The Advertised Mind by Erik du Plessis provides a fascinating and fresh
insight into how our brains work and respond to advertising.
Buy the Book
The Advertised Mind by Erik du Plessis provides a fascinating and fresh insight into how our brains work and respond to advertising.
Erik du Plessis is CEO of Millward Brown South Africa and formerly ran his own company, Impact, in South Africa. Both Millward Brown and Impact are well known for their expertise in brand and advertising research. Du Plessis’ inspiration for the book came from his early days as a media planner, striving to find ways of actively demonstrating what advertising works, what doesn’t and why. And to deepen our understanding of successful advertising, he takes the reader on a journey that explores four approaches to the human mind:
His study results in a new theory for the design of effective advertising, highlighting key issues for brands and brand advertising.
The forward for The Advertised Mind has been written by Nigel Hollis, Global Director for Strategic Planning and Development at Millward Brown and the book has been widely endorsed by academics and the advertising world.
The Advertised Mind is available from 1 May 2005 from amazon.com.
“Thinkers about advertising, both in the professional world and in universities, have long speculated about how the human mind works to perceive and process advertising. But the work of these people has invariably been based either on unvalidated psychological theory or else on highly artificial ‘laboratory’ experiments. The importance of Erik du Plessis's work – and it is indeed important – is that he at last brings science, in particular neuroscience, to bear on this most salient of advertising's unknowns.” Professor John Philip Jones
Syracuse University, New York
“The Advertised Mind is a very good read. Erik du Plessis takes us on a personal tour of the latest scientific discoveries about how the brain works, and what they mean for advertising. He proposes an interesting new paradigm which integrates emotional and rational response, and creative people will be heartened by his central conclusion that it is emotion and liking that drive advertising success.” Jim Williams, Executive Vice President, Director Strategy & Research
Y&R/Wunderman EMEA
“Erik du Plessis has produced an ambitious, insightful, and highly readable book linking studies about how the brain works to studies about how advertising and brands work. Using a treasure trove of academic and practical research, he carefully builds up a credible picture we can recognise – that of a consumer with a brain overstuffed with memories and brand impressions. He draws the simple conclusion that brands with positive memory associations, stimulated by positive, well liked brand communication, are the ones consumers favour with their business. By continuing to stock the ‘brain cupboard’ with positive new impressions, brands keep vital and growing. For those of us in the practice of creating advertising, the book bolsters our everyday experience with some independent and genuinely new insights. For that reason alone, I would urge anyone interested in understanding how advertising works to buy and read this book.” Richard Block, Head of Planning
JWT EMEA
“The future of effective marketing, no matter how it is measured, will be linked to understanding and practically leveraging the growing body of knowledge about how the brain receives and processes communication. The ARF applauds the work of Erik du Plessis on significantly advancing the application of learning in this critically important area.” Robert Barocci, President/CEO
The Advertising Research Foundation
Also published this year:
BRAND sense by Martin Lindstrom, based on Millward Brown 5! Senses research – click here for more.