Customer Care affirmation poster, USAF · DF-SD-04-09849

A motivational poster, or inspirational poster, is a type of

poster A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both typography, textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or w ...

commonly designed for use in

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

s and

office An office is a space where an Organization, organization's employees perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize objects and Goals, plans, action theory, goals of the organizati ...

Intent

The intent of motivational posters is to make people achieve more, or to think differently about the things that they may be learning or doing. This is not how everyone views such posters, however. Art Petty, for example, in discussing innovation writes that it "''cannot be mandated or legislated, and it definitely is not inspired by the corporate motivational poster''".

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...

concludes that modern motivational posters "are geared more toward things that need to be done than things that are good to believe"."The Zeitgeist of Motivational Posters"

. Published Sept. 27, 2013.

Effects

Motivational posters can have behavioral effects. For example, Mutrie and Blamey, of the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and the Greater Glasgow Health Board, found in one study that their placement of a motivational poster that promotes stair use in front of an

escalator An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the step tread horizo ...

and a parallel staircase, in an

underground station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the system in the ...

, doubled the amount of stair use. These studies all support the finding that such motivational posters, placed at the point of decision, can have a behavioral effect, with this effect decreasing back to zero gradually over a period of weeks after the removal of the poster.

Parodies and demotivational posters

Parodies of motivational posters, generally known as demotivational posters or demotivators have become an

Internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

.Dorky motivational posters invented internet memes and changed the way we make fun of work — Quartz at Work
/ref> One famous motivational poster features a kitten hanging from a tree branch along with the phrase "'' Hang in There, Baby!''" This has been the target of various reproductions and parodies, such as an appearance on ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' episode "

The Twisted World of Marge Simpson "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" is the eleventh episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 19, 1997. It was written by Jenn ...

" where

Marge Simpson Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson () is a character in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and part of the Simpson family, eponymous family. Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' shor ...

notices the copyright date (1968) and comments, "''...determined or not, that cat must be long dead. That's kind of a downer.''""The Twisted World of Marge Simpson"
episode capsule at

The Simpsons Archive The Simpsons Archive, also known by its previous domain name snpp.com or simply SNPP (named for the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant), is a Simpsons fan site that has been online since 1994. Maintained by dozens of volunteers from—amongst other ...

Another reference to the poster is ''

The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is based in Chicago but originated as a weekly print publication on August 2 ...

s 1999 "In the News" photograph titled "Inspirational Poster Kitten Falls To Death After 17 Years"."In the News, June 23, 1999 Issue 35-24"
.

. Retrieved on March 2007.

Intent

Effects

Parodies and demotivational posters

References

Further reading