✅ Paper, Scissors, Rock ✅ Goldilocks & the 3 Bears ✅ Salt, Tequila, Lemon
In the spirit of simplifying things, I’ve been revisiting the principle of The Power of 3, highlighted in Aristotle’s Rhetoric.
Our brains have evolved to protect us from harm – Fight, Flight, Freeze: if we don’t have an option when faced with danger, we may not find a way out of it. Yet, given too many choices, we may become confused and make the wrong decision. Running towards the tiger instead of away!
Consumers want choices, but not too many – we tend to get overwhelmed, and buyers brains become stressed with too many options. Keep. It. Simple. Sweetie.
In business we often categorise in sets of 3: high, medium, low probability. Sales leads: hot, warm, cool. An example I use in marketing is to have a MAXIMUM of 3 unique claims communicated on any product – all linked to a single differentiated customer benefit. It drives creative tension, focus, simplicity and memorability.
We can simplify most aspects of our lives by applying the power of 3 – Reducing options & choices & focusing on what’s most impo
