Don't pay lip service to body language

In the Outsurance "testimonial" TV commercials, where policy-holders attest to facets of Outsurance' service or rates, etc, one of the policy-holders, turned actor, waxes lyrical about how they won't even bother soliciting competitive quotes. Another raves about how you always get something 'out'. The common denominator is that whilst they talk the talk, they nearly, without exception, shake their heads - some more vociferously than others.

Now, research shows that at least 55% of the information that viewers decode, derives from non-verbal messages, the balance being made up of tone of voice (38%) and the actual verbal output of content (or 'facts'), which is negligible (7%). If these stats are true, then the testimonials are worthless, because of the lack of congruence between the verbal element and what is conveyed by the body-language of those rendering them.

One thing is for certain: the policy holders themselves don't seem to buy what they are telling the TV viewers, otherwise they would not be shaking their heads. Alternatively, they are reading off an auto-cue, the content of which they may also not be agreeing with wholeheartedly.

This is the problem that arises when using 'real people' to attest to something. From an ethical perspective they cannot be coached on how to come across as being congruent, as the viewers expect them to tell the truth. Such commercials, on the other hand that use 'actors', are framed as a set-up from the outset and people who allow themselves to be influenced do so because they start blurring fact and fiction.

I would suggest that Outsurance starts screening out those testimonials, which clearly show such massive discrepancies between verbal and non-verbal communication that they are wholly unbelievable.