The Clipping File

If you’re visiting the CMA blog this holiday Monday, we hope you’re enjoying our last long weekend of summer. I can’t think of a better time to dive into the clipping file and catch up on reading that I've been procrastinating over. Once I got through them, I found these articles interesting and entertaining. Perhaps you will to.

1.How Ads Affect Our Memory – New Research could help advertisers make a better impression. By Andrew Schrock, Tuesday, August 21, 2007, technologyreview.com

A new study suggests that marketers shouldn't fixate on the number of people who click on ads. According to the research, just seeing an ad on a Web page can impact memory. The findings could have a significant impact on the way online advertising is made and metered.

Typically, to be considered effective, an online advertisement has to elicit a response--usually a click of the mouse--from a potential customer. But Chan Yun Yoo, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky's School of Journalism and Telecommunications, found that when people view Web advertisements, they store information in two different types of memory: explicit and implicit.

Explicit memory involves facts learned through conscious interaction, while implicit memory involves unconscious retention. Click here for the complete article.

2. Color Branding: The Meanings Behind Colors –Brandcurve.com delivers a daily dose of insightful and interesting reading on a range of communication topics that us marcom types like to ponder. This article was originally posted on Aug 14, 2007, by John Williams on Entrepreneur.com, who provides plausible explanations of the meaning behind colour and how our reactions can impact what we think about advertising or promotion.

Blue: Cool blue is perceived as trustworthy, dependable, fiscally responsible and secure. Strongly associated with the sky and sea, blue is serene and universally well-liked. Blue is an especially popular color with financial institutions, as its message of stability inspires trust.

Red: Generates a visceral response and makes us aggressive, energetic, provocative and attention-grabbing. Count on red to evoke a passionate response, albeit not always a favourable one.

Green: In general, green connotes health, freshness and serenity. However, green’s meaning varies with its many shades. Deeper greens are associated with wealth or prestige, while light greens are calming.

Yellow: In every society, yellow is associated with the sun. Thus, it communicates optimism, positivism, light and warmth. Certain shades seem to motivate and stimulate creative thought and energy. The eye sees bright yellows before any other color, making them great for point-of-purchase displays.


4.The New York Times online technology section: if you still have a few hours to kill before dinner, The Times' technology section is a great read. It's jam packed with interesting info on curent events, new technologies and the usual scuttlebut on the big players. Great web design too that makes navigating easy. Satisfying any day of the week.

Now that Labour Day is upon us, I look forward to longer nights, sitting through endless 2008 planning sessions and creating hundreds of 'what if' scenarios with the '08 marcom budget. And then the real work begins with the upcoming season of award shows and rounds of agency holiday parties. Another crazy busy Fall.