SUDIO SUDARSAN

Clear Channel Peru, researchers at the University of Engineering...

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:59:00 -0400

Clear Channel Peru, researchers at the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC), and Mayo Peru Draft FCB, an advertising agency, join hands to build a billboard that traps humidity in the air and transforms it to water.

LIZARD BRAIN BRANDING

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:51:00 -0400

Rationality does not cut any ice with the lizard brain. You appeal to it at a deeper level, and when you do, the keys to brand success are found.

We have only just scratched the surface of our potential – like icebergs at least 98% of our emotional and intellectual awareness occurs ‘under the surface’ in the murky depths of the subconscious mind¹.

It would be disingenuous to dismiss this when approaching the all-encompassing practice of Marketing Research; after all, an iceberg wouldn’t even reach the surface without this sturdy base below.

So why do market researchers only focus on that 2% rather than engaging with those core beliefs that keep that smaller percentage visible?

Here’s a lesson from my graduate school days: A friend of mine, fresh from his native country and in the US less than a week stumbled upon a way to earn a quick buck. He registered himself to take part in a focus group for consumers who loved to eat Mac and Cheese straight from the box.

In his native country, breakfasts are as freshly cooked as they are varied – they didn’t even sell Mac and Cheese; however for his insights into this largely unknown delicacy he received a cool $100. He even showed me the T-Shirts and CDs he brought with his Mac and Cheese money.

My friend displayed the basic human characteristics that we all take for granted; those impulses that lie above the surface. We as a species, driven by a collective consciousness that elevates intelligence as a desirable quality, even in the lack of that quality, will strive to appear intelligent.

Such social performances can come in myriad forms - artful omissions, the provision of incomplete or misleading information, outright deception, faking, lying, carefully chosen words, persistence, bullshitting, and so on.

This deceptive behavior does not have any power; it is only when someone believes in the manipulation that its power manifests itself. In an interview, Vasudevi Reddy of University of Portsmouth claims:

“Fake crying is one of the earliest forms of deception to emerge, and infants use it to get attention even though nothing was wrong.”²

In this case, it’s a question of dignity: the infant knows the parameters in which it will be most successful. Now, think about adults; Do any of these responses sound familiar?

“Honey, you look perfect in that dress!”

“Oh, your e-mail must have ended up in my spam folder; that’s why I didn’t respond!”

“Your updates never show up on my Facebook newsfeed.”

Both women and men consciously fabricate these face-saving stories. In one out of ten interactions, married couples lie to each other, and such made up incidents skyrocket to 80% in the context of spending.³

Stepping back from spending for a moment; I recently eavesdropped in on a conversation on my daily train ride to work. A forty-something, suit-wearing professional was boasting to her companion about how she had hoodwinked a focus group that called for participants who were paid subscribers to Skype. Just hours before she was due to take part in the market research study, she googled everything she need to know about the survey and lied through her teeth all her way to $300 in participation money.

My question here is: What’s the use in spending tons of money in carrying out elaborate market research sessions - asking the neocortex or the rational mind, questions about irrational behaviour?

The logical side of our brain is only going to lie or act as if it were intelligent. Truth is often the first casualty of any conflict, and there is no greater conflict than that between the consumer’s beliefs and their buying behavior. Don’t believe me? Keep reading:

The irrational buying behavior of the average consumer was put on display during recent consumer research for an 11powerN client. Several New Yorkers were asked why they drove a SUV on the streets of Manhattan. Oddly enough, the number one response was: ‘What if I chose to go off the road?’ Keep in mind this is Manhattan. Manhattan. You remember: the financial and cultural nexus of the US? Manhattan the island? Off-road? The more I probed, the weirder their responses got; “Oh it’s because I go off-roading at weekends.”

As amusing as those responses are even if consumers were downright truthful; how do they put their irrational buying behavior or the emotions they have for a product, service, or experience into words?

Today’s marketers recognize a very distinct “ebb and flow” of an emotional wave influencing the consumer’s choices; this recognition, however, does not extend to the identification of an emotional connection that can bridge the gap” and afford any sort of measurement of an association of that magnitude. Given the existence of this reality and its attendant limitation, one must ask: Is the expenditure of funds in extending this elaborate market research helping or hindering the marketer in understanding this emotional connection? To what end should the marketer seek to find in asking the rational mind questions about irrational behavior?

If presented with rational thought and behavior, the neocortex will have no choice but to lie – that is, to “act out” as if it were intelligent.

Fish where fishes are. Answers to subconsciously driven motives need to be sourced at the subconscious level. Market researchers have a duty to extract the subconscious agents that make decisions, preferences, feelings, and beliefs by probing into the subconscious or ‘the lizard brain’ as I’d like to call it.

The lizard brain is not mutually exclusive; it pervades every dimension of our lives. It doesn’t shut down when we go to bed or go on vacation. Every second, it is dictating how one should act, judge, think and feel.

