I can't imagine many people in sales promotion will be surprised by the Telegraph's revelations and allegations of the past few days. For those who spend their working hours thinking about what motivates people, the phrase 'What's in it for me?' springs daily to mind. We know Homo sapiens is an incorrigible and rapacious (hunter) gatherer, and - as the Dawkinses tell us - proved ourselves faster to the draw when it came to cherry picking than our close but soon-to-be extinct cousins. (Otherwise we'd be walking about, monobrowed, looking like Homo erectus..... okay, so we can all think of some who still do.) Thus what else should one expect when a particular echelon of society is exposed to the metaphorical tree hanging heavy and low with ripe fruit? Remarkably, I've heard a few politicians expressing their shock and horror, yet you'd think anyone who spends their time asking for votes on the knocker would be unequivocally familiar with the question I just quoted: "Vote for you? What's in it for me, guv?" Maybe they're not getting out much.
