My friend Sandy shared that this was a number 3 year and that is a good thing.  Not being an active numerologist, I didn’t quite grasp the importance of 2019.  Here’s the math:  the numbers of 2019 add up to the single-digit root number 3.  (2+0+1+9 = 12 and 1+2=3)

According to Tarot.com, the number 3 in 2019 symbolizes happiness, creativity, and communication, inviting you to express yourself through every medium you can imagine.

I can embrace this. I believe in the Power of 3.  We see the number 3 in all things good – the Holy Trinity, Goldilocks and the three bears, the Three Wise Men, Three Amigos, The Three Musketeers, the trinity of Cajun cooking – onions, celery and bell peppers, and of course, the original, the Third Rock from the Sun.

Three is the perfect number for our brain.  Imagine Goldilocks and the Thirty Bears.  It just doesn’t work.  Or what if Snap, Crackle and Pop had added Crack and Crunch.  We probably would have not remembered the two new Rice Krispie mascots.  We like choices but too many choices is confusing to us.

Oh, and being first of three is a great position to be in.  We remember it because of an ability called first mover advantage.  You become the first in a marget segment and competitively define the segment.   That’s why we have replaced tissue with Kleenex in our vocabulary, Xerox for making copies and Google it for internet searches.

For business, for many years, it was General Motors, Ford and Chrysler in the auto business.  In cell phone plans, it is Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. In cell phones, it is Apple, Samsung and Google.  In home devices, it is Alexa, Hey Google and Siri.

How does the Power of 3 effect marketing?

Aristotle, that Greek philosopher, certainly believed in the power of 3.  He said that all good communicators must have three elements – ethos, pathos and logos.  Ethos is your credibility.  Today we use words like authenticity, relevance and truth.  Do people believe what you are saying? Pathos is the emotional connection.  Is your communication touching on the emotional side of reasoning?  That’s truly where most of our decisions are made. And, the last element logos represents logic.  Because if we believe what a brand is saying and we emotionally connect, we are looking for logical reasons to explain our usage.

Thinking about the rise of brands like Apple and Starbucks, they gave us a feeling of authenticity because of their support of ethics that where different than other brands.  Apple was out to revolutionize the computer world. Starbucks cared about the coffee and coffee growers.  They gave us emotional reasons to use their brands.   Apple users were cool.  Starbucks users  needed a third place in their life to sit and enjoy the moment.   And they supported it with the logical rationale for their use. Apple had a system for all of their products that worked together seamlessly with fewer problems. Starbucks gave us variety and selection we had not known before.

Think about your own elevator pitch and how the power of three can improve it.  Give a short Twitter-friendly description of your business and then follow it with three clear, easily digestible key benefits.

So will 2019 be a better year for communicators?  I think so, if we remember the basics – our ABCs and our 123s.  It’s a Ready, Set, Go kind of year.  According to Reba you will need three things to succeed this year – a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.