How to Shape Human Behavior

advertising, behavioral economics, cognitive bias, communication, copywriting, cream cheese, douglas van praet, foodie, heuristics, influence, manipulation, marketing, persuasion, propaganda, sales ambassador, social networking

One of the greatest threats we face is simply put – bullshit. We’re drowning in it. We’re drowning in rhetoric that is just true enough not to be a lie. Bob Hoffman on The Golden Age of Bullshit citing speechwriter John… Read More

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, bob hoffman, communication, copywriting, influence, john lovett, marketing, misconceptions, persuasion, propaganda, public relations, speech writing

Rather than simply stating the facts most advertisers typically embed their message into creative contextual devices that evoke feelings and bypass rational resistance. This is why advertisers use stories, poems, slogans, songs, jokes, pictures, symbols, characters, roles, and… Read More

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, cognitive bias, communication, competitive advantage, consumers, customer relationship, douglas van praet, graphic design, heuristics, illustration, influence, manipulation, marketing, metaphor, music, packaging design, persuasion, photography, poetry, product design, propaganda, storytelling, web design

We make assumptions about the world around us based on sometimes incomplete or false information. Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Joshua Smith

behavioral economics, cognitive bias, consumers, customer relationship management, heuristics, influence, misconceptions, persuasion, propaganda, simon sinek

The conscious mind will leap to conclusions, forming a coherent narrative based upon partial information. This strong tendency to draw conclusions from incomplete information is a cognitive rule called ‘what you see is all there is.’ Consistency and… Read More

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, branding, cognitive bias, communication, consumers, creativity, customer loyalty, daniel kahneman, douglas van praet, emotional branding, graphic design, heuristics, influence, manipulation, marketing, mind control, persuasion, propaganda, social media, storytelling, unconscious

Confidence depends on the quality of the story they can tell. So it’s not surprising that one of the hottest new forms of advertising is ‘Branded Content.’ Increasingly advertisers are choosing to spend their investments often in the… Read More

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, blogging, branding, communication, consumers, customer loyalty, customer relationship management, daniel kahneman, douglas van praet, emotional branding, entertainment, influence, manipulation, marketing, music, persuasion, photography, propaganda, storytelling, videos, vimeo, web design, youtube

We are convinced by advertising based on consistency and coherence, not the quality and quantity of information. The best ad campaigns involve a simple clear emotionally evocative idea repeated over and over again. Less is in fact more…. Read More

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, branding, business model, communiation, competitive advantage, douglas van praet, emotional branding, influence, manipulation, marketing, misconceptions, persuasion, propaganda, unconscious

Manipulation works. Every manipulative tactic can indeed help influence behavior and help a company become quite successful. But there are trade-offs. Not a single one of them breeds loyalty. Over the course of time, they cost more and… Read More

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Joshua Smith

advertising, behavioral economics, brand loyalty, branding, business model, cognitive bias, competitive advantage, consumers, dark patterns, emotional branding, heuristics, influence, loyalty, manipulation, persuasion, propaganda, sales ambassador, seo, seo optimized, simon sinek, web design

Manipulative techniques have become such a mainstay in American business today that it has become virtually impossible for some to kick the habit. Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Joshua Smith

addiction, advertising, business model, industry analysis, manipulation, misconceptions, persuasion, propaganda, sales ambassador, simon sinek

It appears that the conscious mind recognizes what it has seen before and, because it is familiar, can process it more fluently, which creates the feeling of liking something more. Unconscious familiarity breeds affection! Consumer.ology by Philip Graves

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Joshua Smith

cognitive bias, communication, competitive advantage, consumers, customer loyalty, customer relationship management, graphic design, heuristics, illustration, influence, liking, manipulation, packaging design, persuasion, philip graves, product design, propaganda, repetition, web design

People watching a televised political debate were heavily swayed by what they believed other people thought about the candidates’ performance. Consumer.ology by Philip Graves

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Joshua Smith