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Are athlete endorsements worth it? The answer may surprise you.

Are athlete endorsements worth it? The answer may surprise you.

For professional athletes, endorsing brands and products is a second full-time job—and it sure can pay like one. Patriots QB Tom Brady makes nearly half of his income through endorsements, while NBA star Lebron James gets 60% of his income that way. (For tennis icon...

SPARK Neuro Cheat Sheet: Understanding Neuroanalytic Technology

SPARK Neuro Cheat Sheet: Understanding Neuroanalytic Technology

Subconscious emotions. Neural signals. Brainwaves. Mind-reading tech. It sounds like something out of science fiction.  But in the world of neuromarketing, it’s not only possible; it’s how many of today’s top brands make their most important creative decisions. The...

Effective Brand Mascots: What Neuroscience Can Teach Advertisers

Effective Brand Mascots: What Neuroscience Can Teach Advertisers

Have you ever looked at a car and thought it looked cute? Have you ever seen a cartoon character that gives you the creeps?  As it turns out, there’s a lot of psychology and neuroscience behind these emotions. Let’s start with an unusual example: this lamp. There’s...

A Recording Studio for Brains

A Recording Studio for Brains

Inside Spark Neuro’s futuristic neuroscience lab   A lot was running through my mind when they first hooked up my brain.   I’d heard about SPARK Neuro on Facebook and done a little digging to find out what exactly I’d have to do to earn “$75 in 75 minutes.”...

Effective Branding Moments Through a Neuroscience Lens

Effective Branding Moments Through a Neuroscience Lens

You don’t need us to remind you how expensive Super Bowl ads are – once per year, Americans gather to play judge in the high stakes game of “please remember our brand in 60 seconds or less.” Advertisers know the pressure is on: what’s the point of laying out all that...

Creating Tension to Entertain  and Persuade

Creating Tension to Entertain and Persuade

Comfort is a prized commodity.   We love to be comfortable. We pay a premium for a little extra legroom on flights, and splurge on all-inclusive resorts and spa packages. The success of Crocs is a case in point: we certainly don’t buy them for their aesthetic...

Show, Don’t Tell : The Art of “Nudge” marketing

Show, Don’t Tell : The Art of “Nudge” marketing

Nobody likes to be told what to do. But as it turns out, we love to be subtly directed to make choices.   I’m referring to the art of the “nudge”, a term coined by economist Richard Thaler and legal scholar Cass Sunstein in their book Nudge: Improving Decisions...

Why Humor is So Effective in Ads

Why Humor is So Effective in Ads

Using humor in advertising can be very effective, and is quite popular. Today, one out of every five ads uses humor — but why does it work? At SPARK Neuro, we’ve studied thousands of ads while scanning people’s brains and nervous system response and have learned a lot...

Get Viewers on Your Wavelength and Increase Ticket Sales

Get Viewers on Your Wavelength and Increase Ticket Sales

"We're on the same wavelength."   It’s a familiar cliché: we’re feeling “in tune” with one another, thinking the same thing; I’m metaphorically “picking up” what you’re proverbially “putting down”. Loose talk with no basis in science...right? Maybe not, at least...

How to Leverage Nostalgia in Advertising, According to Psychology

How to Leverage Nostalgia in Advertising, According to Psychology

The Charleston Chew transports me to my childhood.   Growing up in 90’s coastal California, this 1920’s anachronism was sold only at the independent pharmacy near my house. That pharmacy also happened to have the best local parking lot for skateboarding. I spent...

Fighting Bias Through Advertising: The Case of Working Mothers

Fighting Bias Through Advertising: The Case of Working Mothers

A SPARK Neuro X Advertising Week Collaboration There was a time, not so long ago, when being mother meant staying at home. (Not to mention doing all the cooking, cleaning, and caring for children...all while looking stylish). Not anymore. *wink* Today, more women are...

The Pitfalls of Self-Report (Or, Why Focus Groups Fail Us)

The Pitfalls of Self-Report (Or, Why Focus Groups Fail Us)

What is self-report? Self-report[1] is just what it sounds like: when someone reports or tells you about him or herself. Ask a person what they think, do, or believe, and what you get back is self-report data.  Self-report data comes from several different methods,...

