Double-check your message

When posting a sign, writing an email, launching a marketing campaign, it all comes down to what people see and interpret from your message. You have to factor in every potential way in which someone might view your message.

In other words, it comes down to "optics."

If your message isn't clear, or is offensive, then you've failed. It's that simple.

A couple years back, I was editing an article on a fatal alligator attack at Disney World. The attached picture showed a sign warning visitors that there were alligators in the area.

The problem, however, was that the sign was attached to a rope fence that encircled the area in which the alligators tended to wander.

So, let's look at that sign for a moment.

"Danger": Good so far.... a warning that there might be, you know, something bad up ahead.

"Alligators and snakes in area": Sooooo, now we know what the danger is.

"Stay away from the water": Okay, so the subtext is that, if we stay away from the water, we'll be safe.

"Do not feed the wildlife": Ummmm....

It was that final line that made me go back and re-read the whole sign. Yes, of course, feeding wildlife changes their behavior until they begin to expect food from their human visitors. And, yes, that can lead to aggressive behaviors that can (and, in this case, did) prove to be dangerous to humans.

But the sign itself is misleading, because it ignores an unwritten subtext. Walls, fences, barriers are erected for two purposes: to keep something in, or to keep something out. We are all aware of that fact, even on a subconscious level. So, the sign's subtext, by saying "Stay away from the water," suggests that as long as you stay away from the water, the alligators and/or snakes won't come after you.

The Problem: I'm fairly certain that the snakes and the alligators were never trained to stay on "their side" of the rope fence. That detail ruins the "reality" of the sign's message.

I wrote, at the time:

...translated, this image says: "Heads up! We've got snakes

and alligators that will eat you if you wander to the other side

of this simple rope fence .... or even if you don't wander to the other side,

because it's not like those critters will STAY on the other side

... or in the water, for that matter."

Seriously, THIS is Disney's idea of enhancing safety?

So, yes, Disney put up signs in an effort to promote visitor safety by influencing the behavior of its visitors. They forgot, however, to factor in the behavior of the wildlife.

Life's reality contradicted their message.

Going back to where we started: When posting a sign, writing an email, launching a marketing campaign, it all comes down to what people see and interpret from your message. You have to factor in every potential way someone might view your message.

That means looking at your message from various "lenses": Religion. Politics. Racial identity. Sex. Gender identity. Popular culture. Age. Social justice. History.

Mess up on any one of them, and your message can go awry in a spectacular fashion.

Several years ago, Independent Health introduced its "You Deserve the RedShirt Treatment" advertising campaign. It's done quite well for the company, although it had one unexpected side effect: "Star Trek" fans thought it was hilarious because, thanks to the original series, a "redshirt" was the barely named security officer that tended to die in almost every episode.

Ooops.

Bottom line: Know every lens through which people will review your message. You won't always get it right. But trying to anticipate how people see your message can help you craft better messages ... and thus, better optics for your company, product or campaign.