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5 Books that Answer the Call to Attention

As the value of attention rises, so does our need for resources. If you, like us, are eager to find even more innovative ways to win at attention then take a look at what we’re reading at The Science Project.

1. Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive most notably by Dr. Robert Cialdini

Have you ever wondered how to influence human behaviors in a covert and effective way? As the industry hustles for consumer attention while competing against a number of brands within a few hundred feet of their own storefront, Yes! will teach you how subtle shifts in language and intention can seriously augment the influence you have on your audience.

2. The Gift by Lewis Hyde

In The Gift we can relate the goal of attention to inspiration. Consider what inspires you as an artist, as a marketer, as a producer and how that understanding may extend to your end consumer. If we are able to understand the art of inspiration then we may find ourselves correctly influencing our consumer through our own intentional behaviors

3. Drunk Tank Pink by Adam Alter

Get ahead in the race for attention with Drunk Tank Pink and learn how to influence assumptions made about your brand or your agency’s work. Understanding universal connotations of words, symbols, names, and colors will urge you to consider what your brand may be communicating to consumers with our without your permission.

4. Contagious by Jonah Berger

What makes anything go viral? If you’re wondering then this is the book for you! Contagious reviews the 6 basic principles of what impacts consumers and compels them to become brand stewards to generate word of mouth (read: free) advertising.

5. The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely

Consider taking a behavioral economists’ approach to understanding your consumer. Yes, for many of us, our key aim is to attract, inspire, and establish loyalty, but we must remember that this is all a means to a very tangible financial end. Use Ariely’s book to understand what drives human behavior to the point where you may have control over what your audience’s purchases and what relationships they build.

Post by Mela Lawson, Communications Strategist at The Science Project

[thescienceproject]

Real Estate and Retail Rekindle Their Romance

Just as our personal relationships mature, change and evolve, so too do our business relationships.

Real Estate & Retail, two longtime bedfellows, often at odds, are beginning to rethink some of the core tenets of their relationship.

Even as the palpable anguish of store closures and earnings announcementsweigh heavily, we are witnessing the rebuilding of spaces from the ground up.

The early e-commerce skirmishes that so threatened the physical store’s existence have relaxed into a realization that modern retail landscapes are integrated and expansive.  The ‘built environment’ of the store is just one element.

As Dave Gilboa, Warby Parker’s co-CEO, put it in this fabulous RE/CODE Podcast: “Consumers don’t think of offline vs. online shopping as discrete worlds the way people in the industry do.”

You do not have to be an industry expert to know how accurate this is.

Real Estate and Retail businesses are responding - they are finally building, ground up, from some of the places that make them perpetual, integral successes.

We have been watching these shifts with great interest. Some are experiential but the most fascinating are operational, organizational, and technical deep in their infrastructure.

By making these changes they are ensuring that they can compete by creating more valuable spaces, now and for years to come.

Here are some fascinating examples and remarkable news around the relationship between real estate and retail as of late:

The Vertically Integrated Store - Brands and Retailers are requiring more value from their stores. The modern store is a regional Social and Marketing Nexus, a Potent Acquisition Vehicle, and an E-Commerce Fulfillment resource all at once.

The Expansive Retail Platform - Retail and the surrounding community integrate tightly in a symbiotic lifestyle dynamic. From transportation to food shopping, gifts, personal shopping and more; less people are hanging out ‘inside the store,’ but more people are spending time on the retailer's expansive ‘platform.’

Macy’s Announcement - In maybe my favorite new development, real estate experts, developers, and marketers are all rolled together in Macy’s CEO announcement. I am hopeful this type of organizational move leads toward making valuable changes in the cooperative sharing of customer information with tenants, inspiring the provisioning of ‘flexible retail spaces’ for more pop-ups, temporary events and launches that our new shopper demands!

The ground has shifted underneath retailers and property developers in a tangible way, revealing a new calculation of the long-held gold standard of value: “The Square Foot.”

It is exciting and exhilarating to see such a massive industry beginning to innovate deep into their core organizational pillars at such a critical moment.

Stay tuned for “How to Create more Valuable Square Footage,” up Next.

[thescienceproject]

Tackling the Most Controversial debate in History...

Pancakes or Waffles?  Some say they enjoy the taste of a soft, golden fluffy pancake. Others indulge in the crispy, crunchy bite of the waffle.

This year, we’re introducing a very special friend, Mr. Syrup, to help us decide!

Help Mr.Syrup decide by posting a photo of your breakfast preference on Instagram by 01.28.2016. 

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