The Power of Three

In the last six years, Prominent has witnessed extraordinary growth, establishing itself as one of the most successful PR firms in the East. Here Helen Rudd explains why the power of three has been instrumental in its growth.

 

We all have a lucky number, don’t we? One with meaning to us. Mine has always been 21 simply because I was born on the 21^st of the month.

But in a weird coincidence all three of Prominent’s business directors share the 21^st as a birth date. And to cement this further, if you add the digits together you get the number three. 

It would be very easy to dismiss superstitions as absurd but humour me here. Three has always had a kind of magic for us – and we are not alone.

From The Three Little Pigs to The Three Stooges. From Hat tricks to the Holy Trinity. Past, present and future. Gold, Silver and Bronze. Snap, Crackle and Pop. There’s something satisfying about the number three.

And, as my Editorial Director – a mother of three with a triangle tattoo on her wrist – will affirm, this is why it is also the perfect number for effective communication. 

Our brains are pattern-seeking machines, and research suggests we can comfortably process three chunks of information at a time.

Not only that - while we like to have choices, we don’t want too many. Think Goldilocks. Three choices enabled her to avoid too hot and too cold, too big and too small and select the one that was just right.

The order of three also helps us remember things of importance. Just about everyone knows the name of the first man on the moon – Neil Armstrong – don’t they? Some remember the second – Buzz Aldrin. Even less will recall the third as Charles Conrad.  But nobody, other than perhaps his mum and dad, can name the fourth Alan Bean.

This explains why, in communications, we advise people to stick to three key messages, three main objectives and three unique benefits of a product or service.

If you need further convincing, listen to any famous speech on YouTube which will, almost always, include a three-part list.

US President Barack Obama’s campaign slogan Yes We Can composed of three words, Tony Blair’s famous use of “education, education and education” set out his top three priorities for Government and Abraham Lincoln’s “Government of the people by the people for the people” used a trio of elements.

Our company mission is to connect, communicate and convince. And we use this to propel forward the reputation, recognition and revenue of our clients. I’d love to say it was easy as ABC but our many awards speak volumes about the blood, sweat and tears that goes into our work.

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