Category: Marketing
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The Academy Awards
Ahead of time, I correctly guessed 14 of the 21 Academy Awards granted today. That’s two-thirds, or 66%: not a good grade from an academic POV! But it’s also not bad. My movie sensibilities at least track with the people voting. Have I seen ALL of the movies nominated? No. Especially not the shorts. But…
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Pretend Experts
The “Age of Influencers” promises that you can learn from a plethora of experts and become one yourself. That’s why this article caught my attention. With AI, are we all becoming “pretend experts”? What is expertise? While AI may be “aware” of almost everything written about a given topic, is this the same as having…
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Why Do We Do What We Do?
Humans are complex. Both internal and external forces motivate us. I would like to understand better why we do the things we do. Here are some possibilities. We make decisions based on our Identities. If I think of myself as the kind of person who works out, I might be more motivated to exercise regularly.…
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Strong-Links and Weak-Links
After being introduced to the Experimental History blog, I found the article Science is a strong-link problem. I find this framework both interesting and useful. Here, I want to come up with more examples of “weak-link” and “strong-link” problems. I’m well aware that not all problems fit nicely into one category or the other. First,…
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Benefits of Profanity
Several studies show us the benefits of cursing. Here are a few examples from a CNN article. Apart from what the studies say, I’m curious about using profanity in marketing. Is it a good way to market a book? I’m guessing it is. I just purchased a book called Quantum Bullsh*t. I have no idea…
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Creative Work
It’s not a question of talent. It’s a question of timing. Some stories resonate more or less at different times. I wasn’t there for the Catcher in the Rye craze. But somehow, J.D. Salinger was there in the right place at the right time. He nailed it. Lots of people could relate to Holden Caulfield…
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Working with People
One of my talents is leading others. It’s also something I enjoy. I like getting a group of people together to do something amazing. There are two specific contexts that immediately come to mind. I’ve led students in a classroom (mostly teaching physics), and I’ve directed actors in the process of making movies. I LOVE…
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Stunts
Marketing stunts can be very effective. Just because someone does a great job marketing something doesn’t mean the thing being marketed has much value. Humans can be easily fooled by the hype. We’re fooled by displays of social proof. We’re fooled by empty promises. We live in a world where it’s not easy to get…
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Simplifying Frameworks
Humans are lazy. We don’t want to work harder than we need to. Especially when it comes to trying to understand something new. Much of what’s interesting in the world is nuanced. Simplifying frameworks help us “cut to the chase”. We use them at the expense of gaining a deeper understanding. For example, we often…
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Be Curious
Yesterday, I learned a bit more from the Original Series Tell a Great Story that Michael Lewis has on Masterclass. I was struck by the following quote that he shared. The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already, but the simplest…