By Belinda Agnes Namutebi
One of the most valuable lessons I learned in my early days at the agency came from my boss, David Case. He always reminded us of one of David Ogilvy’s famous principles in advertising:
“Never put a mirror in the customer’s face.”
What he meant was simple and deeply human. When crafting messaging for a brand, rather than shaming or patronizing customers by “holding a mirror” to their current problems and flaws, our job was to present the promise of the brand in a way that evoked aspiration. People should see where they could go, and hopefully choose the brand because it aligned with their hope for better.
After completing the Behavioral Science Made Easy course facilitated by Sohail Agha and Ifeanyi Nsofor at the Africa Behavioral Science Network, I have come to appreciate that principle even more. From the moment a customer sees an ad to the point where they engage with the brand’s promise, a behavioral shift must take place. And you can’t guide someone to behavior change by patronizing them.
Take the billboard below. At first, I recognized the humor. But something inside me shifted. I found myself wondering: isn’t this a little too harsh?
Curious, I shared it with colleagues in the Behavioral Science Champions WhatsApp group. Sohail responded with a thoughtful reflection:
“I’m not sure, Belinda. If I saw it, it would just make me feel bad… shamed, really… without offering any guidance on what I could or should do about it. Giving hope is a better strategy than shaming, in my opinion.”
He added that instead of just pointing to weight loss as a goal, we could highlight specific behaviors, like walking for 20 minutes a day—behaviors that are actionable and feel achievable. After all, losing weight is an aspiration, not a behavior.
In response, Ifeanyi created the graphic below:
A powerful visual that inspires participants with a clear vision of the healthy journey ahead, while outlining Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely (SMART) behaviors to get there.
This is a far more sustainable and empowering approach. It educates, uplifts, and keeps people moving forward, far longer than the bitterness stirred by shame-based messages, which often leave individuals feeling like weight loss (or any change) is just too hard or out of reach.