Form has truly followed fiction, Minority Report style:
Neuroscience Marketing

As marketers, we are exceedingly interested in identifying exactly which consumers are our core customers. Right now, we can do this with a reasonable sophistication. We work in a fairly actuarial environment - if "these kinds of people" tend to buy our product, we find "these kinds of people" with profiles of population clusters.

But, imagine if we could read someone's mind with a simple laser beam shot toward their forehead...unbeknownst to them? Sounds like the Holy Grail of marketing, right? Ideal solution for all of our obstacles.

With fMRI technology, that scenario becomes "this exact person loves my product" and "this exact person does not." The first is worthy of our marketing dollars, the second is not – no more waste.  Marketing Shangri-La!

Not so fast, my friend. Let's also consider the other side of the fence that corrals this green, green grass. Our thoughts will no longer be our own. We've built civilized society largely on what we choose NOT to say. What would this world be if we knew what everyone truly thought? I'm wholly grateful for the bliss my lovely companion ignorance provides me.

Of course, we are a nation of fierce protectors of privacy, as evidenced by our lack of progress with adequately opening up mobile devices as a ubiquitous marketing channel. So, despite the 3-5 year projection Doctors Just and Mitchell forecast in the 60 Minutes segment, I think the regulatory issues will bog this technology down for a tremendous length of time...much like cloning, stem cell research and federal aid to New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina.

While businesses are universally tip-toeing into 2009 -- including so many in the marketing trade – the communicators here at CurrentMarketing are sprinting excitedly into the new year.

It's an electrifying time to be in this industry in spite of the economic climate.  Or maybe I should say more exciting because of the economic climate.

Because, beyond traditional media and creative – both disciplines that are core to how we help clients grow – CurrentMarketing is in the midst of re-shaping our company to capture the consumer's attention through a variety of interactive media opportunities that will continue to evolve into the one-to-one marketing communication we’ve referenced in this blog.  These interactive strategies and the corresponding tactics may not have the broad reach you find in traditional media.  But clients love the fact that they are conversing with their consumers in a more targeted and less costly channel than traditional media.

And we know the traditional media will be with us for a while now, so we’re constantly looking for the opportunities of integrating new media afforded by the Web with traditional media.

We're excited about these changes and have begun implementing Interactive Strategies for a number of clients in 2009.  In addition to the now-standard tools of opt-in email, text messaging, search engine optimization, social media and other avenues that increase website traffic, we're pushing ahead on all fronts.  Creating viral campaigns, user-generated content, monitoring Internet chatter and responding for clients are all part of the interactive world here at CurrentMarketing.

So buckle up.  I can’t tell you it’s not going to be a bumpy ride.  But I can assure you a high-speed connection will be to your advantage!