People Who Drive Silver or Blue Cars Should NOT Read This
by Brian W. Vaszily for http://www.SixWise.com
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A “granfalloon” — a term coined by author Kurt Vonnegut in his novel Cat’s Cradle — is a group of two or more people who feel a bond because they share some circumstance that, beneath it all, has little to no real significance. Vonnegut’s shorter definition is “a proud and meaningless association of human beings.”
So, for example, they may feel kinship simply because their first and last names start with the same letters, or they were born in the same state, or they use the same brand of cell phone service … or they drive the same color cars and trucks.
Like the rest of us, you have probably been in many granfalloons – whether long-term or momentarily, you have felt a bond with others just because they shared something with you that, upon even a bit of reflection, you’d realize is actually quite insignificant and doesn’t make for a real connection.
Perhaps one of the most immediately recognizable examples (unless you believe strongly in astrology) is the excited bond you feel with someone when you learn they share your birthday. Wow, cool! But … so what.
Point is, because humans are social beings, it is natural to bond, even if the points that connect you are arbitrary or flat-out worthless and the bond is only fleeting.
As with all the most effective marketing tricks, granfalloon tactics prey on this fundamental human need. They manipulate you into feeling part of a group — centered of course around their product, service, political party, or idea — in order to obtain your allegiance and your money.
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I first read this in the Wall Street Journal’s National Business Employment Weekly.
Since I was out at the time with nothing to lose, I created several granfaloon groups. Same last name, same first name, same middle name, same brith state, same birth year, I forget the others, but I remember I figured out 10.
As an injineer, I need measurements to make me feel like I wasn’t just guessing. So, I also created five control groups of ten people who had nothing I could use as a ganfaloon “hook”. I set the minimum group size as 10; the largest same middle name had about 30.
I USMAILed ALL the people a virtually identical requested for help with my networking profile. The granfaloons had about a 25% response rate; the control had less than 5%.
If you can create a connection, even it is as shallow as “middle name”, you’ll get a chance to let people help you.
p.s., I never had anyone say “you have to be kidding”. Let’s have a contest here about who can come up with the most outrageous fraternal group. You have my entries above!
Reinke Faces Life 