Theologians, philosophers, and scientists have been studying the unconscious to know why we do what we do for several centuries. Half a century ago, Ernest Dichter, the founder of motivational research, helped launch in-depth consumer interviews to explore non-rational motivations in consumers when marketers still believed in the homo economicus.

In the last decade or two, there have been a host of tools developed by social psychologists, cultural anthropologists, neuroscientists, sociologists, and economists that have given marketers a peeping hole into this lizard brain or reptilian complex.

Lizard harbors vast riches in still largely unmapped areas immersed in deep emotions, traditions, values, and culture. Marketers who see the advantage in wandering into this dimly-lit treasure trove will be richly rewarded with the keys to brand success.

References

LeDoux, Joseph (1998). “The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life,” New York, NY: Simon and Schuster
Gray, Richard (2007). “Babies not as Innocent as they Pretend,” The Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3298979/Babies-not-as-innocent-as-they-pretend.html (retrieved on 8/5/2012)
Villareal, Phil (2010). “Survey: 80 Percent of Married Couples Lie about Spending,” The Consumerist, http://consumerist.com/2010/07/survey-80-percent-of-married-couples-lie-about-spending.html (retrieved on 8/5/2012)

Noteworthy Keynote Presentations

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 23:13:00 -0400

ONE OF THE least pleasant aspects of a professional’s job is the need to put things in a presentation format and present it. Almost everyone finds it a chore and wishes he were better at it. And many people are told specifically that they need to improve if they want to progress. Look no further. For a person who seeks to learn, I’ve put down seven important points below:

(1) Use Pyramid Structure:

How do we remember telephone numbers? We group them. 773-399-0773. Any grouping of ideas is easier to comprehend if it arrives presorted into its pyramid. This suggests that every slide should be deliberately structured to form a pyramid of ideas.

(2) Need for Logic:

It is not enough simply to group ideas or bullets in a logical way in a slide without also stating to yourself what the logic of the relationship is. This means that instead of remembering bullets, you remember bullet categories into which bullets fall. As a presenter, you are thinking one level of abstraction higher, because thought-transfer is at a higher level.

(3) Order Top Down:

Controlling the sequence in which you present your ideas is the single most important act necessary to presenting. The clearest sequence is always to give the summarizing idea before you give the individual ideas being summarized. And, the individual ideas better be well-thought to answer in advance any questions audience may have. In other words, first the conclusion - like a newspaper headline - then the beef.

(4) Create an Image to Recite Story:

Tell a story. If you can’t tell, at least please do not orally state what is on the slide. Audience can read on their own.

“Near the end of March 1845 I borrowed an axe and went down to the woods by Walden Pond, nearest to where I intended to build my house, and began to cut down some tall, arrowy white pines, still in their youth, for timber..it was a pleasant hillside where I worked, covered with pine woods, through which I looked out on the pond, and a small open field in the woods where the pines and hickories were springing up. The ice in the pond was not yet dissolved, though there were some open spaces, and it was all dark colored and saturated with water.” - Henry David Thoreau

As you took Thoreau’s words, did you not build up a sort of mental picture in your mind, to which you added details as you took in successive phrases and sentences? Malcolm Galdwell (“The Tipping Point,” “Blink”) is a persuasive orator. In fact his presentation at SXSW 2005 is rated on par with Steven Jobs’ Mac introduction of 1984 or Gore’s emotive presentation of global warming. People love Malcolm because he is a story teller. He doesn’t lecture; he paints a picture. With simple colors. He does more with less.

(5) The Power of Pause:

Even if you memorize your speech, force yourself to pause. Never utter hmms and aahs. Just pause. It’s profound. Even if you don’t lose your breath, please pause. Even an ordinary address seems elegant with the power of pause.

(6) Fail to Plan is Plan to Fail:

Mark Twain once said, “It takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” It makes sense to practice your presentation with a tape recorder and in front of a mirror.

(7) Body Talks more than the Tongue:

Use your limbs as you modulate your tone. Be passionate. Stretch your limbs. Ooze energy. Get audience motivated. Walk around. Involve the audience. Leave handouts.

Legendary American rock band, Sonic Youth, performed the...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 01:16:48 -0400

Legendary American rock band, Sonic Youth, performed the greatest art-punk statement, which regrettably may have been their final concert ever.

FRANZ BOAS: THE FOUNDING FATHER OF AMERICAN...

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:56:00 -0400

FRANZ BOAS: THE FOUNDING FATHER OF AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGY

“The value of anthropology impresses us with the relative values of all forms culture, for we are only too liable to consider that our civilization is the ultimate goal of human evolution, thus preventing us the benefits to learn from the teaching of others. My whole outlook about life is: How can we recognize the shackles that tradition has laid upon us? Because when we recognize them, we are also able to break them.” — Franz Boas

IDEA HOPPER FOR DIGITAL MARKETING SUCCESS

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:42:00 -0400

IDEA HOPPER FOR DIGITAL MARKETING SUCCESS

A DOCUMENTARY ON MOTORHEAD

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:21:00 -0400

A DOCUMENTARY ON MOTORHEAD

INSIGHTS INTO DIGITAL TRENDS AND INITIATIVES

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:40:00 -0400

INSIGHTS INTO DIGITAL TRENDS AND INITIATIVES

WHAT IS BRANDING?

