Author Archives: Mark Catterson
How many brands can you really be a fan of?
To better understand social media, it helps to look at social relationships, through the eyes of an anthropologist. In his research, Robin Dunbar discovered that because of cognitive limits, we humans can maintain no more than 150 relationships. What does Dunbar’s Number mean in the age of Facebook fans and Twitter followers? And how does this number affect brands competing for fans? Continue Reading…
What an artist can teach us about marketing
Maurizio Cattelan is a contemporary sculptor and artist. Most people outside of the art scene are probably unaware of him. But his recent exhibition had lessons for marketers about media and message. Continue Reading…
Changing behavior by adding F-U-N.
Marketers often try to motivate consumers by saying something is the right thing to do. Or the smart thing to do. A recent campaign shows that you can get much better results by adding another element: the fun thing to do.
We’ll start by focusing on one case history: VW in Sweden. It’s a classic campaign that started in 2009 and continues to this day. If you’ve seen the work already, it’s worth re-visiting. If you haven’t been to Stockholm recently, this should be new to you. Continue Reading…
Where good ideas come from
Steven Johnson is a popular science writer. For five years, he studied the history of innovation. He wondered whether there were recurring patterns of creativity that could be applied to our lives and our organizations. Johnson published his findings in a book,Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation. It was named one of the best books of 2010 by The Economist. Continue Reading…