As I was reading the assigned chapters for this week in “Made to Stick,” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, I came across an interesting concept: the antiauthority. According to the authors, an “antiauthority” is an external source of credibility who is not a celebrity or expert. Chip and Dan suggest using antiauthorities to add credibility to our public relations practices. Credibility is an important component of persuading a skeptical audience to believe a new message.
One example of drawing credibility from antiauthorities that caught my attention while reading was the Doe Fund in New York City. The Doe Fund is an organization that takes homeless men and turns them into productive citizens through counseling, drug rehabilitation, and job training. What is interesting about this organization is the way they use men who have benefited from the Doe Fund program to help promote and gain funding for the organization. For instance, a few years ago, representatives from a grant organization were going to visit the offices of the Doe Fund. The Doe Fund decided to use an antiauthority, a previously homeless man named Dennis, to pick up the representatives and drive them to the offices. In the car ride, Dennis explained how the Doe Fund helped him become a successful citizen. Dennis acted as living proof of the effectiveness of the organization, persuading the grant organization representatives to provide funding.
I thought this was a smart tactic used by the Doe Fund. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and that’s exactly what the Doe Fund’s philosophy seems to be when it comes to promoting its own image.
