Tag Archives: advertising

You Know That Sex Sells. Do You Know Why?

Posted on September 26, 2013 by Ryan Howell

Have you ever wondered why certain brands seem to add attractive models, for what appears no good reason? Well, here’s why. Take a look at this picture: You may not realize this, but this photograph will make you take more … Continue reading →

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Commas and Cents: Why $1,999.00 is More Than $1999

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Kerry

Try this at home… read the following numbers aloud: 1900 1,900 Notice anything funny? If you are like most people, you read the comma-less 1900 as “nineteen-hundred” and the comma’d 1,900 as “one thousand nine-hundred.” Also, notice that the first (1900) … Continue reading →

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It’s a boy! On The Developmental Biology of Your… Car?

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Kerry

One of Volkswagen’s promotional billboards for the latest version of their popular Beetle proclaimed, “It’s a boy!” in reference to the new styling the car sported for 2012. That would seem to suggest that perhaps the model prior to 2012 … Continue reading →

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Persuasion

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Kerry

Last week’s blog entry described a series of studies conducted by Professor Robert Cialdini and colleagues, which demonstrated one of the means by which we are persuaded. Professor Cialdini’s work also illuminated a variety of other means by which we … Continue reading →

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A Room With a Viewpoint, or, Who “We” Are Depends Upon What I Think You Know

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Kerry

If you have stayed in hotels at all in the last 10 or so years, you have probably noticed the placards in the bathroom requesting that you re-use your towels. If you’re like me, part of you thinks, “Sure, I … Continue reading →

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Older Really Is Wiser

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Kerry

Late-night TV advertisements often paint a picture of older adults as terminally bewildered. The advertisements depict seniors trying to make sense of their health care options, insurance plans, retirements accounts, etc. - and failing miserably. These TV seniors are invariably … Continue reading →

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Sticks and stones may break our bones, but some words make us materialistic!

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Kerry

Simply referring to people as “consumers” rather than “individuals” caused people to be less generous, accept less responsibility, and to view others as competitors rather than allies. Continue reading →

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The Price of (Other People’s) Fame

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Kerry

I have a drumstick — the musical kind, not the Kentucky Fried kind — that is 25 years old. I don’t play the drums, and I never have. The world is a better place for it. But knowing that I … Continue reading →

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All In the Family? Settling the (Materialism) Nature vs. Nurture Debate

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Ryan Howell

“They have succeeded in accumulating a greater mass of objects, but the joy in the world has grown less.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov Have you ever wondered what causes materialism? Do capitalist ideologies or advertising practices cause our … Continue reading →

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On The Origin of Cooties: The subtle and not-so-subtle influences on what we want and don’t want.

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Kerry

Some things are just disgusting. For the most part, we agree on what those things are. For instance, we don’t like others’ bodily fluids, and we don’t like decaying meat. Most of us are disgusted by crawling insects, too. Psychologists … Continue reading →

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