"Ah Ha!"

My marketing "ah ha!" moment came my freshman year at Indiana University (go Hoosiers!) during my Interpersonal Communications class. One of our major projects for this class was to record a casual conversation happening between a group of people, transcribe 3 minutes of the conversation and then interpret. If you have never transcribed anything, 3 minutes is a veryyyyyyy long time!

Now, I know you're thinking this sounds like a psychology "ah ha!" moment more so than marketing. However, the two go hand-in-hand. My love and passion for marketing all started with the psychology of consumerism.

Why do people say what they say? How do people get to that certain point in the conversation? Why do people buy? Why that brand over the other? Why this product?

This is a favorite book of mine... Buyology, check it out for more information on marketing and the psychology behind consumerism! :)

One of my favorite TV shows is Mad Men... all about the advertising agencies in Manhattan in the 1960's. Fascinating! Marketing and advertising has clearly changed over the years, but one thing has stayed consistent... What the consumer wants and WHY.

"People tell you who they are, but we ignore it - because we want them to be who we want them to be."

"You are the product. You feeling something. That's what sells. Not them. Not sex. They can't do what we do and they hate us for it."

"Advertising is based on one thing, happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that whatever you are doing is okay. You are okay."

-Don Draper