SPARK Neuro Cheat Sheet: Understanding Neuroanalytic Technology

SPARK Neuro Cheat Sheet: Understanding Neuroanalytic Technology

Subconscious emotions. Neural signals. Brainwaves. Mind-reading tech. It sounds like something out of science fiction.  But in the world of neuromarketing, it’s not only possible; it’s how many of today’s top brands make their most important creative decisions. The...

Effective Brand Mascots: What Neuroscience Can Teach Advertisers

Effective Brand Mascots: What Neuroscience Can Teach Advertisers

Have you ever looked at a car and thought it looked cute? Have you ever seen a cartoon character that gives you the creeps?  As it turns out, there’s a lot of psychology and neuroscience behind these emotions. Let’s start with an unusual example: this lamp. There’s...

A Recording Studio for Brains

A Recording Studio for Brains

Inside Spark Neuro’s futuristic neuroscience lab   A lot was running through my mind when they first hooked up my brain.   I’d heard about SPARK Neuro on Facebook and done a little digging to find out what exactly I’d have to do to earn “$75 in 75 minutes.”...

Effective Branding Moments Through a Neuroscience Lens

Effective Branding Moments Through a Neuroscience Lens

You don’t need us to remind you how expensive Super Bowl ads are – once per year, Americans gather to play judge in the high stakes game of “please remember our brand in 60 seconds or less.” Advertisers know the pressure is on: what’s the point of laying out all that...

Creating Tension to Entertain  and Persuade

Creating Tension to Entertain and Persuade

Comfort is a prized commodity.   We love to be comfortable. We pay a premium for a little extra legroom on flights, and splurge on all-inclusive resorts and spa packages. The success of Crocs is a case in point: we certainly don’t buy them for their aesthetic...

Show, Don’t Tell : The Art of “Nudge” marketing

Show, Don’t Tell : The Art of “Nudge” marketing

Nobody likes to be told what to do. But as it turns out, we love to be subtly directed to make choices.   I’m referring to the art of the “nudge”, a term coined by economist Richard Thaler and legal scholar Cass Sunstein in their book Nudge: Improving Decisions...

Why Humor is So Effective in Ads

Why Humor is So Effective in Ads

Using humor in advertising can be very effective, and is quite popular. Today, one out of every five ads uses humor — but why does it work? At SPARK Neuro, we’ve studied thousands of ads while scanning people’s brains and nervous system response and have learned a lot...

Get Viewers on Your Wavelength and Increase Ticket Sales

Get Viewers on Your Wavelength and Increase Ticket Sales

"We're on the same wavelength."   It’s a familiar cliché: we’re feeling “in tune” with one another, thinking the same thing; I’m metaphorically “picking up” what you’re proverbially “putting down”. Loose talk with no basis in science...right? Maybe not, at least...

How to Leverage Nostalgia in Advertising, According to Psychology

How to Leverage Nostalgia in Advertising, According to Psychology

The Charleston Chew transports me to my childhood.   Growing up in 90’s coastal California, this 1920’s anachronism was sold only at the independent pharmacy near my house. That pharmacy also happened to have the best local parking lot for skateboarding. I spent...

Fighting Bias Through Advertising: The Case of Working Mothers

Fighting Bias Through Advertising: The Case of Working Mothers

A SPARK Neuro X Advertising Week Collaboration There was a time, not so long ago, when being mother meant staying at home. (Not to mention doing all the cooking, cleaning, and caring for children...all while looking stylish). Not anymore. *wink* Today, more women are...

The Pitfalls of Self-Report (Or, Why Focus Groups Fail Us)

The Pitfalls of Self-Report (Or, Why Focus Groups Fail Us)

What is self-report? Self-report[1] is just what it sounds like: when someone reports or tells you about him or herself. Ask a person what they think, do, or believe, and what you get back is self-report data.  Self-report data comes from several different methods,...

Are athlete endorsements worth it? The answer may surprise you.

Are athlete endorsements worth it? The answer may surprise you.

For professional athletes, endorsing brands and products is a second full-time job—and it sure can pay like one. Patriots QB Tom Brady makes nearly half of his income through endorsements, while NBA star Lebron James gets 60% of his income that way. (For tennis icon...

Rebranding Climate Change

Rebranding Climate Change

How to talk about global warming in today’s political climateWhat’s the difference between “climate change” and “climate crisis?” About a 60% greater rise out of your audience…that is, if they’re Democrats. If they’re Republicans, you can expect their emotional...