1. PLAYINGTHE
COMMUNICATION
GAME
090 // OCT 2013 // THE-MARKETEERS.COM
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There are numerous articles out
there on communication and
how to communicate effectively –
whether that’s you, or your products
and services. What i’m going to
do here is give you a whistle-stop
tour of some theories and guiding
principles behind what factors
influence communication. If you
know what to look for, then you
can start to understand how you
can respond better. The idea being
that good communication means
knowing when, where, and how to
play good-natured ‘games’.
JONATHAN(BILAL)A.J.WILSON
SENIORLECTURER&COURSELEADER,
UNIVERSITYOFGREENWICH,LONDONUK
EDITOR:JOURNALOFISLAMICMARKETING,
EMERALDGROUPPUBLISHING.

2. segmenting and targeting audiences;
service quality delivery; social network
analysis; advertising, public relations,
sponsorship, and branding; product design
and aesthetics; and personality tests at job
interview: are just a few of the areas where
marketers are looking to the ‘ologies’
[anthropology, psychology, and sociology]
for insight and to steal an competitive
edge. In this article I am going to focus on
the theatre of communication, offering
some building blocks and principles behind
what could be developed eventually into
a form of game theory - which embraces
the playfulness and dynamic emotions that
COMMUNITYAND SOCIETY
BUILD OURWORLDVIEW
Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft are German
words, used in sociology to categorise
social ties:
[community] – This
is an ascribed status; comprising of
a fundamental shared set of values,
beliefs, norms, customs, rituals, kinship,
behaviours and artefacts that individuals
possess, and which binds them to
one another – from the sacred to the
profane, and through to the mundane.
The bonds of Gemeinschaft represent a
community of fate, where both good and
bad fortune are shared.
[society] – This is an
achieved status built on secondary
weaker relationships, where larger
associations never take precedence
over an individual’s rational self-interest.
Globalization, business, organisations,
employment, and citizenship are
examples of these societal relations.
In practice, Gemeinschaft and
Gesellschaft work together, forming a
blended reality, which changes according
to time and context. Both are open to
abuse: and over-engineering, or the creation
risk of eroding either category, or swinging
the pendulum the other way.
KNOWLEDGE OF SELF LINKED
TO OTHERS
Psychologists have attempted to describe
our personalities by grouping them into
acronym OCEAN.This means assessing
whether or not we possess qualities of:
Openness – intellectual curiosity,
creativity, imaginativeness, independence,
a preference for novelty and variety,
open to change and new experiences
Conscientiousness – self-discipline,
dependability, thoughtfulness, ability
to control impulses, and manage
expectations
– assertiveness, energy,
emotional optimism, sociability,
leadership tendencies, dependency on
others and a breadth of experiences and
stimulation
– compassion,
cooperativeness, harmony seeking, and
trusting
Neuroticism – emotional instability,
anger, anxiety, depression, and
vulnerability
Not possessing any of these qualities
points to an individual exhibiting an
opposite trait. So for example, introversion
is the opposite of extraversion, and may
mean that someone prefers to spend
time alone, needs less stimulation from
his or her social world, or is shy. Equally,
in a certain setting, introversion could be
temporary and as a result of neuroticism.
The key lies in identifying what is the most
common tendency of an individual within a
given community or society.
traits, if we accept that we behave
differently from time to time: how does
our communication change?
at structural analysis, people are seen
to change and shift between patterns of
behaviour, states of mind, and psychic
attitudes – known as ego states.These can
be reduced to three main categories, which
any of us have the ability to enact:
Parent – those traits that resemble
either nurturing or critical
Adult – a neutral and objective appraisal
of reality
Child – still-active archaic relics, which
from natural free, rebellious creativity; to
adapted, conforming and submissive.
These states are dynamic and become
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apparent when two or more people
communicate.There are two levels of
communication: the social level, and on the
psychological level.And this explains for
example how an adult can behave like a
child.Within one conversation, it is possible
that someone can switch between states.
Communicating is seen as being engaged
in a form of reciprocal transaction and for
communication to continue, it needs to be
complementary, and there needs to be a
stimulus.
Now think about how you would classify
the following pieces of communication and
advertising slogans:
“Sprite – Obey your thirst” [Parent]
“Apple –Think different” [Parent]
“Adidas – Impossible is nothing” [Parent]
“Carlsberg, probably the best beer in the
world” [Adult]
“HSBC –The world’s local bank” [Adult]
“Nokia – Connecting People” [Adult]
“Audi -Vorsprung durch technic” [Adult]
“Nike – Just Do it” [Free Child or Parent]
“L’Oréal, because you’re worth it” [Free Child
or Parent]
“L’Oréal, because I’m worth it” [Free Child]
“Virgin Airlines -Your Airline’s Either Got It, Or
It Hasn’t” [Free Child]
“Virgin Airlines – Hello gorgeous” [Free Child]
Each slogan conveys a certain personality
with its message, but it’s also important
to remember that depending on who
conveys the message, the context, and the
style, then the path of the transaction can
change. Some of the most iconic brands
have used paradoxes, and humour to
create a unique and compelling message –
especially when eliciting parental or child
states. Eric Berne’s 1964 book ‘Games
People Play’ goes into this in more detail,
and it’s clear that more games can be
played when people adopt parental or
child states. One example he cites is of the
salesman who says, “This one is better, but
you can’t afford it”.
