The Doom Loop

If it bleeds it leads.  This media cliche begs the question, is the media feeding us negativity we swallow like bad medicine or are they giving us a spoonful of our preferred elixir? The Russian news site, City Reporter, did an experiment for an entire day publishing nothing but positive stories.  The result?  They lost […]

6 Minutes and 46 Seconds To Be Reminded and Inspired

Human vs. Machine

We humans built the machines so the “vs.” doesn’t properly credit our maker status bona fides.  Having said that, machine is often much faster and yes, better. Here’s another instance that feels pretty close to home.  This experiment used professional copywriters to draft ad campaign copy, 100 words or fewer, for an NGO for four […]

When is Less More?

Facebook is nothing if not obsessed with users using the app more frequently and for longer durations.  App notifications are like crack for this hamster wheel and so the idea of sending fewer seems anathema. But this is exactly what their data science team did because user satisfaction surveys showed a preference for fewer notifications. […]

People Don’t Give Because We Ask

Just those first few notes and I’m transported to 1981 and formative years, memories and emotions.  It creates a physical response, those music chills. Journey’s, Don’t Stop Believin’ is iconic for me but here’s the paradox: you only hear the music because Journey plays, but you don’t feel the connection because they play. You feel […]

Best of 2023: Just Make Sure They Spell My Name Right

Phineas T. Barnum, the 19th-century American showman and circus owner, reportedly said, “I don’t care what they say about me; just make sure they spell my name right.”  It’s a great line and often, it’s true. Exposure to the brand increases awareness and it tends to accrue to the positive.  We’re predisposed to have a […]

Best of 2023: Gift or Donation?

Synonyms, right?  Not really.  Words matter.  Which is used more often to frame the request, donation or gift? Pretty evenly split.  Among the top 100 U.S. Charities 83% use “gift” and 83% use “donation” followed by “support” and “contribution” at very distant 30% and 24%, respectively. And yes, that all adds up to well north […]

Continuing An Agitator Christmas Tradition

For some it’s the Yule Log. For others, mistletoe, For still others, mincemeat pie. For us, it’s Christmas carols. Here is The Agitator’s most enduring tradition. For our 17th Christmas, and into our eighteenth year, we urge you to get into a mirthful holiday spirit by enjoying to this unforgettable rendition of O Holy Night. […]

Best of 2023: Bud Light

Why did the Bud Light boycott work?  I’ll reluctantly make the case that it did work on financial terms if only to get past that debate point and on to the point of the post, which is what we can learn from the social and psychological dynamics of it. Bud Light was the top selling […]

Best of 2023: Hokas vs. Allbirds

Even non sneaker geeks probably recognize one or both brands, Allbirds and Hokas.   Both started as niche, specialty shoes catering to unique markets.  Allbirds first gained traction as eco-friendly, casual sneakers with the finance-bro, Silicon Valley crowd.  Hokas gained popularity with hard-core runners and specialty running shoe stores. So far so good.   But Allbirds founders […]