WavyBrainy

Research conducted on monkeys shows that Biffy’s brain releases dopamine when he gets to absorb knowledge before receiving food or drink. And another phase of the study showed that just the expectation of knowledge and drink released dopamine. Dopamine is like beer for the brain. It’s released when we achieve goals, and triggers the release of our primal urges. Long story short, of course, but it lends even more credence to the need of marketing to educate, entertain and interact with customers. No dopamine. No sales.

New studies in neuroscience are demonstrating the power of color to influence behavior, decision making and change perceptions.

An analysis of shirt colors worn by competitors in the 2004 Athens Olympics showed that 55 percent of the winners wore red. And, in closely contested matches, 62 percent of the competitors wore red.

A recent article in “New Scientist” explains how color twists your mind. “In nature, red is often used to signal dominance and aggression, and in humans this is reinforced by cultural symbols such as warning signs and stop signals.”

Neuroscience helps explain the biological underpinnings of color in ways that could be very valuable to marketers. For an in-depth look at this topic, see The New Scientist.

You may have noticed that “Consumer: The Next Generation” is much more concerned with the social, philanthropic and environmental values than its predecessors. This explains the rush by some companies to align themselves with non-profit organizations and causes to “get me some of those values.”

Consumers are becoming increasingly cynical about cause related marketing, especially when there’s a disconnect from the cause and the company’s actions. For example, a company that manufactures toys that contain carcinogens supports breast cancer. Level of engagement counts, too. Donating 25 cents of every cereal box sale to the disease du jour is great, But, without educating employees, suppliers, and website visitors, the involvement, consumers may perceive the involvement as being purely utilitarian.

For a different perspective on cause related marketing and how it may actually harm the cause of philanthropy, see Angela Eikenberry’s article, “The Hidden Costs of Cause Related Marketing” in the Stanford Social Institute Review.
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/the_hidden_costs_of_cause_marketing/

While most people are hunkering down during the recession, others are going hog wild. Witness the Bacon Explosion phenomenon featured on the BBQ Addicts web site. It’s like waiting for the bomb to drop during the cold war. You can put aluminum foil over your head and huddle under the desk, or you can thatch together 2 pounds of bacon, wrap it around 2 pounds of sausage, slather the whole mess in barbecue sauce, and tell your cardiologist where to stick the 500 grams of fat. According to the New York Times, 16,000 web sites are linking to the recipe. Maybe the good old days of excess are closer to coming back than we think.

Janine Benyus shows off biomicry (design from nature) in this top-rated youTube video.

I admit it. I am a Neanderthal when it comes to wine. I like my vino cheap, and I make my decisions based on cool graphics and interesting names more than woodsy aftertaste. This is how I came in possession of a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon ($4.99) from Sasquatch Cellars. Afterall, who better to be an expert vintner than a large, hairy humanoid.

Brand myths, like Sasquatch, can differentiate products in a commodity market. Add a clever back story, which Sasquatch Wine Cellars takes a shot at, can capture a loyal and profitable cult following. Presumably the tin foil hat crowd in Sasquatch’s case. Here’s the upshot: when you uncork your Cabernet for a romantic evening, it cannot smell and taste like benzene. It doesn’t matter how sturdy and robust the marketing is if the product stinks.

How many business phone books, including the yellow pages and all of its ilk, do you receive? Too many. Stop the madness now by saying no to tree-ware delivered to your home or office. Yellowpagesgoesgreen.org can make it so.

Scientists are tapping the underlying concept of a fly’s eye, which uses 4000 lenses, to design important commercial products. Using nano-technology, scientists in Spain and the U.S. have replicated these complex structures in a material called chalcogenide glass, which has superior optical and durability qualitites. The chain of innovation continues as other development groups seek to apply chalcogenide glass in the design of super efficient solar collectors.

UK-based Vegware is catching attention in food service and eco-circles with its new line of cutlery manufactured from starch and fibers. The ecological breakthrough is a process that reclaims potato starch from food waste and mixes it with soy oil to produce knives, forks, spoons, plates and serving dishes that rival their plastic counterparts. And unlike their long-lived plastic brethren, vegware biodegrades in only 180 days. Learn more about the company at vegware.com.

There’s nothing like the term “Tone of Voice” statement in a creative brief to set off a bullsh*t detector. Why? Because most tone statements are written by account executives aiming to placate a client, top managers, and frequently family members. That doesn’t mean it’s not useful. Just like your mom screaming at you after painting your face in peanut butter, the sound of your brand can speak volumes about your brand if managed correctly.

For example, a computer company may show how easy its products are to use through minimalistic designs, humanistic typography, and friendly TV characters that don’t use scary technical terms. The tone created by these elements could only be Apple. The secret, we believe, is creating a feel, a look and a tone of voice after a creative exploration of a strategy. Tone is something to be discovered not dictated.