onfocus

marketing a market research method: "ZMET...the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique....represents an unusual attempt to put some of the insights of neuroscience (along with generous helpings of semiotics and Carl Jung) to profitable use as a window into consumer attitudes..."

This New York Times article is selling ZMET for some reason, but it's definitely not unusual to blend psychology with marketing. All of the pros do it. Edward Bernays, the godfather of the PR industry, was Freud's nephew. He used his uncle's discoveries to help sell everything from World War I to cigarettes. I'm fascinated by Bernays because he's shaped much of our modern consumer culture but isn't widely recognized for doing so. And that's the way he wanted it.

Check out this somewhat eerie chapter about Bernays from the excellent book PR! by Stuart Ewen.

Great quote on my calendar today:

"The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something, and tell what it saw in a plain way...To see clearly is poetry, prophecy, and religion—all in one." - John Ruskin

The more you tighten your grip, RIAA, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. (Illuminating MeFi discussion of the new royalty rate for web radio.)

For some reason it doesn't seem possible that FTP was invented before I was born. (me: 1973. ftp: 1971.)

I managed to get one decent picture of the moon through the telescope.

I wish there was a test to determine which identity tests I should be taking. There are too many. I think learning which Backstreet Boy or piece of furniture I'm most like would give insights into my personality, but which tests would be most useful for a busy professional like me?

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<a href="http://www.onfocus.com/index.asp?xml=2002_02_01_past.xml#2638">pb at onfocus says</a>: I wish there was a test to determine which identity tests I should be taking. There are too many. I think learning which Backstreet Boy or piece of furniture I'm most like would give insights into my personality, but which tests would be most useful for a busy professional like me?

Thanks to a tip from an astronomy teacher friend, I found out it's a great time to check out the night sky. (I've also read about some strange astronomical events going on right now.) I broke out the telescope tonight and spent the evening in the backyard enjoying the clear skies and warm temperature. First I found Jupiter with its moons neatly lined up beside it. Then with some help from skp and some star maps, we found Saturn, rings and all. We all see this stuff on television and in pictures, but there's something satisfying about seeing it with your own eyes through your own effort. If you have a telescope, I hear tomorrow is supposed to be the best time to see Saturn this year.

the Onion (great as usual): "A new television commercial from General Electric, unveiled Tuesday, proudly trumpets the company's federally mandated cleanup of a river it polluted."

Mustard is blooming...

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OJR : Suits Target Carte Blanche Posting : "Employees, shareholders, and competitors granted the power to reach a large audience without being named, took the opportunity to discuss companies in ways the business world had never seen." This article is a warning for people who maintain websites that allow public comments. If someone says something bad about a company, the site owner could be hassled. Classic Old Way vs. New.

Watched the California republican gubernatorial candidates debate last night. Not a winner in the lot.

I picked up a reprint of an 1894 Sears Catalog for some reason. Besides the great engravings, it has some superlative ad copy. One road cart ad says in giant letters, "You won't break it. Rides very easy. Has no horse motion." Things haven't changed too much. Just throw in a couple of extra words like "dent resistant polymer" or "laser-welded suspension" and you have a modern car ad. I also like the relentless way some of the ads stop the readers from their regular shenanigans: "Don't say you can buy it as cheap elsewhere. Don't say you ever heard of such a bargain before. Tell the truth, acknowledge it's the most wonderful bargain you ever heard of." ok, ok, your horse cart rocks.