Kathy,

I do not disagree with the psychology behind the Pavlov experiments. But, when Mr. Whipple tells you, "Please do not squeeze the Chamrmin'" that is not Pavlovian. You are not being asked to associate softness with denial. Mr. Whipple is drawing a line in the sand hoping you will cross it. Why? So you can discover how soft a balloon feels? No! Because he wants you to get your hands on the package, squeeze it, self-inflate it and not be able to put it back on the shelf and decide to simply toss the package in the basket. And, why would you do that? Two reasons: 1) There is no major difference in price between Charmin' and the competition. 2) Because it is the "path of least resistance." Yes, it is easier to simply toss the Charmin' in the basket than try to fit it back on the shelf. Give the folks who created this clever commercial the credit they deserve. There is a lot more here than simply associative memory techniques.

The next time you are in the grocery store, do the Charmin' test just as Mr. Whipple instructed you NOT to do it and see what happens. After all, that is exactly what I did and why I shared the experience.

Lamar Morgan
CDMM
707-709-8605
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