I think Edward Tufte would have a heart attack if he saw this map of major trends for 2007 and beyond.
Given it’s festive season now, it’s probably time for a bit of fun. Nowandnext.com and Future Exploration Network have collaborated in producing a map of major trends for 2007 and beyond, across ten segments: society & culture, government & politics, work & business, media & communications, science & technology, food & drink, medicine & well-being, financial services, retail & leisure, and transport & automotive.
Read: Future Exploration Blog: Trend map for 2007 and beyond
Seth Godin on what kinds of ideas spread quickly: The Toxic & The Trivial. Things that are easy to talk about.
A quick look at Digg demonstrates that the easiest way to get Dugg is to have a trivial idea. And the easiest way to get noticed when you’re a politician is to do something that ruins your career forever…
Read: Seth’s Blog: The Toxic and the Trivial
Just a press release, but it describe a research study that studies how people use the internet to make purchasing decisions. Includes 3 types of purchasing considerations and 4 types of customers.
Released today, the “Long and Winding Road: The Route to the Cash Register” is the first research study to examine how cultural shifts brought about by the proliferation of technology have radically altered the way consumers make purchasing decisions. The study found that the Internet, along with related technologies like camera phones and text messaging, have given consumers a new kind of “social empowerment” as they gather information before they shop. More than two-thirds of shoppers across several product categories still make the bulk of their purchases at physical retail locations — yet nearly two-thirds (62%) use a combination of online and offline sources to gather information before they buy.
Read: Yahoo! - Press Releases
I’m frequently frustrated when I can’t easily find information like price, but it seems hiding the price can avoid an almost literal sensation of pain when it comes to pricing. While I’m aware of other research on pricing, such as the Disrupt and Reframe technique, and some work by Robert Cialdini on which to present first, the more expensive or the less expensive item (the less expensive item - since you “anchor” the higher price, the lower price seems even lower by comparison - infomercials exploit this all the time), this is the first time I’m seeing research into the neuroscience of pricing.
… research by Carnegie Mellon neuroscientist George Loewenstein and others showing that high pricing caused higher activation levels in a brain area associated with pain. High priced items which lit up the insula were less likely to be bought by the subjects in Loewenstein’s experiment.
In an interview with Loewenstein, he pointed out that techniques that disguise the price of an item, like “luxury packages” of automotive options that never identify how much you are paying for specific items like leather seats or the better stereo, effectively reduce the negative activation and increase the probability of purchase.
Read: Neuromarketing » Price Tag Psychology
Subliminal messages - for years science has wondered whether or not we could pick up on messages below the level of consciousness, and whether or not those messages could influence our behavior. While I believe the answer to both of those questions is an affirmative ‘yes,’ science hasn’t done much to demonstrate that this is possible. But we’re making progress.
Using fMRI, the study looked at whether an image you aren’t aware of — but one that reaches the retina — has an impact on brain activity in the primary visual cortex, part of the occipital lobe. Subjects’ brains did respond to the object even when they were not conscious of having seen it.
Dr Bahador Bahrami, of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and the UCL Department of Psychology, said: “What’s interesting here is that your brain does log things that you aren’t even aware of and can’t ever become aware of. We show that there is a brain response in the primary visual cortex to subliminal images that attract our attention — without us having the impression of having seen anything. These findings point to the sort of impact that subliminal advertising may have on the brain. What our study doesn’t address is whether this would then influence you to go out and buy a product. I believe that it’s likely that subliminal advertising may affect our decisions — but that is just speculation at this point.”
Read: ScienceDaily: Subliminal Advertising Leaves Its Mark On The Brain (via son of parnas)
Ontario gaming officials pulled 87 slot machines that appeared to show subliminal messages. How the they figured out there were subliminal messages in the game is still a mystery.
The games flash winning jackpot symbols at players for a fifth of a second, long enough for the brain to detect even if the players are not aware of the message, some psychologists told CBC News.
It’s not clear if messages are influencing gamblers’ behaviour. That would take further testing, experts said.
Whether or not this affected the behavior of those playing the games remains to be seen, but I suspect the machine’s manufacturer’s and vendors have some very interesting data.
Read: Ontario removes video slot machines flashing winning images (via Mind Hacks)
One of my buddies is fond of pointing out that Google has no business model beyond being the search king, but it seems to me that Google is in the business of getting eyeballs - they’ve got eyeballs on this site & that has nothing to do with being a search engine.
With this acquisition, Google shows that they’re willing to go to unconventional locations to get the eyeballs, including video games. While I know everyone thinks of Google as “context sensitive text ads” I’m pretty sure they’ll bring the right kinds of innovation to in-game advertising as well.
One of the problems I see facing in-game ads is that there’s zero chance that they used a Coke just because that’s what happened to be lying around the studio, which is what someone may think about a TV show or Movie - someone had to sit there & program in that soda can - it’s deliberate, not casual. Dialogue, however, may still be up fo grabs. And why couldn’t the fast food places in Grand Theft Auto have been real fast food places?
“There is a whole world of difference between the form of advertising done by Google and Madison Avenue,” one source familiar with the in-game ad business said, comparing Google’s familiar text-based ads to the rich media used in videogames. “While everyone appreciates the dollars Google can throw around, when it comes to [in-game ad] experience they just don’t have it.”
At the end of the day, what Google brings is a history of innovation & the ability to test ideas before solidifying them - a level of flexibility that just isn’t known in modern gaming.
Read: Google Agrees to Buy Adscape
Americans just don’t know how to do risque.
NSFW
watch: Obey The Suit (this one is an all time fave of mine)
watch: NEED DIRECTIONS?
Whenever I watch game shows and they ask people inane questions and they can’t get them, I never assume they’re idiots. Plenty of people have a hard time remembering things under pressure. Now we know that people have a hard time remembering things in most social situations.
Researchers from Indiana University found that people in a group setting exposed to brand information - such as an ad for Pizza Hut — have a hard time recalling the brand’s competitors. In other words, being around friends when deciding where to order takeout might cause you to forget completely about that local pizza place you’ve been wanting to try.
Being Around Friends Can Impair Your Memory
This is just way too freaking awesome.
read: Japanese Human Vending Machine - Gizmodo