A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research study demonstrates just how well gamification – specifically, the tracking of streaks – can spur repeat behavior.

The online debate over the benefits of purpose marketing continue with Andrew Tenzer’s column in Marketing Week. It also is a useful discussion about research design.

The Library of American Broadcasting at the University of Maryland has created a virtual exhibit that highlights the history of broadcast jingles. It’s called “The Lost Art of Jingle Writing.”

Sometimes brands want to reflect the emotions and associations people already have with a product category, but other times a brand can use those category insights to figure out where not to go.

Most parents name their children after family members or famous people, or they simply find a name that just sounds nice coming off the tongue. But now you can name your child after a lamp.

Some marketing experts have been highly critical of San Pellgrino’s new can.

James Forr of OZ recently spoke at the ARF’s AudiencexScience Conference about “The A-B-4Cs of Winning Advertising.” He discussed how using metaphor to illustrate a product attribute (even an otherwise mundane attribute) can be a powerful communication tool.

Thanks to OZ’s Joe Plummer for sending a summary of a Journal of Consumer Research article that discusses the art of sticking to a boring task. The key is distraction.

The power of visual imagery is central to what we do at OZ – a metaphor or an image can tell an entire story with no words required.

New research published in the Journal of Consumer Research suggests that scientific claims are fine for selling utilitarian products, but not so good for selling products that bring pleasure.

Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett comments in Scientific American about the supposed correlation between facial expressions and emotions.

Adweek features a story about Oatly’s clever positioning and marketing strategy. It is behind a paywall, so if you don’t subscribe, here is the dumbed-down version.

Today at the IIEX North America Conference, we will discuss our ZMET research into minds of sustainability innovators. One of the points emerging from the research is that for sustainability to take root in an organization, it must be perceived as a contributor to the company’s bottom line, not charity work that can be jettisoned whenever times get tough.

The brilliant Under the Influence podcast recently featured two episodes about “Don’t Do It” advertising. It discusses examples of campaigns that have successfully convinced people not to do something.

It is difficult to ask consumers to predict what they will do in the future. Well, you can ask. But you won’t necessarily receive an accurate answer, especially when people don’t have any context for predicting that future.

The authors apply their research to hypothesize about the surprisingly successful Ukrainian resistance. They argue that, in Ukraine, children grow up hearing bedtime stories about characters who persevere against long odds. They follow a classic Hero’s Journey, using their savvy and persistence to emerge triumphant.

Imagine you were PlayStation and you had the insight that people use games, in part, to escape from the drudgery of everyday existence. How would you bring that to life in an ad?

Just like you’re not you when you are hungry…you’re not you when you are on your phone. (Or maybe you are.)

Ukrainians are proving themselves to be skilled communicators, and they have mobilized nearly the entire world around their cause.

Under the category of “Words Matter”…. YouGov recently ran a poll that revealed that only 37% of Americans agree that “K-12 schools should be allowed to mandate vaccines for their students.”