Z-Files

This ad for the Indian jewelry company Tanishq has been taking India by storm. It is extremely daring by Indian cultural standards, featuring a bride preparing for her second marriage.…

The Cancer Society of FInland has created a new anti-smoking campaign called “Tobacco Body.”  It is an interactive (and somewhat graphic) website that depicts the consequences of smoking. Around the…

Fast Company features noted creative writing instructor Robert McKee, who explains how brands can tell better stories. One of the examples he uses also is one of our favorites –…

Would you rather be stressed or bored? The government shutdown prompted this article about the effects of boredom, an emotion that has received little attention in academic journals.  The research…

This study is a couple of years old but still relevant. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research suggests dieters react differently when a plate of pasta, onions,…

Unconscious bias apparently affects even our decision about what to recycle. This story on NPR explains that we are more likely to recycle full sheets of paper than paper that…

  Thanks to Jerry Olson for sending along this very metaphorical ad.  The client is a Russian driving school that gives lessons to everyone from teenagers to people who like…

Here is the latest from linguist and metaphor guru George Lakoff.  This column deals with the US response to the events in Syria.  Even if you’re not deeply engaged by…

This op-ed piece in the New York Times is focused on educational reform in the U.S.  However, its premise is just as applicable to market research. The writer, Stanley Fish,…

  Here is a discussion about characters in advertising and what makes them effective. The author argues that characters can be difficult to evaluate when initially putting them in front…

Here is an example of using clever in-store displays to help build a brand. The company is a small start-up called UrgentRx, which makes flavored, powdered medication that contain the…

  From the New York Times, an article about an interesting example of brand extensions.  Car companies that are extending their brands into strollers. I’ve seen Jeep strollers plenty of…