Title: The Subconscious Consumer
Target Audience:
Young, middle class adults of the public who are in their 20’s and early 30’s.
Aim:
To explore (and expose?) the subject of subliminal and emotional advertising that plays on the consumer’s subconscious (emotional) mind, to affect them to make snap and instinctive decisions without even being aware of them.
The power of somatic markers
We make hundreds of snap decisions each and every day. Yet so many of them happen deep within our subconscious, so fast and far below the surface we’re barely aware of them. In Buyology, you’ll read how companies plant instant shortcuts—or brand bookmarks—in our subconscious to help us decide what to (or what not to) buy. And yes, your brain too holds some of them and they’ve probably influenced everything from the make of the last car you decided to buy to the brand of coffee you brewed this morning.
My approach:
The power of somatic markers
We make hundreds of snap decisions each and every day. Yet so many of them happen deep within our subconscious, so fast and far below the surface we’re barely aware of them. In Buyology, you’ll read how companies plant instant shortcuts—or brand bookmarks—in our subconscious to help us decide what to (or what not to) buy. And yes, your brain too holds some of them and they’ve probably influenced everything from the make of the last car you decided to buy to the brand of coffee you brewed this morning.
Summary of Chapter 7, Buy-ology by Martin Lindstrom
My approach:
As most books that are written about this topic are written for marketers and advertisers, I intend to approach this topic in an informational, ‘Did you know?” kind of way for consumers. I don’t think I will raise any points or arguments in my report, but rather I would treat it more like a documentary that just states the facts of what’s going on.
Format: This report might take the form of a short animation or film.
Possible chapter headings
1) The subconscious mind – This chapter will introduce the subconscious and conscious mind and the science behind their roles in the decision making process.
2) Marketing tactics – This chapter will reveal certain strategies that companies employ to help consumers make those snap decisions of what to (or what not to buy)
3) Recognize this? – This chapter will contain case studies of actual companies and their tactics.
Action plan
- Find out how informed the target audience already is about this topic, so that the report will still be informative and interesting.
- I will mainly be reading Martin Lindstrom’s book, Buy-ology, to get more in depth with the topic, and also read Blink by Malcolm Gladwell to find similarities in their findings. I will also be looking a range of reading materials to get a broader perspective on the subject.
- I will also be looking at various short animations that have been produce to be informative, to look for different animation methods and styles that I can learn from.
Bibliography
Books
Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
Eye and Brain: The Psychology of Seeing by Richard L. Langton
Emotional Design by Donald A. Norman
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behaviour by Ori & Rom Brafman
WIRED Magazine June 2009
Films
Czech Dream
Format: This report might take the form of a short animation or film.
Possible chapter headings
1) The subconscious mind – This chapter will introduce the subconscious and conscious mind and the science behind their roles in the decision making process.
2) Marketing tactics – This chapter will reveal certain strategies that companies employ to help consumers make those snap decisions of what to (or what not to buy)
3) Recognize this? – This chapter will contain case studies of actual companies and their tactics.
Action plan
- Find out how informed the target audience already is about this topic, so that the report will still be informative and interesting.
- I will mainly be reading Martin Lindstrom’s book, Buy-ology, to get more in depth with the topic, and also read Blink by Malcolm Gladwell to find similarities in their findings. I will also be looking a range of reading materials to get a broader perspective on the subject.
- I will also be looking at various short animations that have been produce to be informative, to look for different animation methods and styles that I can learn from.
Bibliography
Books
Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
Eye and Brain: The Psychology of Seeing by Richard L. Langton
Emotional Design by Donald A. Norman
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behaviour by Ori & Rom Brafman
WIRED Magazine June 2009
Films
Czech Dream
Jason Kang
I think this is really well written so far, it makes sense and is concise.
ReplyDeleteYou are still using 'I' though!
Amy
Yea, this was done for last friday. I'm working on the 2nd draft at the moment, (and i've taken out all the I's..haha), but i think im still finding it hard to get my writing up to the word count, always have!
ReplyDeleteany advice?
i'll try to upload the 2nd draft as soon as possible..
Hi Jason,
ReplyDeleteThis looks solid. I think you’re nearly there – you need to considerably expand your bibliography and range of sources if the aim of your report is to pull lots of material on this subject together in one place as a documentary.
Also I think you need to include a chapter that deals with your own findings. You state in your action plan, “Find out how informed the target audience already is about this topic, so that the report will still be informative and interesting.” You could do a series of focus group activities where you could collect primary research into a certain target audience to test whether the theory holds true.
This would raise your report to another level from a ‘Did you know’ to a “Did you know and here’s the proof!” You would be adding to the debate instead of restating it.
Hope that helps,
drn