Is this really necessary?

I left the world of big advertising two years ago for some very good reasons. This article in Adweek is just further confirmation I made the right decision: Marketers Use Hypnosis to Mine Deep Thoughts.

I do not know what hypnosis will get you that an honest conversation between two respectful people can’t. As a sometimes-reluctant marketer, I insist on absolute transparency with consumers. I do not conduct interviews under false pretenses and I will not run a workshop or discussion where the participants are not briefed in advance on the purpose and use of their contribution. More often than not, when my team and I leave an interview with a consumer we have made a friend. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Using hypnosis to disarm consumers is the kind of “stunt” marketers love to flaunt in front of clients. The article refers to the practice as a “secret weapon.” Weapon against what? Consumers? PEOPLE? I am all for using unconventional means to generate insights, but this seems devious and unnecessarily so.

I actually saw some of the raw footage of one of these groups a few months ago over the shoulder of a colleague. As I walked past, the stultifying background and bad audio signaled the familiar footage of a focus group, but the half-closed eyes and dreamy speech of the participants was different…creepy.

What magical insight was being imparted? What depths of the subconscious were laid bare on the table? When asked to describe the experience of biting into a certain classic snack cracker, the response was a deep, meaningful and breathy, “Mmmmmm, butter-y.”

When I snap my fingers, your dignity will be restored. Snap!