The Pick-up Artist Approach

The first thing that probably crossed your mind when you read ‘Pick-up artist’ would have been something along the lines of ‘toxic’, ‘sleazy’ or even ‘predator’. One would even go to the extent of questioning how they still exist in this era.

While some may consider this malpractice, others could see this as a practical approach. As we all know, good and bad are both subjective, but one thing is for certain, there is always more than one way to look at something and always a lesson to be learned.

That being said, let’s have a look at how a brand can apply the approach or methods of a pick-up artist on how to reach their consumers.

Do your research

An experienced pick-up artist would do extensive research on how to approach a potential partner. It would vary from understanding their behavior, psychology and even the latest trends they follow, what works and what doesn’t. The more they know, the more prepared they can be for their approach with a far better understanding than the average male. (Female pick-up artists exist as well, but it’s very rare and only a handful openly refer to themselves as one).

They know when and where to be to find an approachable target they have a better chance of scoring and often even punching above their “weight class”. This is the reward of all the research that goes into their preparation. Even in a pub full of worthy competition, they will be ambitious enough to go for the most attractive person in the room, who has probably been approached by half of the bar by the time a pick-up artist has set their eyes on them.

The same way, a brand can apply this to their first step of trying to reach out to consumers. Firstly, by identifying who the potential consumers that are more relevant to your product. Research on what are the latest trends among your potential audience, their behavioral tendencies, what they are talking about on the subject and what your competitors are currently up to will give you a chance to have an edge over everyone else to prepare a more unique and impactful approach.

Get attention, fast.

Almost all pick-up artists will often opt to a witty opener to break the ice and start a conversation. This is commonly referred to as a pick-up line. Consider this your form of advertising. This is how a pick-up artist would advertise himself. It would either be cheeky, witty, or even a boring one liner. Something that could manipulate their interest to spark up a conversation.

Retain attention.

The next phase of this would be to keep a person engaged in the conversation without making it boring, long enough to seal the deal. Chances are they were already interested upon breaking the ice, but winning over the attention doesn’t always mean that one would be sold on the product that you are offering. The product here being a sex.

Either they will remember you for your cheeky pick-up line or for giving them a night to remember, which would most likely secure their chances of repeated encounters. It is the same with ads. Either they will remember you for a cheeky or witty advertisement or they will value the product you’re offering and most likely become a repeated consumer.

Embrace failure.

All great pick-up artists will tell you that you must get shot down more times that you succeed. They do/say something that differentiates them from the rest of the room. It might be the good kind of differentiator, most of the time it could be the bad kind.

A good pick-up artist can get rejected 10 times and still approach their target audience with the same gusto they had when approaching them the first time. The trick, they would say, is to persevere, to learn from your mistakes and to implement again. The same pick-up line that works with a certain type of audience will not work with another type of audience. This is the same in the world of branding and advertising (e.g., The Burger King Moldy Whopper).

Product before marketing.

Let’s switch up to a hypothetical situation. Imagine you are a pick-up artist. You break the ice, work your magic with the words, keep them hooked long enough for them to like you. Things go your way, and you are moments away from sealing your success for the night.

All the effort put into wooing this person would prove useless if you don’t know your way around the bedroom. This is where the importance of delivering a quality product to your consumer is important. Because you want them to remember you for the sex as well and not just the pick-up line (Basically avoid being all bark, no bite). Likewise having a brilliant ad is useless if you have a shit product. There is no sustainability in that.

Concluding words

Although pick-up artistry is a rather touchy subject (pun definitely intended), let’s imagine a situation where this is practiced in a more humane and respectful manner than it is currently. Used for its intended purpose i.e., a means to smoothen out social interactions with strangers you find attractive, Pick-up artistry can be productive and even be used to defeat loneliness and depression.

Pick-up artistry done in a more ethical and respectful manner could lead to one meeting new, interesting individuals who are attractive as well as intellectual. And by adding value to the product by offering great companionship or even a friendship in addition to great sex could secure a stronger & more sustainable dynamic.

If you use it how most people use it, i.e., to manipulate and fool people into sleeping with you by pretending to someone you’re not (people and brands), you will eventually be called out for your gimmick.

Similarly, if you run an influential campaign coming off as a saint to your audience but your product fails to deliver this, you’re going to get called out on your bullshit. Likewise, a product that matches the promise of your campaign and meets your target audience’s expectations will secure a sustainable relationship and have a more lasting impression on the consumer.

Written by Vimukthi Pathirane, Trends and Communities Manager for FUDGE™