When I was young, so much younger than today, I would chase my nephew (who is six months younger than me) around the house with the odd dead fish I got from my dad’s fish tank. Gaz couldn’t stand the texture of fish. One day, he got me back
My mum loved curries and had numerous chilli trees around the garden. A particularly notorious one would produce little green chillies that turned bright red and burned like fire; we called them devil chillies. One day, Gaz called me to the bush and pointed out a chocolate brown chilli.
I was intrigued.
Somehow, he convinced me it was a chocolate chilli, and I ate it. Nobody had to chase me around the house because I did it on my own, screaming in pain all the way.
At that age, our imagination and curiosity often outweigh scepticism. I got duped by someone I usually had the upper hand on. He found my weakness (hope) and played it perfectly.
I wielded dead fish. He weaponised a brown chilli—childhood justice in its purest form.
The reason I fell for it was because I wanted it to be chocolate and the idea was just tempting enough that my brain filled in the blanks: brown = chocolate, chilli = maybe spicy chocolate? My hope overrode my better judgment because the reward (sweetness) outweighed the risk (burn). It was enough to be taken in by the con.
What are the lessons?
1. People believe what they want to be true
Hope sells. Your audience wants the offer to be real, for the shortcut to work, and the promise to deliver. That’s why persuasion often works best when it aligns with existing desires. Use this carefully and ethically in messaging.
2. Past power doesn’t guarantee future control
I was the dominant one in most of these scenarios, until I wasn’t. Markets shift. Competitors adapt. Never get complacent with your positioning or messaging. Stay alert, and evolve.
3. Emotions drive action
I didn’t eat the chilli because of logic. I ate it because of imagination. The best copywriting taps into feelings—curiosity, desire, fear, and pride. Speak to emotion first; logic will catch up.
In business, as in childhood, the stories that stick are the ones charged with feeling, risk, and reversal.
In business, as in childhood, the stories that stick are the ones charged with feeling, risk, and reversal.
Whether you’re selling an idea, a product, or a promise, remember people don’t follow facts, they follow what they feel might be true.
Your job isn’t just to inform. It’s to understand their hope… and hold out the chocolate.