Monthly Archives

April 2009

Superhero Super-Priming

OK, here's a quick task: take a minute to write down some common characteristics and behaviors that superheroes might exhibit... (DON'T read further until you have jotted down some ideas.) Done? You should know that I have…

Your Brain on Coupons

With today's economic condition, interest in discount coupons has been growing. Neuromarketing firm NeuroFocus has examined how people react to both print and online coupons using their typical combination of EEG, eye-tracking, and galvanic…

Dietary Decoys

Imagine two restaurants, one of which sold only french fries as a side dish and another that sold both french fries and salads. Which would sell more fries? While logic might suggest that the salad would poach some of the side dish…

Diet Drinks Don’t Fool The Brain

But, a little sugar goes a long way Diet soft drinks are huge sellers in the U.S. as many consumers use them as a substitute for their calorie-laden sugary bretheren. The good news is that the flavor of these products have improved over…

Tweeting Directly From Your Brain

While some users of Twitter might be well served by adding a filter between their thoughts and tweets, researchers at the University of Wisconsin - Madison have demonstrated that one can tweet just by thinking - no keyboard, no touchscreen,…

Brain Decides, Then Tells You Later

Understanding how events occur in the brain - how we come to an "aha!" insight, how we make a decision, and so on - fascinates neuroscientists. And anyone interested in neuromarketing can't help but wonder how we decide between two…

Another Kind of Green Marketing

Green marketing. "Greenwashing." Green is the hot color for marketers these days, but there's an old-fashioned kind of green that most of us overlook: no, not money... trees. There's evidence that viewing trees and similar greenery can…

Photos Make a Difference

In Mirrors and Images, I speculated that the presence of images such as a picture of Christ in a church or those omnipresent portraits of the leaders of totalitarian states might influence the behavior of people in their presence. Now, the…