Does Your Domain Say “Trust Me?”

Do web searchers pay attention to the domain where the link in the search results leads them? A few years ago, I would have said "no." For years, I've operated or advised websites that ranked at or near the top for various brand names,…

When Encouragement Can Hurt Your Child

Here's another rare foray into neuro-parenting. In How to Praise Your Child, I described research that showed telling your child he/she is smart could actually backfire and have negative effects on performance. It turns out there's…

Clicks Don’t Count!

As long as banner ads have been on websites, the number of clicks they garner has been the most important performance metric for an ad. Ads that get fewer clicks are canned in favor of those that get more. I questioned this (with Seth…

Are Marketers Sleazy?

One of the common questions I'm asked at conferences and by reporters is whether neuromarketing techniques are ethical, or whether they are just one more way to manipulate consumers into buying stuff they don't need. My response to this is…

Business, Sport, & Mark Cuban

Book Review: How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It by Mark Cuban If you aspire to be a corporate drone marking time until five o'clock, or until retirement, don't bother reading Mark Cuban's new book, How to…

Finding a College and Choice Architecture

It's that time of year when many U.S. high school seniors are making their final college decisions. They have their last acceptance letters, and now must choose which school they will attend in the fall. It's a good time to think about…

Juice Your Marketing with Dopamine

Dopamine-driven marketing sounds scary, but it's more common than one might expect. Dopamine is a key element in the brain's reward system, and when marketers trigger that system they can reinforce behavior and create positive…