A recent study undertaken by Millward&Brown on behalf of the UK's Royal Mail wanted to understand if there were any differences in the communication effectiveness of physical (Print, Direct Mail etc) and virtual media (web, digital etc). The results were surprising...
As the report says...there was particular interest in understanding the emotional processing evoked by the different forms of media...
'The research strongly suggests that greater emotional processing is facilitated by the physical material than the virtual' 
It appears that physical material is more 'real' to the brain, it has a meaning and a place and becomes better connected to memory...
It is a fascinating study and one that should be considered by all media/creative agencies. Remember, advertising isn't just about 'reach' but also 'emotional connection'.
For the full Millard Brown case study go here Millward&Brown

Emotions in advertising not only make everything more interesting and memorable, but also help us, as consumers, form a bond with the advertiser. We've all seen funny ads, or tear jerkers...but how about 'creepy' or 'scary'...they're emotions right? But can they be used to sell something? Or change someone's mind? (Let's put political advertising to one side for the moment, that's a whole other ball game).
Have a look at this ad from the wonderful Californian Milk campaign...It's creepy and effective all in one!  http://youtu.be/YZ0x77RAOLE

Not only was it on the sign but the digital screen inside was the same... accidental funny signs make my day...

Digital News Content: To Pay or Not To Pay?

Here's an interesting analysis on the Guardian newspaper and its refusal to contemplate a paywall business model. The writer Gordon MacMillan explores the thinking behind it and how other publishers like The New York Times and The Times have approached this. It's a fascinating, ongoing and ultimately brutal debate:

http://wallblog.co.uk/2012/07/20/29419/ 

Creating talk. Generating Commerce© 

Too BUSY to innovate?

Now and then it's useful to dig into the archive of a favourite information source. In this instance an article published in 2008 by McKinsey & Company, the global management consulting firm. Through an interview with the director Brad Bird, who won 2 Oscars for Best Animated Feature with the Pixar films The Incredibles and Ratatouille, we are reminded that great ideas come from unexpected places. In a world of information overload it's become an expected auto-response that the minute you ask someone how they're doing the response is usually 'busy.' We constantly hear and experience busy people getting things done. Great. Unless what they're getting done is being busy without adding value or purpose. It can be an enjoyable exercise for all of us to sit back at times and ask those questions of both our clients and ourselves. If done without fear of the answers you'll get the best results. Are there ways we can all be more innovative? Are there old ways of doing things, regardless of past success, that could be re-assessed? How are we harnessing and using creativity? These are not new questions but simply questions that we owe it to ourselves to ask. Give yourself permission to take a break from 'busy' and enjoy the read:

www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Innovation_lessons_from_Pixar_An_interview_with_Oscar-winning_director_Brad_Bird_2127

Creating talk. Generating Commerce©

News is…The brand is still alive

I'm currently in New York. And I gotta tell you the city is great (as always) but the free to air TV is crap. More specifically the ads. There's a caveat but I'll get to it in a moment. The ads can be broken down to 5 distinct categories: Death, Fear, Medications, Lawsuits  and Cars.  In other words, you need a funeral plan, someone is going to kill you if you don't  buy this product, you're gonna die if you don't buy this medication, you should sue someone because YOU DID buy this medication and here's a nice new shiny car that  will make you feel patriotic. Simple as that really. The trouble is, after watching TV for  a couple of hours, you feel completely drained.  I'm not kidding - one arthritis medication ad actually said this... 'x' can cause death, blindness, suicidal thoughts and liver failure. Up until the disclaimer I was sold. Then I was just scared.

However, once we moved into a better class hotel that had cable, the shows improved and so did the ads. The Geico 'Puppy' ad, the Audi 'My Dad's an alien'  and Volkswagen's '"Our door's have a firm slam'  were stand outs. Simple, involving, human insights that made me laugh and feel good about a product.  I felt part of the family. I wanted to be part of the family.  No fear and no scare mongering. Just wit.

Why can't all ads be this way?

Creating talk. Generating Commerce©