Many of you have probably heard of the gestalt theory. Gestalt, by definition, is an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts. There are two ways our mind uses this theory: when we read text, and when we see visual elements. (more…)

After recently re-reading Aldous Huxley’s classic novel, Brave New World, it was timely to read the Questions for Jonah Lehrer interview in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, as he has just written How We Decide, a book on how we make decisions. I got to thinking about our understanding of the human brain and the use of that knowledge in marketing. In another post, I’ll chat about behavioral economics, but in this post, as it is the end of the year and there is the surfeit of “Books of 2008″ lists, allow me to note just a few books related to this topic that I think would be inspiring and to ask you to provide your own suggestions. (more…)

Competition–any healthy competition–is good, right? It keeps us on our toes. It pushes us to our limits. It makes us faster thinkers, smarter, and a lot of times even makes us richer. Who doesn’t want all of those things? (more…)

Great article in the New York Times today (Do you want to “Friend” a Detergent?). It speaks to the difficulty for brand managers of using social media to promote their brands … or their incompetence in doing so and, in fact, of trying to do so.

Ted McConnell, the manager of interactive marketing and innovation at P&G, is quoted as saying “I don’t want to be best friends with a brand. Its just stuff.” McConnell’s suggestion is, by and large, that brands frequently assume that the large number of people on Facebook and other like social media applications can be segmented into their customer base or target audience and approached via that medium. However, they seem to ignore the reason why their consumer or target audience is on Facebook in the first place, which is to maintain a conversation with their real friends. It is not to be talked at by brands.

Of course, some brands align neatly with social media as a mechanism for brand expression and conversation. But many don’t. Its just another bad attempt at brand extension, trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

At last Friday’s Midlands Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 2008 Awards breakfast ceremony, Drew Embury, the Young Business Person of the Year, spoke about his success and the excellent growth of his business, P&L Technology.

In explaining his success, he talked about their exhaustive attention to fulfilling the company’s brand promise. Consistently aligning P&L Technology’s business practices with their brand promise resulted in satisfied clients and satisfied employees.

At dd|a, we preach the value and ROI of aligning business thinking with the organization’s brand, especially the “operationalizing” of that brand within the business (see the fabulous book, “Building the Brand Driven Business” by Scott Davis and Michael Dunn).

We are thrilled to see that concept exemplified so successfully. Bravo Drew.

[In the interests of ego, I would declare that I was honored with one of the 40 Under 40 awards this year, hence my attendance at the breakfast. So, err, well done me and all of my fellow honorees!]

What the world’s greatest composers are noted for, so are we! Omaha Symphony’s Music Director, Thomas Wilkins, was interviewed on KIOS. In a conversation about Berlioz and Mozart, Wilkins spoke about the transcendent beauty created by these great composers, who illustrated that emotion alone has no integrity and intellect alone has no art. It is that amazing synergy between the two that produces moments that arrest the human spirit.

Our branding process may not have the acclaim of Mozart or Berlioz, but we certainly engage the symbiosis of science and art in developing stunning brands.

I was at a brand conference recently and heard Dan Hill give the keynote address about emotionomics, facial coding and innate human physical reactions. We know that people say one thing, but may feel differently or behave in a manner inconsistent with what they have told us. That is a minefield for sellers seeking to connect with their consumers.

Dan Hill spoke about the need to tap into consumers’ unconscious feelings in order to understand how to truly connect with them. His premise is based upon the non-verbal, instinctive physical cues that humans inevitably provide in response to situations, especially those cues in facial expressions due to the unique physiognomy of the human face. Consider the fact that there are a number of innate behaviors that are not socially developed, such as the tendency of a baby of any cultural background to smile and recognize smiles, or that people blind from birth also instinctively know how to smile. (more…)

One of the key reasons that I am a strong brand designer and consultant is my intense passion for, and loyalty to, the brands I love and those I work for. 

You can pry my iPhone or my Mac from my cold, dead fingers! 

Unless it’s an Omaha Steak, it’s flavorless shoe leather! 

No lady – Diet Pepsi is absolutely NOT okay!!!

But I have a big secret. And with this post, I’m completely out of the closet. My first – and still one of my strongest brand connections is to a freakin’ furry cartoon character. Strange but true. I confess my soulful adoration for Bugs Bunny. Yup. The irreverent nonchalant hare is one of my true heros. (more…)

A fun survey of Presidential nominees brand associations was published by Landor Associates and Penn, Schoen & Berland on October 21. While I did not feel the brands associated with the candidates reflected my own views of which brand I would associate with each candidate, the exercise was a good reminder of the power of brand archetypes. A more considered perspective was that of Robert Draper’s piece, The Making (and Remaking and Remaking) of the Candidate, in The New York Times Magazine’s October 26 issue, regarding the shifting sands of McCain’s campaign narrative. In either case, what is compellingly evident is that Presidential politics are an excellent illustration of the power of associating an iconic story with the person. (more…)