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:15:00 -0400

WHAT IS BRANDING?

DIGITAL BRANDING

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:46:00 -0400

DIGITAL BRANDING

ADS REVIVE DEAD FACTS TO LIFE

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:34:00 -0500

ADVERTISEMENTS ARE WHERE we first start to receive the basic grasp of the world’s meaning. But at a deeper level, it’s just that rushing river of advertisements or endorsements in the commercials that determined our desires, toys, games, and sugar cereals. As a celebration to the the creative advertisements that has defined our consumption in our everyday lives at work or home, this section glorifies them:

Most Memorable Viral Advertisements of 2011

https://isudio.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/2011-top-ten-memorable-viral-commercials

Most Hilarious Beer Advertisements

http://isudio.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/man-and-his-beer/

Most Hilarious Mobile Telephony Advertisements

http://isudio.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/best-mobile-phone-commercials

Most Raunchy TV Advertisements

http://isudio.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/sexual-appeal-in-tv-advertising

CLASSIFICATION OF THE SOCIAL WEB

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

CLASSIFICATION OF THE SOCIAL WEB

MAN AND HIS BEER When Coca Cola, a carbonated beverage, can...

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

MAN AND HIS BEER

When Coca Cola, a carbonated beverage, can force mental associations to happiness, fun, and ‘real thing’ through their commercials featuring cute polar bears, beer marketers after all should be allowed to create even stronger impact through ostentatious metaphors. After reviewing 100s of global beer commercials in the past 3-5 years, most advertisements, however, were found to repeat the very same elements of hilarity, sexual innuendoes, sports, and other hackneyed attributes that defines man and his beer in their myriad commercials. In this digital age of abundance when human attention has become so scarce, brand consultants, advertising agencies, product/category directors and managers struggle to differentiate brand and communication strategies. Why don’t beer advertisements strive for some differentiation then? Do sex, fun, sports, girls, and humor form long-term emotionally charged relationships and loyalty with beer drinkers? The advertisers may argue why overhaul this grand strategy if this is working. But, is this undifferentiated communication strategy employed by all beer manufacturers really working? Working or not, the video clip presented may keep you warm this winter.

Using tradeoff mechanism (ACA™), MBA students from select b-schools around the world ranked the top 30 beer commercials of all time. Though a few beer companies (Budweiser, Heineken, Miller) had multiple commercials, we eliminated to choose the most popular one per firm. The top 30 is presented in alphabetical order. Which advertisement is your favorite three?

SOCIAL MARKETING ROADMAP

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:45:00 -0400

SOCIAL MARKETING ROADMAP

TYPOLOGY OF SOCIAL NETWORK RELATIONSHIPS

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 20:52:00 -0500

TYPOLOGY OF SOCIAL NETWORK RELATIONSHIPS

DISPELLING THE MYTHS OF BRANDING

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:47:00 -0400

BUSINESS TODAY FACE shortage of customers, not shortage of goods. This is not a new problem; we faced a similar snag in the 1930s. When businesses project sales growth more than what the total market is growing, it results in excess capacity. Branding is the only answer at such times of overcapacity and hyper competition. Despite the recognition that brand equity is the single most valuable asset that translates into higher sales volume and higher profit margins, I observe that branding is still a vastly misunderstood subject. It’s about time to dispel the myths about brands and branding, and know what it really means:

1. Branding is not marketing.

Ted Levitt once said, “the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous.” The aim of branding is to make marketing superfluous. Branding starts even before a product exists or a customer is won. Branding is the very beginning; selling is the ending. Branding is a promise, a solemn pledge derived from the heart of a robust, workable business strategy.

2. Branding is not advertising.

Advertising is a paid form of communicating value delivered through media outlets by an identified sponsor. Unlike advertising, branding is not a mere interruption of culture; it is the very cultural infrastructure upon which a business is built. Branding the face of a business strategy that dictates how value of a product or service should be communicated in the consumer ecosystem.

Advertising does not build brands. Advertising only calls attention to a brand. But, brands are built holistically. Brand building is an orchestration of a variety of tools from myriad disciplines used to systematically plan, implement, and control the alignment of identity, image, and culture.

3. Branding does not help production and operations.

Instead, manufacturing should help in branding. Production is granted. Business can outsource manufacturing very easily, but it can never outsource branding or marketing. We live in a consumption economy, and everyone in the firm should be concerned about the decisions made which will impact the customer.

4. Branding is difficult to learn.

It barely takes a day to learn - ask my MBA students. Perhaps, it takes a lifetime to master. Branding has been around for centuries as a means to mark cattle and distinguish them by the owners of livestock. Branding will be around forever as long as man has mind, emotion, and memory. It just may not be the same way you learned it.