School of Communication Arts 2.0

Note to Mentors

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Unit Purpose and Aims

The purpose of this unit is to;

Behaviour is the key science of advertising. This unit will expose the student to a number of approaches in the use of behavioural understanding in advertising. It will also equip the learner with an intellectual and practical toolkit for analysing the  new science of emergent behaviour in media and how brand is affected.

Learning Outcomes

Learners will;

1. Understand basic theories of human identity within Western culture.

Learners can;

1.1 Explain what personas are and how they are used in advertising to describe archetypes and in planning campaigns.

1.2 Using standard techniques, develop personas as potential users for a given product.

1.3 Reference standard theories on identity

2. Understand advertising as a strongly persuasive force.

2.1 Explain how advertising can affect behaviour

2.2 Describe how new technologies are reversing this process

3. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of emergent behaviour in complex media ecologies and how behaviour emerges from  it.

3.1 Create a definition of ‘emergence’ and describe why it has become a key topic in understanding modern communications.

3.2 Describe cases of emergent behaviour affecting brands through technology.

4. Understand how/why “brand” works (or doesn’t).

4.1 Explore and report on how people align their behaviour to that of brand experiences

4.2 Describe the key sociological and intellectual drivers that create brand experiences

4.2 Explain internal and external brand and how it does or doesn’t work

The Discovery of Complexity

Architecting Human Behaviour

Case Study – SnÅ«zNLÅ«z

Think Like an Actor

Smlxl On Engagement

– Gain an understanding of basic theories of human identity within Western culture.

–Explore the definitions of innovation in different contexts.

–Gain an understanding of the kinds of innovation in a chosen field over time.

–Gain an understanding how/why brand works (or doesn’t).

–Gain an understanding of internal and external brand and how it works (or doesn’t).

–

Learning Tools, Resources & Links

Things that will help the learner develop understanding of this unit;

Mentors – please add your ideas, examples, case studies, links to articles, videos, etc. here.

The Discovery of Complexity

Architecting Human Behaviour

Case Study – SnÅ«zNLÅ«z

I found an alarm clock that displays such fantastic understanding of human behaviour.

You can read all about it here.

SnūzNLūz: The alarm clock that donates to your least favorite charity

“Clocky” is a creative product for helping people overcome a particular self-control problem of waking up on time (we refer to it in chapter 2 of Nudge). With “clocky,” a person can set the number of snooze minutes allowed the next morning. With that number runs out, “clocky” jumps off the night stand and moves around the room making annoying sounds. “Clocky,” as its advertisement claims, “is the alarm clock that runs away and hides to get you out of bed.”

We’ve come across a similar alarm clock, SnūzNLūz, with one devilish tweak. Instead of jumping around the room when the snooze minutes run out, SnūzNLūz starts donating money (at $10 or more per snooze unit) to your most hated charity (which you select upon purchasing the clock).

The clock’s manufacturer has some suggestions for charities:

Are you a butcher? Set your SnūzNLūz to donate to PETA.
Are you a republican? Set your SnūzNLūz to donate to the ACLU!
Are you a land developer? Set your SnūzNLūz to donate to the Wilderness Society!
Enjoy your freedom? (Blue state version) Set your SnūzNLūz to donate to GOP.org.
Enjoy your freedom? (Red state version) Set your SnūzNLūz to donate to MoveOn.org.
Are you a hippie? Set your SnūzNLūz to donate to the American Coal Foundation.

Think like an actor

When you’re designing, be someone else for a while: learn to think like a reader or user. Find out who they are. If you were that person, what would you want to know? What would resonate with you? What else would you look at? What might be an irritant?

Learn to to read client behaviour too. In a meeting, listen not just to what clients are telling you but what they aren’t telling you. Watch how clients interact. Take notice of the office. Who does what. Who knows what. It’s valuable information when you’re designing the process.

Smlxl On Engagement

By Alan Moore