The Science of "Neuromarketing"

It's no joke.

Scientists have teemed with advertisers to measure brain waves to see how good an ad is.

It's called "nueromarketing."

Everyone's in the Media Business

It's been an exciting week. From recording audio for a local brilliant furniture entrepreneur, to partnering with a singer marketing her own teaching CD, to emailing Dan Pink, the author of the world-changing book A Whole New Mind, to talking with a local creative firm about the changing industry, to this blog post from American Express, entitled "You're in the Media Business Now."

What does it mean that everyone is in the media business? John Battelle writes:

Today, I’ll assert, no matter what business you think you’re in – be it making widgets or providing a service, you’re now in the media business, plain and simple. Those that recognize this shift will succeed, those that ignore it will atrophy and eventually become irrelevant.

What everyone is talking about is the web, not just the web, but the evolution of the web and how it's changing communication. The furniture entrepreneur was talking about the enormous shifts in activity even since 2005. Battelle even goes far enough to say this:

The web provides a mediated experience between your business and your customer. If your offering on the web is satisfying your customer’s needs (even those your customers don’t know they had), it’s time to consider a major investment in the web media business. The Web already is - or will soon become - your most important customer satisfaction and service (and perhaps even sales) channel. You may be in the “making widgets business” now, but no matter what you do next, you’re going to be in the media business. All aboard!

Well said. All aboard.

Michigan: The Hollywood of the Midwest?

Local Grand Rapids station WOOD TV8 did a small story on the film industry in West Michigan, and people lobbying for the state to give large tax incentives to bring Hollywood productions here. You can read and watch it here.

The Grand Rapids Press also covered the story, and conducted a small poll, where 83 percent of 153 readers are in favor of Michigan granting tax breaks to filmmakers.

Rethinking Your Online Video

The online video research keeps on pouring in.

The NY Times has a new article entitled, "A D.I.Y. Approach to Making a Web Commercial," highlighting small businesses and video production companies that are partnering together to help small businesses communicate through online videos.

With online video, nearly every company has the chance to be heard--no longer is video confined to huge marketing campaigns and expensive ad budgets--it's about communicating through storytelling that's targeted to your audience.

DigiMarketing Video Insights

Watch the DigiMarketing video.

West Michigan ADDY Awards

On Thursday night, I attended the West Michigan ADDY Awards at Steelcase in Grand Rapids.

The show was impressive. There is a vibrant, talented creative community in Grand Rapids.

You can see the winners at the newly redesigned Ad Club website.

USA Today on Video E-Commerce

USA Today covered Barnes & Noble's launch into online video, but the most interesting part of the article is the impact of online video on e-commerce and retailers.

It's the latest salvo in what Internet Retailer editor Kurt Peters calls an "online video revolution" in retail. Websites use video to give shoppers new ways to interact with products and, of course, to boost sales.

How could online video boost your site (and sales)?