The prisoner parable

I can't credit a source for this story because I can't find any. I do recall being told it as an illustration of the human desire for meaning. It goes like this:

Once there was a prisoner who was forced to do hard labor. He was assigned to act like a mule, walking around pushing the beam that would turn the heavy stone of a mill located just outside the prison. This work caused aches in his arms and his back and roughed up his hands. But he kept himself motivated by thinking about the output of his work. He took some pride in thinking about how much grain he ground into flour that would be made into bread for the community.

 Every day, he could feel the work he did made a difference in people's lives and that his efforts bore fruit. Finally, his sentence was up, and he finally got to walk outside the prison walls. He hurried over to see the mill stone that he had put in motion for so many years to get the thrill of seeing what his work had accomplished.

 The prison guard laughed at him because no grain ever was ground by that stone. Realizing that all that effort was futile, the ex-prisoner could not even step into his freedom and  collapsed in anguish.


That's the classic version, as I recall it, and it has clear echoes of Sisyphus, though here Sisyphus is allowed to harbor the illusion that each boulder he rolls up is a new one, and only learns that all his effort was futile after his sentence is up.

I'd suggest that where some people are is slightly different. There are several prisoners together in the same situation. However, some of them have cells with a window that lets them catch a glimpse of the millstone. What they realize after some time passes is that no one every delivers grain there, and no one ever picks up flour.

They can't be 100% sure, of course, because they only have a limited view through the window. However, they can infer from what they can see .They start telling their fellow prisoners that they don't believe their works does anything.

Then their fellow prisoners whose cells do not have a view of the mill insist that they are telling them lies and that must believe the guards who know better than they. These prisoner would come to resent the ones who try to tell them that things are not what they seem because they must believe  that their suffering has purpose. Freedom and truth are anathema to them because it would force them to confront the lack of meaning in all the work they have done.

Related: http://uncommoncontent.blogspot.com/2013/11/its-meaningful-life.html

Marketing in uncommon times

Yesterday I wrote an article for a client about marketing messages during a time of crisis. (see https://www.remarkety.com/communicating-with-customers-during-crisis).  Due to space limitations, I couldn't offer all the examples I've come across of the wrong and the right way to approach it in that article, so here are some of them.

Brands that get it wrong
1. Clothing: Charles Tyrwhitt's  attempt to tie its standard shirt promotion to the crisis that leads to more people working at home: 

"Wherever you may be working, proper clothing keeps you feeling the part. Upgrade your work-from-home game, with an extraordinary offer shipped directly to your door. Your video meetings will thank you."

Nobody who works from home dresses up, though many of us do make a point of getting dressed and not lounging about in our pajamas. I happened to have a video meeting yesterday, and as the other two were also working from home, they were wearing sweatshirts. That's what people wear at home, and it's considered acceptable in this context. Perhaps if the video were for a job interview, that would be different. (see https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/coronavirus-remote-interview-ariella-brown-phd/)

2. Finance: Oakmark's Funds relentless emails to apprise me that they are still open for business when I haven't owned one of their funds for well over a year. This is not the time to bombard every single person on your email list with your messaging. All the brands we actually are interacting is with still are doing the same, so our inboxes already are overstuffed.


3. Culture: Newark Museum's preset messaging that is rather tone-deaf to the reality we are living in now. It sent me an email with the subject line "Give the Gift of Art and Technology" with this picture promoting its MakerSPACE, space. Normally, it's a great idea, to have "trained STEM educators and teaching artists lead hands-on, interactive experiences that combine art, science, and technology." But this is not happening now when the museum is likely closed altogether and certainly would not be promoting anything "hands-on" during the coronavirus run, especially for the older population.

I know this campaign was planned ahead of the outbreak, but you do have to pull inappropriate messaging when situations warrant it.

But some marketers do get it, as you can see from the contrasting examples below.

