people think in categories

Famously in the 1970s A&W burgers launched a campaign called 'the third is the word' where they sold a 1/3 pound burger for the same price as a quarter pounder. For some reason it failed and never took off. At a focus group they found people saying "why should we pay the same price for a third of a pound burger as we do for a quarter pounder".

Some assumed that the punters were so thick they couldn't do fractions and that customers believed a third was smaller than a quarter. OK, maybe a few...

What I think occurred is that the very strong category of 'quarter pounder' had outstripped its connection to the real world of weights and measures. I think the consumer probably thought that quarter pounder and third pounder were kind of like the same- so price became the big issue. The strong category of 'quarter pounder' worked to 'stop thought'- or at least confuse it.

When you enter a world with strong categories don't be surprised if no one understands your subtle point. Their minds are simply too 'wired in' to cope. Using the strong categories beloved by others really means nothing new is being communicated.

The value of things that are outside categorisation is that they may, just, be listened to or looked at....