“Culture is the collective programming of the mind.”  - Geert Hofstede

A world of symbols

What makes us all so interesting to researchers and marketers is our enquiring mind, and nothing shows this more vividly than the web of beliefs and ideas that we have created to make meaning from the complexity of the world around us. A very important part of this framework is the vocabulary of signs and symbols that help remind us of our link to the world and each other. Read more »

“I’m working on a dream
Though sometimes it feels so far away
I’m working on a dream
And how it will be mine someday”  - Bruce Springsteen

Working on a dream

The American Dream is deeply embedded in the dreams of many, and for a few lucky people has been played out for real. It is the heart of the national ethos of the United States including the promise of the possibility of wealth and success for all, based on their equality at birth and their inalienable right to the ‘pursuit of happiness’ as written into the country’s constitution. This theme comes up in classic American literature of Mark Twain, Hunter S. Thompson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Arthur Miller and many more. It’s even written into the title of Barack Obama’s biography, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. Read more »

Gold fingers

The theme of gold is embedded throughout the story of Goldfinger in the naming of characters (Auric Goldfinger), the central plot to irradiate Fort Knox, a golf game with a gold bar at stake and even in the manner of death of Jilly Masterson who is covered in gold paint to suffocate her skin. [Even if Mythbusters say this is not possible, it doesn't spoil the story!] It was also the first Bond film to receive an Oscar (for best sound effects editing).

Even before gold hit its current record price (reflecting its relatively stability of value versus the instability of most man-made currency), gold has been a potent symbol for thousands of years, due to its rarity and also its colour which is similar to that of the sun.  It has been valuable and highly sought-after for coins, jewelry and other arts as long as humans have written and has been a standard basis for monetary systems and policies throughout history too. Alchemists (including Isaac Newton) spent time and money trying to find the secret of converting base metals (eg lead) into gold.

Although gold is really only a coloured shiny metallic material, with a dictionary definition of ‘yellow, non-rusting, malleable, ductile metal element’, it means much more than this.

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Over seven (and more) coming articles we will explore the basic plots outlined in Christopher Booker’s classic book.  The first of these is “Overcoming the monster”.

Dragons and ogres

Every culture has it’s stories of overcoming the monster, such as the English myth of George and the Dragon (perhaps the dragon is usually more fearsome than the one in the picture above). In The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker discusses many examples of this plot including the original story of all which is the Epic of Gilgamesh. Overcoming the monster is the basic plot for Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk and other childhood fairy tales, Greek legends such as many episodes from Homer’s poems and of course Perseus and Theseus, as well as Beowulf (based on an old English poem), Dracula and The War of the Worlds as well as the films High Noon, Jurassic Park, The Magnificent Seven and The Three Musketeers (to name a few). Read more »

“God created man in order to tell stories.” – Hasidic saying, quoted by Franz Kafka

Where did stories start?

In The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker charts the history of stories and where he believes that they have gone wrong in the last 200 years, after outlining seven archetypal plots in detail with a rich array of examples. It’s a long and fantastic read, despite some flaws, which will enrich anyone interested in stories in any form (for example, there are many movie examples). Read more »

“Who are you going to believe: me or your own eyes?”  - Groucho Marx

In About Face, Dan Hill makes a clear and compelling argument for the use of emotion in advertising and it’s power to drive changes in behaviour. The book is full of useful examples and anecdotes and some statistics too. In one study by Omnicom, emotional engagement with customers resulted in 20% higher return on investment than mere awareness in advertising.  In another review by Pringle and Field (based on 880 case studies from the UK’s Institute of Practitioners Advertising Effectiveness Awards), ‘soft sell’ ads that inspire strong emotional responses in their audience make more money (almost twice as much as ‘hard sell’ ads with more fact-based and rational arguments). And more emotional ads also reduced price sensitivity, created greater differentiation and were more important in more mature markets. Read more »

The evolution of emotions

Although some key emotions can be clearly seen on our faces (read more here), our emotional lives are complex and intricately bound into the behavioural strategies we have evolved over thousands (perhaps millions) of years to improve our chances of survival and success. Each emotion tells a story about our immediate goals, our perception of the context we find ourselves in, and our interpretation of the events in our lives. Read more »

CNBC have an interesting slide show (click here) and article on Growing Trends for Chinese Consumers and it’s worth sharing them even though some are well known (some are more surprising). The trends are macro-economic, and provide insights into the changing Chinese marketplace and consumer. Read more »

I have just watched Short Cuts again, one of my favourite films directed by the great Robert Altman (The Player, M.A.S.H., etc).  The movie is based on a series of nine short stories by Raymond Carver (plus a poem) with a total of 22 characters taking part in the the scenes.  While Carver’s original stories are all independent, Altman magically creates a movie which feels whole and complete, with many great performances (who can’t fail to love a movie with Lyle Lovett and Tom Waits in the cast as well as a long list of Hollywood ‘A’ list stars).   Above all he achieves the unity by subtly forging a series of links between the different stories and scenes.  The different scenes provide a vivid representation of the randomness and chance of life and also of the sometimes surprising connections that exist between different people. Read more »

“To express yourself as you are is the most important thing.”  - Shunryu Suzuki

Bathhouse presentations

In his latest book on presenting, Garr Reynolds urges presenters to get naked and focus on the natural behaviour which can help establish a personal connection with an audience despite the technology, tools and effects which can sometimes create a barrier between you and others.  This means being direct, honest and clear with your audience, focusing on the core of your message and stripping away unnecessary distractions and irrelevant information, in the same way that we all stood up for our ‘show and tell’ at school without the encumbrance of powerpoint and other distractions. Read more »