How much can optimism prevent realistic planning for the future?

Awards:

FCS AWARDS: Gold 2016

Most people tend to believe more positive things will happen to them than negative things. It’s called Optimism Bias. And it’s really common. But it also holds us back from doing things that are good for us, like preparing for our futures. 

To prove this, we created a space where we could compare the significant things people recall happening to them in the past to the significant things they think will happen to them in the future. And we filmed it. Good things were put on yellow magnets, and bad things on blue. At the end of the experiment the results spoke for themselves... the past was an even mix of good and bad, but the future wall was filled with almost all good things. People were enlightened to the fact that we are optimistic thinkers, but when it comes to planning for our future, it's important that we protect ourselves and plan for whatever the future might bring.

The recallability and effectiveness of this spot was off the charts (actual ACE metrics charts). And the type of press and attention it received was the kind that reflects it’s impact on culture – my favorite kinds. 

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