here goes…
Your primary fascination is VICE. (Nicely done, you.) Even without realizing it, you’re already instinctively applying this trigger when trying to persuade others. Your secondary trigger is LUST, and your dormant trigger (the one you’re least likely to apply in your personality and behavior) is TRUST.
Once you understand your own unique combination of personality strengths, you can start to create more influential ideas and messages.
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Well, well, well. Look who has a rebellious streak.
We’re all occasionally tempted by forbidden fruit, and you’re certainly no exception. You’re curious, independent, and entrepreneurial. Irreverence is sprinkled throughout your conversations, and you probably wield a keen sense of wit. Maintaining your independence is essential; anyone who tries to force you to play by their rules might just end up losing you.
That devil sitting on your shoulder, whispering in your ear? What he’s whispering to you is vice. When told you can’t have something, or shouldn’t do something, this trigger of fascination can take hold and make you want it more. (You’ll try anything once, right?)
Using vice, you’re remarkably skilled in tweaking traditions, changing long-standing routines, and updating even the most established norms. If you also possess the power and prestige triggers, you’ll be more likely to bring your unconventional ideas to life as a pioneer, inventor, or creative force.
A little vice goes a long way, and overuse leads to unreliable behavior or erratic messages. Since vice is your primary trigger, you might want to increase your use of other triggers (such as trust or prestige), in order to establish a more consistently effective approach.
If lust is your secondary trigger, you draw people closer with a warm and human style of interaction. Most likely, you’re expressive with ideas, communicate well in person, and probably have a strong creative streak. Even when you mask your emotions, you feel passionately about your opinions.
You’re intuitive with information, often making decisions based on gut instinct rather than cold intellect. While other personality types prefer cold facts, you’re more attuned to the nuances of attitude and design.
Lust is especially effective as a secondary trigger, because it adds warmth and attraction to your primary trigger. It heightens anticipation around any brand, product, or personality.
Lust is an invaluable trigger for creating messages that are very, very difficult to ignore. By combining your natural talents of influence, you can create more irresistible messages, ones that persuade people to say, “I want that now!”
One thing’s for sure: You’re definitely not boring.
People who score low on trust tend to be thrilling, passionate, and intuitive. They live in the moment, and rarely plan very far in advance. As a result, they can be unpredictable, impulsive, and volatile.
Of the 7 triggers, trust is the most difficult to earn, the easiest to lose, and the most valuable to hold.
Perhaps you don’t need to sway opinion through consistency. Many people and brands, especially those unconventional few who delight in immediate gratification and avant-garde style, don’t rely on trust. However, this trigger comes with many rewards, so take a look at ways to increase trust in your message, without losing the excitement and edge of your other triggers.
Oh my Goodness
That’s the last personality test I take for a while….
27th Street 