Brand that get it right

1. Clothing (2 brands here) 

Old Navy, which messages me at least once a day, tailored its subject lines to fit the situation. One of them was  "Staying home? Stay cozy in fleece." Another was "Need a little mood lift? ☀️ 50% off these spring musts + 3 ways to stay super cozy right now." When staying home, people are not likely to dress to impress, but they still need clothes and possibly may need different ones from what they wear to the office, or they may want something new and inexpensive as a kind of treat. So this kind of messaging fits well.

Another one in this category that is aware of the necessity to get in the mindset of the audience is ModCloth. The email I just got from that brand is this:

2. Health:  I believe I only ordered from Health Warehouse once, though I am very impressed with its communication:

Over-The-Counter Product Notice This notice is ONLY in regards to OVER-THE-COUNTER products. These are products that do not require a prescription. For information on Prescription Medications and Services, please see our Coronavirus Notice here: https://try.healthwarehouse.com/coronavirus/ HealthWarehouse.com will continue to sell all products at our standard pricing. We are also practicing fair share allocation, limiting bulk ordering as a countermeasure to reduce shortages and help prevent individuals from price gouging on other websites like Amazon or eBay. We will stay true to our mission of honest and transparent pharmacy practices, and in that vein wanted to provide an update for our OTC customers. The Bad News: Due to the national surge in health related ordering, we are likely to experience delays and temporary shortages on some Over-The-Counter products at both the Supplier and Manufacturer level. Also, due to such rapid spikes in order volume, it is possible that some customers may order a product before we are able to list it as Out of Stock. In the event a product is ordered that cannot be filled within our normal 1-3 business day processing time, we will notify you as soon as possible by email. The Good News: Due to our business model and relationships with suppliers we are generally able to restock product within 24 hours. That means that while we may "sell out" of a product in current inventory, we are likely to have it back in stock and shipped within another 24 hours. So while we are likely to experience slower than normal OTC processing times, it is unlikely that we will truly sell out of most products unless Manufacturers and Suppliers themselves run out of inventory. We will continue to keep you up to date during these times, and will stay dedicated to Honest and Transparent business practices.Contact Us If you do still have questions you can contact us at: Email: Support@HealthWarehouse.com The message here is clear, admits to bad news, and also offers its own kind of reassurance without falling into the trite cliches we see in so many of these emails. Plus it ends with a way to be in contact for questions. The only thing it's missing is a phone number, as I do like to talk to people when I have pressing questions rather than wait on emails. 3. Culture: The MoMA sent as message with this subject line:"The Museum from Home: From early cinema to a portable hug." We are thinking of you in this strange moment, as routines pause and we adjust to living in a new way for the health of communities across the world. More than ever, art can offer inspiration, beauty, and solace. While the Museum is closed, we’ll be sharing a selection of content highlights each week. We’d love to hear what you would be interested in seeing, so please send suggestions to magazine@moma.org. We also invite you to stay connected online, with resources including our digital publication Magazine; our YouTube channel; free online courses on Coursera; a podcast collaboration with the BBC, The Way I See It; and a trove of audio with insight from artists, curators, and others. Thank you for being part of the MoMA community, and we look forward to staying connected. How to See the First Movies Film curator Dave Kehr narrates our guide to looking at stunning works of early cinema. → Watch Bryan Stevenson on Jacob Lawrence The human rights lawyer discusses the legacy of the Great Migration in Lawrence’s iconic Migration Series. → Watch Poetry Project: Ada Limón on Frida Kahlo Ada Limón’s poem explores the theme of connectedness in Frida Kahlo’s Fulang-Chang and I. → Read 15 Minutes: “A Portable Embrace” Conor Bourgal has created a soundtrack to keep you company while looking at a painting, or when you’re alone in a city. → Listen

Unlike the message from Newark, this email is not reaching out to ask for a donation but simply to connect at a time when people cannot visit the museum in person. At the risk of revealing how very geeky I am, I'll share the fact that I discussed this communication with my husband, and we both agreed it was a very nice message to get.