The science of Fascination in the world of marketing.
I have this fear of how do people perceive me and do they see my true self as I want them too? We put so much time and effort to build a personal brand, but is our idea of who we are a true reflection of what others perceive? Well, this is where the Fascination Test comes in.
What is the Fascination Test?
Fascination is a neurological state of intense focus, one that creates an overwhelming feeling of engagement. Sally Hogshead, a world-leading expert on the science of Fascination, introduced the Fascination test that is different from all the personality tests out there. Where the majority of personality tests measure how you see the world, the Fascination Test takes a deeper dive into the cues and signals you are intentionally or unintentionally sending, revealing how the world sees you.
What was it like taking the test?
I took a look at the instructions and thought to myself, how on earth are 28 questions going to determine how people see me? So I had my doubts but gave it a shot. When doing a personality test, I tend to overthink my answer and the fascination test doesn’t allow for that to happen. The questions are basic and your answer can only be in between a 4 level scale of “not me or me,” which eliminates a neutral response. Therefore the test is quick, easy and makes you curious about the outcome.
My results.
I am The Archer, being that my primary advantage is Mystique and my secondary advantage being Alert. I am a focused communicator that finds accurate solutions to complex problems. My analytical skills are exemplary. I support requests and arguments with facts and hard data. I am unwavering and steadfast, which means that I don’t back down easily. The results show that I have a complicated mind and reserved demeanor, but I tend to take a more in-depth look into details to protect my beliefs.
My dormant advantage is prestige, which indicates that I don’t want to be the “bad cop.” I prefer to relate directly to people, rather than trying to triumph over others. Others most likely perceive me as unpretentious and authentic. I tend to be humble and feel uncomfortable promoting myself or my accomplishments. I prefer to accept situations as they are and tend to focus more on others than on myself.
Did the results feel true?
As I was reading through my results, I kept nodding my head, thinking, “Yeah that is true.” I showed my findings to my roommate and she did the same and explained to me why she sees me in the same way as my results show. I am an introverted extrovert. I tend to come across as a reserved person and a lot of my inner emotions I keep to myself, but once someone gets to know me they see the real outspoken person I can be. I am a very goal-oriented person and I want to make opportunities worthwhile. I can see the nuances of a situation and think things through. Taking charge of a challenge is something that I’m not scared of and I do pay attention to detail. My risk-averse attitude helps me avoid mistakes. I am very organized and proactive in my work, but in my personal space, I’m bold, colorful and silly.
Concerning my dormant advantage, I do agree that I am not the person who puts themselves out there. When I do tell people about what I have achieved in life or “promoting” myself, I do feel guilty and it sometimes even feels that I am bragging instead of celebrating. Flaunting my successes could make others feel inferior and that is something I usually go out of my way to avoid.
The idea of Fascination as a marketer.
Perceiving the Fascination test from a business perspective, marketing is all about how we influence and engage the target audience. Our job as marketers is to make the brand we are working for fascinating, and by doing that, we need to understand how the world sees the brand. If we don’t know how customers perceives us, then all our efforts might be missing the mark. Marketers need to figure out what makes the brand unique from others. We can make use of our brand’s primary and secondary advantages to take charge of the things we know we excel at.
In the world of a marketer, the fascination test can help us gain a better understanding of the people we work with. We as marketers often feel we have to be outrageously forward to succeed. That is not the case. Personalities who have mystique, alert, or trust as their primary personality advantage can be the people who listen before speaking, put substance before style, and they may even see all the details other marketers miss. We can always eliminate a colleagues weakness by utilizing our strengths. Working together to make the brand reach even higher opportunities. The science of Fascination allows us to stand out, be different and be our unique self. That is the competitive advantage we can bring to the workplace that will capture, and keep, our colleagues and target audience attention.
