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Study: Brain Games Give Cognitive Boost

10. August 2011

At last, there is scientific proof that it’s possible to boost generalized cognitive performance with specific training, in this case web-based brain games. For years, we’ve heard first that we should keep sharp by doing crossword puzzles or similar brain-challenging activities, only to find later that research has been unable to prove their effectiveness in [...]

What’s Better Than an Excited Customer?

8. August 2011

7 comments

Think the way to sell more is to have a frenetic pitchman whip customers into a buying frenzy? Actually, relaxed customers are bigger spenders. A new study that will appear in the Journal of Marketing Research found that relaxed subjects would pay about 15% more for a variety of goods and services than less-relaxed subjects. [...]

License to Misbehave

29. July 2011

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In Dietary Decoys, we saw that adding salads to a restaurant menu actually increased sales of french fries. Research in Taiwan exposes an equally odd fact: if we take a nutritional supplement like a multivitamin, we are MORE likely to exercise less and make unhealthy food choices.

Prediction Power: Asking Gets Results

27. July 2011

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Are you telling customers to buy your product? Maybe you should be asking them about their intentions instead. Research shows that if you want to get people to do something, you should ask them to predict if they will do it. An affirmative answer greatly increases the probability that they will follow through.

Furry Cat Ears Show Your Mood

21. July 2011

4 comments

Guess in which country someone would think it a great idea to develop big, furry cat ears that sit on your head and are supposed to show your mood. If you guessed Japan, you would be right. A little sensor arm presses against your forehead, and relays signals to a small analysis unit. “Mood” may [...]

Apologies Really DO Work

14. July 2011

18 comments

Have you ever annoyed a potential customer, or made her angry? Before you decide to ignore the faux pas and press forward with the pitch, or write her off and move on to greener pastures, try this simple technique: say, “I’m sorry.” That’s likely instinctive behavior for many of us, but at times it may [...]

Critical Thinking About Neuromarketing

27. May 2011

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For years, most criticism of neuromarketing has been either alarmism (“OMG! They are reading my thoughts to make me buy stuff!”) or outright dismissal (“There’s no valid science, they are all charlatans!”). In the last few weeks, however, a couple of thoughtful blog posts popped up that are worth a read. In The Seven Sins [...]

Closer to the Buy Button?

25. May 2011

10 comments

A specific part of the brain responsible for making decisions about value has been identified by neuroeconomics researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Using fMRI, psychology professor Joseph Kable has shown that the ventromedial frontal cortex, or VMF, plays a key role in decisions involving value.