50 years ago it was assumed the worlds developing population was merely awaiting the great illumination of western thought that would open the doors to development. The assumption was that once people knew better they would act better. Wrong again, Einstein!

 That concept was merely an extension of the rational that had been usefully exploited, for several hundred years as a justification for colonialism. I’m not going to get all theoretical here; there is too much theory and not enough practice in this business all ready. What I’m saying is that although knowledge can help people decide to change: it is not the prime motivating force behind change.

 Want an example? Try This. How many people do you know who smoke? How many of them know that smoking is bad for your health? How many continue smoking knowing it is bad for their health? Got the idea?

 Information is necessary, how many people can you think of who will change an old habit for a new one without a reason?  Although necessary, information is not the prime motivating factor behind change.  That brings us to the question: Why do some people decide to change and others do not?

 There are different types of knowledge. If knowledge is information: Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge. There is a difference. Many successful campaigns impart knowledge to their target audience along with wisdom in the form of “consequences”. If you do this - that will happen.

 Getting people to understand consequences means getting them to think about the future. When you pass along information you are not only working with what people think about, but also how they think about it.

 Here is a thought. If something happened in the past it is over and done with, yet many daily actions depend upon traditions started somewhere in the past. If, something is happening right now it demands a decision about current attitudes toward what is happening - do I agree or not, is it good or bad, will it help me or not?

 The further something is in the future the easier it becomes to “put it off” until another day. That is, ignore it until it arrives in the present. In this business we work with current perceptions in order to convince our targets to change, so that when the future arrives they will have a better life.