What Can We Learn from the Anthropologist? Posted on April 02, 2008 Post a comment

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: “Mankind.” Basically, it’s made up of two separate words- “mank” and “ind”. ... What do these words mean? It’s a mystery and that’s why so is mankind. - Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts

Several years ago, a friend told me that anthropology provided a great source of inspiration for her when she launched her career in marketing. In fact, she told me it was her study of cultural anthropology that got her interested in marketing in the first place. As we continued to talk about it, I began to see that anthropologists have much more to offer marketers than meets the eye.

Anthropologists have identified two key human communication traits across civilizations that make us different from other animals and have played central roles in the development of different human societies. The first is storytelling and the second is asking questions.

Human beings evolved over many millennia without the written word. The earliest written languages are just 5,000 years old, meaning that humans had to rely on the spoken word exclusively for thousands of generations to pass down knowledge, share accomplishments, and maintain their very humanity. Storytelling was a critical element in early societies and one that people are practically hardwired to respond to.

In addition, critical thinking gave humans the ability to ask questions, meaning that learning could be customized, specific, and relevant in a way that does not exist for other species.  Asking questions was also critical for survival, as in, “Do you know if there is a saber-toothed tiger around the corner?” When combined with storytelling, anthropologists have identified two uniquely human communication traits that are essential to how mankind evolved and are still essential for effective communication today.

If, as is often cited, Americans are exposed to over 3,000 advertising messages per day, how does a marketer cut through the clutter? If we look to anthropology, we will recognize that storytelling and asking questions are two techniques that have been getting people’s attention from the beginning. Think about effective commercials you remember, and you will find that they invariably contain one, if not both, of these critical elements. Then, as you ponder that next ad campaign, keep these ideas in mind.