As human beings we’re excellent at observing information, interpreting, compartmentalizing, and storing it for later . This process is known as cognition. This fancy process is a survival trait. Humans had to be capable of making complex judgements in a bind. If we didn’t we were Saber-toothed tiger meat. Our ability to compartmentalize and comprehend gives rise to stereotyping, over generalization, and living in bubbles.

There is far too much stimulus experienced at any moment in the day to take it all in at once. Instead through experience we learn to filter the raw data. This is like that and I like that so that gets my attention. I don’t know much about italians but I do like their spaghetti so your italian friend is cool. See that? That was a stereotype but necessary in a way.

Bubbles are the compartmentalized environment that you live in. I grew up in a town of 2,500 and was the only minority. That was my literal bubble and oh what a shock it was when I went to college and minorities were in abundance. We all live in bubbles. Whether it is your bubble of friends or the bubble of your community. Some people live in bubbles that are larger than others. Some are smaller. In this contemporary digital age the internet is a part of one’s bubble.

The danger is getting fooled into thinking that your bubble is reality. In 2004 there was an air of certainty that Kerry was going to win. Then the results came out and it was a second Bush victory. In retrospect, analyzing domestic heat maps clearly showed there were tiny islands of blue surrounded by a sea of red. These were metropolitan areas like New York City, San Francisco, and LA. We lived in these places and our perceptions were shaped by the people around us whom shared our values. It was myopic to think that that was reality.

In advertising, perceived bubbles are everything. Comparison or differentiation is important to selling someone on something in thirty seconds. I build a rapport by appealing to your bubble. I explain things in terms your bubble can relate to. Apple was incredibly successful for the last three years with their I’m a Mac, I’m a PC ads which created a perception that Apple Products are…

  • Not as expensive as they really are
  • More ubiquitous than they really are
  • More than just a computer - a way of life
  • Actually denting the PC industry (which they aren’t)
  • Ever going to be anything other than a niche
  • For cool people

The interesting thing in this case is that all it took was for Microsoft to make a commercial that popped that bubble. The I’m a PC ad came in and set the record straight. Microsoft also had a bubble of their own to create. They had to draw the attention away from how terrible of a product Vista is. Mission accomplished.

Apple’s counter was to point out the bubble that the PC ads created by hitting below the belt with Bean Counter. This is the face of modern advertising. You no longer need to show the sexiness of products anymore to make a point. The panning crane shot of the car as it blazes down the back roads of germany - how droll. The key is to build bubbles that encapsulate the essence of cool, fun, youthful, and even exclusive. Once created you get people to live in those bubbles.

Bubbles are just ways for humans to wrap their heads around complex ideas. The hardest thing to learn is how to step outside of your own bubble.