Buried in my usual Obama-heavy copy of Time magazine was a review of ‘buy.ology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy’ by Martin Lindstrom. Talk about digital direct marketing! The legendary marketing uber guru actually wired his guinea pigs to brain computers to see if there was a connection between religion and brand loyalty. Surprise, surprise – there was pretty much no difference in people’s reaction to either. From Pontiff to Pontin’s, they were tickled by the stimuli in the precisely the same way. Specific findings also included the fact that product placement doesn’t work – apparently viewers just tune it out unless it’s pivotal to the show; cigarette warnings actually encourage people to smoke – the craving spot in people’s brain is stimulated by the warning; Oh, and sex doesn’t sell, but controversies about sex do. Hello boys, indeed. Pseudo-scientific clap-trap? Maybe, but it’s further evidence that we’re going to have to keep throwing away the rule books - even the ones written last week. Don’t forget that this is the week that Ofcom publishes its report into the future of public service broadcasting and Lord Carter’s Digital report sets out the government’s thinking on how new technologies affect the industry. It's a brave new world and we’re the ones shaping it.
