Primal Words. Primary Colors.
As 2011 winds down it can be either exhaustion or distraction, or both, that drives one to think about odd phenomena. After a busy and banner year for our boutique Portsmouth, NH public relations firm, I’ve been thinking about the Stroop effect. Clearly more distraction than exhaustion, since no one gets so tired they fret about the dominance of words over art.
Stroop describes the tendency of our minds to give more weight (technically “directed attention”) to words than to colors. For example, when we see the word ‘blue’ written in green ink, the anterior cingulate part of our brain kicks in and we quickly read ‘blue’ without stumbling. John Ridley Stroop reported this finding as part of a Ph.D. thesis in 1935 and his search of a region that lies between the right and left halves of the frontal portion of the brain. In college it helped us laser onto the word ‘beer’ despite unappetizing color palettes and gaudily cluttered downtown storefronts. Ultimately, humans are involuntary readers, constrained by evolution to put more and faster weight on meaning than presentation.
So why worry about this stuff as 2012 approaches? It’s a combination of business and politics – perennial year-end antagonists along with the Super Bowl. It’s a business focus for us because PR is a labor of words – meaning, context, syntax, and nuance. With successful clients across New England and the U.S. engaged in “clean coal,” “socially responsible development,” and “sustainable environmental practices” – not to mention a bevy of companies boasting products as “revolutionary,” “innovative,” and “value focused” – we’re strong proponents of the power of messaging. And we’re not surprised by Stroop; just challenged on behalf of Calypso’s graphic design and interactive marketing team to keep up.
Politics is another Stroop natural, with the presidential debates an example. Do red ties, flag pins, and starched white shirts gloss over drawled nonsense, memory lapses, or swirling confusion? Not likely. We heard what we heard, didn’t hear, or wanted to hear. This makes me wonder if the Stroop effect extends to reading and listening skills, and our ability to sort words from wrapping. Do words compete with each other when they’re the same color but assault the brain with moral conflict? If so, Stroop may be what helps most of us quickly sort out the non sequitur in “President Trump” or, to be bipartisan, “President Kucinich.”
Calypso has always believed that words always win and the message is key, so the Stroop task is welcome science. As 2011 closes and business and politics both struggle to keep our attention, don’t let the visual absence of snow or the gray sky backdrops of winter dampen your spirit.
Just read, “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry,” in any color, and follow your frontal lobes to seasonal cheer.
FYI…Almost as bad as LOL
I recently forwarded a news summary of the Republican debates (one that highlighted the media roasting of a Texas governor) to a friend, adding only a knowing “FYI” to the email. It kept me awake, knowing I had failed to make it clear how I felt about the debate or, for that matter, why the article was for your, mine, or anyone else’s interest.
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Social media for crisis management: PR’s Swiss Army Knife
The following article is the most recent installment of Calypso’s regular column in the Portsmouth Herald Business Monday section. It can also be viewed on Seacoast Online.
News last month about a public relations crisis at McDonald’s and the chain’s Twitter response suggests two unwavering truths.
1. Social media is a critical part of the communications arsenal for any business crisis.
2. It’s equally important to know when not to use it. Read more
Move over Mad Men: Managing your brand, without all the drama
The following article is the most recent installment of Calypso’s regular column in thePortsmouth Herald Business Monday section. It can also be viewed on Seacoast Online.
The meaning of “brand” is still debated by those who teach its theories, practically defined in industry practice, and often overlooked by the thousands of small businesses for which it would be most valuable. Marking the boundaries of the debate, though, most businesses today understand what brand is not. It is not a logo, a name, or a look. Some say it represents the “promise” of an experience. The best definition I know aligns brand with the sum total of a consumer’s experiences with a given product, service, or company. This works for Apple and the IRS, not so much for politicians and entertainers. Read more
Today’s media training is a team sport: Empower your employees to become brand advocates
The following article is the most recent installment of Calypso’s regular column in thePortsmouth Herald Business Monday section. It can also be viewed on Seacoast Online.
For decades industrial companies have sponsored formal media trainings to prepare employees for fast-paced, on-camera interviews with sessions mostly focused on uncomfortable issues and unexpected events. High-profile companies that benefited from these courses often managed to limit news exposure. The rest — AIG, BP, and Massey Energy, to name just a few — were headliners for months. Read more
Out of the Valley, onto the Plateau: Why Marketing Efforts Can’t Afford to Rest
The following article is the second of a three part series in Calypso’s regular column in the Portsmouth Herald Business Monday section. It can also be viewed on Seacoast Online.
The road from invention and basic research to commercial status can be long and tedious for startup companies. In technology, the so-called Valley of Death chasm is deep and wide. Those fortunate enough to get public funding lavish it on early basic science only to thirst for more resources at the applied science stages, where commercial success actually starts. Read more
Crossing the Valley: Marketing for Success, Not Just Survival
The following article is the second of a three part series in Calypso’s regular column in the Portsmouth Herald Business Monday section. It can also be viewed on Seacoast Online.
New entrepreneurs and small business owners know the dilemma all too well: the early financial (and mental) rush of capital quickly encounters a chasm – sometimes labeled the Valley of Death. Borrowed from Tennyson’s 1854 poem about British brigadiers under poor command and worse odds, it symbolizes the long trek ahead from initial funding to commercial success. Read more
The Role of Marketing in the ‘Valley of Death’
The following article is the first of a three part series in Calypso’s regular column in the Portsmouth Herald Business Monday section. It can also be viewed on Seacoast Online.
Officers and men of the 13th Light Dragoons, who were the survivors of the charge, and are often used as a business metaphor for the dangers facing startup companies.
In helping early stage clients with investor marketing strategies, the term “Valley of Death” has been a common reference for years. The phrase, which rapidly earned its vernacular rank as credit markets weakened, is especially audible in energy and cleantech circles, although it can be heard from any sector in search of funding. Read more
Make a List, Check It Twice: Business Success Depends on It
The following article is the most recent installment of Calypso’s regular column in the Portsmouth Herald Business Monday section. It can also be viewed on Seacoast Online.
Though it’s meant to reconnect us with friends and family, some of us agonize over the annual tradition of holiday greeting cards. Before we can spread a little cheer, share children’s photos and update family health and happenings, we’re faced with updating our holiday card list — a time consuming yet valuable effort. Read more
Would Mark Twain be Tweeting?
The following article is the most recent installment of Calypso’s regular column in the Portsmouth Herald Business Monday section. It can also be viewed on Seacoast Online.
After a long wait, the first volume autobiography of humorist and author Samuel Clemens reached bookshelves last week, courtesy of the Mark Twain Papers and Project at the University of California, Berkeley. Twain’s musings benchmarked 19th century social commentary and popular literature. It’s likely his delayed thoughts will be equally relevant to all of us. Even to small businesses. Insight and humor, after all, are what keep most of us both solvent and sane. Read more
