Archive for February, 2008
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Barack Obama and Neuroeconomics
Behavioral economics and neuroeconomics are closely related fields, rather in the same way that psychology and neuroscience are related. It seems that Democrat presidential hopeful Barack Obama has a behavioral economist on his staff. The New Republic reports on the University of Chicago’s Richard Thaler’s role in the Obama campaign:
As it happens, Thaler […]
No Comments » - Posted in Neuroeconomics by Roger Dooley
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Baby Pictures Really Do Grab Our Attention
Since the early days of advertising, it’s been axiomatic that pictures of babies grab the attention of readers more effectively than any other kind of image. This has led to baby pictures being used in ads for just about any kind of product or service, often with a cute caption to tie in the […]
No Comments » - Posted in Neuromarketing, Neuroscience Research by Roger Dooley
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
Simulating the Coffee Drinker’s Nose
Is Scratch ‘n Sniff Starbucks in our future?
No industry focuses as much on olfactory marketing as the coffee business. Starbucks recently dumped its breakfast eggs because their smell didn’t pair well with the coffee aroma. Nestlé unit Nespresso has not only modified its home brewing equipment to release more enticing smells, they have […]
No Comments » - Posted in Neuromarketing, Neuroscience Research by Roger Dooley
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
Maybe Obama’s Middle Name Really Matters
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is saddled with an unfortunate middle name, “Hussein.” Not only is it the name of one of the most brutal and belligerent dictators in the last century, it also has connotations that might suggest images of Islamic fanatics to a small subset of voters. When conservative radio talk […]
3 Comments » - Posted in Neuromarketing by Roger Dooley
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
Decoding CEO Faces
The basic concept of facial coding is that a trained observer can detect fleeting facial movements that indicate the true emotions that the subject is experiencing, even if the subject is trying to conceal those emotions. I’ve written about the process of interpreting these facial expressions in the past, notably in Facial Coding and […]
No Comments » - Posted in Neuromarketing, Neuroscience Research by Roger Dooley
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Is Consciousness Overrated?
Evidence continues to pile up demonstrating that our brains process information without our conscious awareness, and that our behavior can be affected by these stimuli. Last month, a study sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institute of Health (NIH), showed that subliminal images triggered similar brain activity […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Neuromarketing, Neuroscience Research by Roger Dooley
Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Why the Absolut Campaign Switch Worked
Last year, Absolut abandoned its classic “bottle” ad campaign. That long-running series of ads featured the shape of an Absolut bottle cleverly concealed in an illustration, and was largely responsible for establishing Absolut vodka as one of the most popular and well-recognized brands in the spirits field. I was surprised by the change, […]
3 Comments » - Posted in Neuromarketing by Roger Dooley
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Florida Researchers Probe Emotions and Ads
Researchers at the University of Florida have published the results of their first advertising study using fMRI, a project intended to try to relate brain scan data to specific emotions being experienced by the subjects while viewing ads. Jon Morris, a professor of advertising and communications at Florida, was critical of past fMRI studies, […]
No Comments » - Posted in Neuromarketing, Neuroscience Research by Roger Dooley
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
Does Irritating Your Customers Work?
One of the most annoying series of commercials is for HeadOn, an analgesic which one rubs on one’s forehead to (supposedly) cure headaches. Does HeadOn work? I have no idea, but it seems doubtful. Their commercials must work very well, though, because they have multiplied like mushrooms in a dark basement. […]
6 Comments » - Posted in Neuromarketing by Roger Dooley
Friday, February 15th, 2008
Emotion-Detecting Phones in Korea?
OK, he sent you roses on Valentine’s Day, but does he really care about you? If you are a subscriber of South Korean cell phone company KTF, it will cost you just a buck and a half per month to discern the emotional state of the people you talk to. The communications company’s […]
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