Background

This is an ever-evolving range of issues that help us understand target markets and their underlying motivations, wants and needs. As new thinking emerges we integrate it into our training offering. A key point is that we concentrate on the applications and implications of these theories.

Some Topics Include:

Signs and Symbols
The cultural - and cross-cultural - meanings of signs and symbols. This has general relevance, and particular importance for international brands and marketing communications. We can expand this to cover some of the principles of semiotics.

Transpersonal Psychology
A lot of New Age thinking and things like Shamanism, tree-hugging etc fit within principles of 'transpersonal psychology' - ie that our thoughts, desires and motivations are a function not just of our personal psychology and culture, but also 'spirit'. To understand this fully, we'd need to provide some background on behaviourism and personal psychology.

Post Modernism
With particular reference to post-modernist thoughts on consumerism and communications.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming
NLP is a major topic, especially with some client companies, and is widely used as a technique to assist in change management, team building and personal development. Yet at the heart of the NLP is a model of communication - and this gives it specific relevance to marketing communications in terms of;
    - additional frameworks for understanding communications and motivation
    - providing alternative ways of looking at the advertising task
    - interpreting the nature of response to existing and proposed advertising
    - defining 'successful strategies'.

Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence has been defined as 'knowing what you are feeling and being able to handle those feelings without being swamped... Being able to motivate yourself, be creative and perform at your peak'. The general relevance to marketing communication is self-evident, but Emotional Intelligence can help inform planning tasks in a number of more specific ways;
    - good briefs and ads have to be based on and understanding of the relevant emotions of our target audience
    - most planning involves feeling comfortable with, and trusting of intuition and unknown territory
    - we have to deal with difference and ambiguity - there are few absolutes in planning.

The Emotional Intelligence framework allows us to identify and build on these skills which make the difference between merely average and inspired Planning.

Neuro-science, Neuro-psychology and Low Involvement Processing
New and emerging thinking from neuro-science neuro-psychology on how the brain works in processing, storing and retrieving information, facts and emotions - and communications implications.

Darwinian Psychology
New thinking on mental evolution (skills, competencies, styles of thinking) - with particular significance for understanding gender differences.

And others as they come along.

Contact Mike Imms - email us or telephone 01243 814777.

See also:Consumer Psychology