Z-Files

Image: Sketchplanations I saw an article about ablaut reduplication and it made my heart go pitter-patter.It sounds boring, but I’m not going to be wishy-washy about it -- this is no flim-flam.…

Why are bronze medalists so happy?Andrea Luangrath, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Iowa, and her colleagues recently replicated a 1995 study that suggested Olympic bronze medalists demonstrate greater happiness on…

Unsplash / Quinten de Graaf William Wrigley started out in the soap business. When a vendor placed a large order of soap, he would throw in some free chewing gum…

Scotland is one of the few nations in which Coca-Cola is not the leading brand of carbonated soft drink. Instead, the leader in that country is Irn-Bru (pronounced “Iron Brew”).…

Would you donate an organ to someone you have never met?A new tool from Montefiore Health System in New York combines technology, psychology, and storytelling to help those in need…

An article at Fast Company discusses why marketers should consider breaking traditional semiotic rules when choosing colors for their new brands or brand relaunches.For example, as the author mentions, blue…

Image credit: Unsplash/Louis Maniquet We often say that all people think in images.  New research suggests that virtually all people think in images – probably upwards of 99%.  But there…

Last summer, a Z-Files focused on brand nicknames – “Tar-zhay” instead of Target.  “Mickey D’s” instead of McDonald’s. Brands often fight these consumer-inspired nicknames but resistance is usually futile. Once…

Caroline Silla from OZ recently shared the details of a discussion she had with a friend about why Pfizer (and not Moderna) is considered “the hot person vaccine.”Caroline’s own rationale…

According to Adweek, Domino’s is bringing back The Noid, the evil mascot that was the face of the brand from 1986-95, and which subsequently has made random appearances here and…

Dr. Barbara Kahn from Wharton has released a new and expanded version of her book, The Shopping Revolution, which I look forward to reading. Here she enumerates the four keys to retail success.Great…

The delightful Under the Influence podcast from the CBC is all about the history and background of great ad campaigns.  Its most recent episode is titled “Air Quotes: Creative Radio…