Don’t Convince the Convinced (Updated)

Should our target exhibition audience be people that agree with our position? Or that don’t?

The answer will seem counterintuitive.

Exhibition audiences work the same way PR audiences work. If you are doing a project around a social or politicized issue, first break your audience into five groups:

- Strong Agrees
- Weak Agrees
- Fence-Sitters and Don’t-Cares *
- Weak Disagrees
- Strong Disagrees

* Note: Fence-Sitters and Don’t-Cares are both in the middle. But Fence-Sitters want convincing, and Don’t-Cares … don’t care.

Each mind takes resources to change. So don’t use your budget on Strong Disagrees, Don't-Cares ... or Strong Agrees.

Why?

Because all three are convinced already — even if it's for your position.

That leaves Weak Agrees, Fence-Sitters and Weak Disagrees. Weak Disagrees may or may not budge, but they’ll be expensive to convince.

So aim first for Weak Agrees. They're partway to you already. Budget permitting, aim next for Fence-Sitters. Move those two, and some Weak Disagrees might come along for free.

Here’s the thing:
Spending resources to convince exhibition visitors of a point of view? Focus on Weak Agrees, then Fence-Sitters. Don't waste your budget.

Don’t convince the convinced.

Warmly,
Jonathan