THEART OF LEADING
COMMUNICATION -WITH
PURPOSE
Rhetoric – the mode of persuasion
Rhetoric is the art of informing,
PARENT
Nurturing
Critical
ADULT
CHILD
PARENT
ADULT
CHILD
Free
Adapted

4. persuading and motivating audiences
through arguments.Aristotle held it to be
the tool of logic and politics - categorising
it according to three appeals to an
audience:
Ethos – How well an individual is
able to convince an audience of their
authority, honesty and appeal on a
particular subject.These are the relevant
aspects of an individual’s character that
have the ability to enhance the appeal of
an argument. Ethos can be broken down
further, into three categories:
Phronesis – wisdom and practical skills
Arete – goodness, virtue and
excellence
Eunoia – goodwill towards an audience
Pathos – A communication technique
used to appeal to an audience using
emotion, passion, stories, hooks, and
allegories, hyperboles, and similes.
Logos – The logical reasoned
argument, which makes things clear.
Logos also enhances ethos. In addition,
a simulated argument, where data is
manipulated and re-contextualised, could
in fact be used to enact a pathos effect.
HOWTO PLAYTHE FIELD
The HumanTransactional Equation
model, which brings together the various
factors and categories mentioned earlier
that govern communication exchanges.
The idea is that facilitating and
something that takes practice, pragmatism,
communication is nuanced, subtle,
sophisticated and dynamic. It blends the
rational and emotional - reading what can
be seen, with sensing and unlocking what
is hidden.The best communicators and
communication move like quicksilver: they
have a form and function – and are smooth,
This is a collaborative and cumulative
process governed by environmental factors.
And so, the key challenge is how you’re
going to shape that environment, whilst
keeping communication channels open and
positive.
Also, where I have used the terms
‘I’,‘Them’, and ‘OCEAN’: my thinking is
that each can be used interchangeably in
the singular, collective and abstract. So
to brands, a corporate identity, or an
object – that is if the human bonds and
characteristics are string enough to
facilitate this.
CASE EXAMPLES IN PRACTICE
Social Media
Now think about conversations
Online.Adult communication tends to be
forgotten or ignored. Everyone seems to
be telling people what to do using language
with exhibits parental of child states. So
the key challenge for a company is not to
respond in a Critical Parent state, even
in the face of provocation – it never goes
down well.The Internet is full of people
empowered to be free and rebellious with
their communication. Similarly, there are
plenty of consumers who are ready to step
in and adopt a more parental and critical
position than the organisation – where the
organisation traditionally was thought to
be the parent; possessing all the power and
legitimacy.
Haulers
In 2011 the Financial Times ran a
story on Haulers1
. These they state are
“tween-to-twentysomething, largely female
shoppers who haul their purchases back
home and post video reviews onYouTube
for their followers to watch.” There’s been
a massive surge in this area.Who doesn’t
check onYouTube for user-generated
content on how to spot fake Beats by Dre
headphones; what phone cover is the
best; or what mascara really does give you
luscious long eyelashes?
More companies are now using these
platforms to get greater insight into who
their audience is, what they like, and what
they have to say.Also, there are a growing
number of advertising campaigns that
watch what type of communication goes
viral, using this as a basis for creating a
new promotional campaign.And, for those
of you that are haulers, there are number
of companies who covertly offer their
– who act as citizen journalists and
consumer celebrities.
LETTHE GAMES BEGIN
This is admittedly a short intro into
something that we all do, which on one
level is so simple and natural, but as we all
know is actually the tip of an iceberg of
what are a complex network of dynamic
transactions. For those of you who want to
raise the bar, set the agenda and engineer
communication consistently: then it takes
practise – so let the games begin!
Rhetoric
OCEAN
Community
Society
Rhetoric
OCEAN
Community
Society
Ego State
Transactional
Exchanges
Ego State
Transactional
Exchanges
Internal Me
[what of & how I see me]
+
External Me
[what of & how they see me]
Internal Them
COMMUNICATION
[what of & how they see themselves]
+
External Them
[what of & how I see them]
1
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e2de858e-
e9e5-11e0-a149-00144feab49a.
html#axzz2e1vb9wpd
094 // OCT 2013 // THE-MARKETEERS.COM
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