The initial question asked by Derek Thompson in the article “The Four-Letter Code to Selling Just About Anything” is What makes things cool? Thompson dives into how industrial design mogul Raymond Loewy made a career and legacy out of taking mundane objects and concepts cool. The theory behind Loewy’s success was MAYA: Most Advanced Yet Acceptable. The logic behind this acronym is to make something as progressive as possible while still being tolerated received by the target audience. Furthermore, he said “to sell something surprising, make it familiar. To sell something familiar, make it surprising.” I find this notion to be true as I thought about commercial items like smartphones and cars. Consumers are constantly craving something new and exciting but if the newest model is too off the wall different, potential customers can feel uneasy about making a jump to such a different product than what they have become accustomed to. This is where the MAYA concept comes in. The emphasis of keeping a product in check, in terms of change, is important to not isolate a crowd with too forward of thinking.
Another example given in the article was the creation of Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist. An initial bug allowed songs the user has heard before onto the playlist even though the goal was to have only entirely new music on it. Once the issue was corrected, Spotify realized that usage if this individually made playlists decreased. This again shows the importance of just a splash of familiarity. As an avid Spotify user, I wholeheartedly agree with keeping a few old songs weaved in with the new ones to help bridge the gap between familiar and new. Seeing a list of 30 songs that I have never heard of made by artists I probably haven’t heard of is not exactly inviting. But seeing a few favorites thrown in there does help bridge the gap.
Whenever I am tasked with writing something unlike anything that I have ever done, I find myself taking one style that has worked for me in the past and brainstorming ideas of how to morph it into something new. For me, it is vital to have some sense of familiarity to keep the piece in perspective and a small sense of safeness that what I am writing is not too unusual to accomplish the task. Given the type of person I am, it is not common for me to take a big risk or in the case of writing, a big style change.
I strongly believe the situations like ones described above these also apply to writing. While unique styles can certainly get a reader engaged, if a piece’s style is too different, I find that I become tired with the piece. Personally, I have found myself not caring about a piece of literature because it has been too different. The piece might have caught my attention initially but the author maintained this approach and I lost interest as a result. Furthermore, I think that MAYA certainly applies to public and professional writing. As Robert Loewy once said, “One should design for the advantage of the largest mass of people.” This quote is very relevant when thinking about writing a piece for public consumption because as a writer, you must be aware of all the personalities and beliefs of your potential audience.
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I think something that separates your post from other writers is that you very thoroughly, yet efficiently summarized the basis of the article. The first paragraph of your post does a perfect job of articulating the author’s intention and main point in writing his article. I also liked the example you used about smart phones- this was the easiest device I could think of to create a solid comparison of what the author was trying to convey.
I particularly enjoyed your second to last paragraph because it helped me connect to your point on a person level. I am the same way with writing. Last semester I took an intro philosophy course, and received almost a perfect score on the first essay. Naturally, the first essay became a basis for my next three essays that followed in the course. The topics would obviously vary, but the format and design of my papers would stay the same. I think you did a really good job of connecting the article’s purpose, and using it to describe your experience in writing. This is something I could have definitely elaborated in my post, especially after reading yours. I found your post relatable, and accurate. I look forward to reading more of your work.
This line really had me think about something that I struggle with as a writer:
“Whenever I am tasked with writing something unlike anything that I have ever done, I find myself taking one style that has worked for me in the past and brainstorming ideas of how to morph it into something new.”
Sometimes, I am too familiar–that is, I write what I know “works” because, well, it is all I sometimes know how to do when I’m writing in a new genre. For instance, writing a literature review for the first time was difficult. I fell back too much on the old, old school genre of writing a summary, or a sort of “book report”. Something like “here are the main ideas of all the things I read.” It took me a while to figure out the kinds of expectations readers had of a literature review. So, for me, I need my own sort of MAYA of bridging my familiar with something newer. How do I get to that place more smoothly?
This is a different point that the one you or Thompson is after, but your line made me think about past struggles as a writer writing in unfamiliar territory. What are your thoughts on that issue?