The Meditation App That Cracked TV Advertising's Code
Picture this: You're watching your favorite show when a commercial for Calm, the meditation app, comes on. But instead of jumping straight into product features, something unusual happens. The screen shows a simple instruction: "Take a deep breath in... hold it... now breathe out."
You actually do it. For those three seconds, you're not scrolling your phone or thinking about tomorrow's meeting. You're present. You're paying attention. That simple moment just increased your chance of remembering the Calm brand by 500%.
This isn't marketing magic. It's science. And the real shocker? These mindfulness cues don't just work for meditation brands, they boost recall even for completely unrelated products. It's about to change how you think about TV advertising forever.
Posted in Archive, Advertising
published on Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Visual stimulation plays a key part in how we experience food. Have you ever wondered why so many fast food restaurants use red in their color schemes? It is not a coincidence. It is science. Color is omnipresent in marketing, and for roughly 85% of people, color is a big factor in their decision-making process on whether to purchase or ignore a product.
From McDonald’s to KFC, the dominance of red in the designs of food establishments is not just about aesthetics. It is a clever psychological strategy. Studies reveal that ambient color plays a powerful role in shaping our decisions, especially in food settings. Red is a standout because compared to most other colors, it is highly influential.
In this article, we will dive into why red holds such influence over food preferences, unpack the psychology behind it, and share actionable tips for marketers and business owners looking to put this knowledge to work.
Posted in Archive, Strategy
published on Monday, 27 January 2025
When consumers adore a brand, they often give it a nickname—from "Rollie" for Rolex to "Beemer" for BMW. Marketers are eager to embrace this consumer-driven brand love and incorporate these nicknames in their marketing strategies to appear more relatable. This tactic is called “nickname branding” and marketers expect positive results from using it. But do brands benefit from this tactic, or does it backfire? While it might seem like a clever way to connect with customers, new research suggests it could have the opposite effect.
Posted in Archive, Strategy
published on Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Subtle details at the point-of-purchase can have a powerful sway on what we buy. Ever since Thaler and Sunstein coined the concept of nudging in their 2008 book Nudge, its underlying psychological principles have been quickly embraced by those seeking to influence consumer behavior.
Posted in Research, Archive
published on Tuesday, 31 December 2024
Have you ever been drawn to a product the moment you saw it? Perhaps it was the elegant curve of a chair, the seamless design of a phone, or a beautifully packaged luxury purse. That “instant attraction” isn’t a coincidence—it’s backed by science.
This phenomenon is explained by neuromarketing principles, which reveal that visual design doesn’t just appeal to our eyes—it activates the brain’s pleasure and reward centers, creating an emotional connection. Products that are visually appealing feel good to look at, making them more memorable and desirable. For marketers and designers, this insight is transformative: emotional engagement with a product significantly increases its likelihood of being purchased.
A recent study uncovered exactly how the brain responds to beauty in product design—and the results provide clear strategies for creating products that resonate on a deeper, emotional level.
Posted in Research, Archive
published on Tuesday, 17 December 2024
