‘Come on, let’s take a selfieeeee!’

What do hipsters, tourists and that Instagram addicted friend we all know, have in common? They all seem to take pictures of almost anything, making them seem very uninterested their surroundings and, even worse, in you. Seem. Because recent research shows the exact opposite might be the case. 

In the last decade, psychologists have uncovered many fascinating spillover effects of television genres making people more susceptible to different forms of advertising. A block of commercials isn’t processed in isolation. Instead, it’s tightly connected to the thoughts and feelings activated by the previous show, movie, news story and surrounding ads. This knowledge is solid gold for advertisers, as it allows them give their commercials an extra edge when buying media time.

The rainforests in South America are being inhabited by several species of brightly colored frogs. These frogs are often poisonous and the bright colors serve as a warning to predators not to eat these frogs, because otherwise they might become sick or worse. So in this case, the information that the color conveys is very important for the survival of both the frog and the potential predator. Colors are all around us. Every object you will ever see has color and this is therefore one of the most important visual cues we have. Color conveys a lot of important information about the world around us and some of this information has interesting implications for the design of your call to actions and products.

Did you read Barry Schwartz’ book The Paradox of Choice - Why More is Less? If not, this sentence is your executive summary:

There is such a thing as having too much choice

There are many scientific studies on the subject. Some find having more choice enhances consumers’ assortment evaluation and increases purchase likelihood. Others conclude more choice negatively effects satisfaction and, again, purchase likelihood. 

When do we help someone? Helping is something social, and we often need help from others. Maybe you want help from a colleague on a rapport that’s due this Friday or maybe you want your children to clean their own mess up. Or maybe you want visitors on your website to fill out a Usabilla, Qualaroo or Hotjar survey. The point is, we need help from others and we don’t like asking for help, because it basically says that we’re not competent enough to perform the task on our own. Neuromarketing to the rescue!