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Do you think this is gross?

A friend of mine shared this ad with me. 

It's for a snack product and shows a man and some animatronic birds passing food back and forth, with a tag line:  Nature feeding nature

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/own3/clif-bar-the-eagle
 
My friend is grossed out by it. Are you?

There’s a set of people who find this (and similar items) disgusting.  It’s a physiological reaction described by Darwin.  People like my friend can’t control their reaction. The line the advertiser added to the end, “don’t be grossed out”, isn’t going to help.  If you aren’t grossed out by it, you don’t understand those who are.

So, who is the ad targeted at?  Not my friend, obviously.  Most likely the targets are Liberals, who tend to have lower levels of the disgust reaction.  In fact, one scientist suggested that the varying levels of disgust reaction might be the underlying reason for the political polarization we are experiencing. 

How much do you have in common with your target audience?  It’s hard to take their perspective if there is a fundamental difference in what you find disgusting.  But it can be done.  I can help.  Contact me.

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Karen Tibbals @KarenTibbals

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