American Express & The Pygmalion Effect.

Hi friends,

At Bangalore airport rn and Indigo is doing its thing again. 

Flight Delayed. Delayed. Delayeeeeeed.

Well, here I’m using the time to its best by

Writing what you’re reading now ;)

American Express Travelers Cheques (1950s)

Tbh i’ve never seen many ads from banks.

So I didn’t know what i was looking for.

But here is Ameican Express doing a humorous ad with a humorous visual. 

Didn’t expect this style. 

They illustrated a guy sitting in a tattoo chair, ready to get inked. The tattoo artist stands over him, needle in hand.

The guy says: "Put an American Express Travelers Cheque on my chest so I'll be acceptable everywhere!"

Pure humor lol.

The copy was stupidly simple:

(see, every em dash is not chatgpt)

No desperate begging. No "ACT NOW!" No walls of text explaining why you need this.

Just a ridiculous visual that made you laugh. What about objection? They answered it too. 

They sold you peace of mind by making you smile first.

Takeaway? The best ads don't feel like ads. They feel like that one friend who made you laugh so hard you forgot they were selling you something.

The Pygmalion Effect

Think of someone on your team right now. Someone you believe is going to crush it.

Now think of someone you think is... struggling.

And this is the uncomfortable truth: You're probably making both of those things happen.

That, my friend, is the Pygmalion Effect.

In 1968, two researchers walked into an elementary school in San Francisco and lied.

They told teachers, "These 20% of your students are about to bloom intellectually. They scored off the charts on our special test."

Except it was bullshit. Those kids were randomly selected. No different from anyone else.

End of the year? Those "bloomers" actually DID perform better.

Not because they were smarter. But because the teachers expected them to be.

Here's what happened without the teachers even realizing it:

The kids felt it. They thought, "My teacher believes I'm smart. Maybe I AM smart."

Your brain doesn't just process reality. It sculpts it to match your expectations.

Even neuroscience confirms this. When you expect someone to succeed, your brain activates reward pathways. You literally treat them differently. They feel it. They live up to it.

Here's the scary part: The opposite is true too.

It's called the Golem Effect. 

Low expectations → worse performance.

Manager thinks the older employee "can't handle tech" → Doesn't assign tech projects → The employee never learns → Confirms the manager's bias.

Now here's where this gets wild for marketing.

Apple didn't just sell computers. They told customers, "You're creativel. You think different."

Customers thought, "Hell yeah, I AM that person." They bought Apple to prove it.

Patagonia tells you, "You're an adventurer who cares about the planet."

You wear Patagonia to confirm that identity.

Tesla tells you, "You're a forward-thinking innovator."

You buy a Tesla to become that person. (and yes for the FSD too, haha)

They're not selling products. They're selling you a version of yourself you haven't met yet.

Here's how to use this:

Stop telling customers what your product does.

Tell them who they are when they use it.

Instead of: "Learn marketing skills." Try: "Where tomorrow's CMOs are trained today."

You're not just describing your customer. You're creating an identity they want to live up to.

Because nobody wants to be average. Everyone wants to be exceptional.

So make them feel exceptional. Then watch them prove you right.

Talk soon,

Alen