9-bits A tumblog by David Kaneda about design, technology, and business. Broadcast from Palo Alto.

The Myth of the Rational Buyer: How Too Much Thinking Can Hurt Your Brand »

FastCompany discusses a book by Harvard scholar Gerald Zaltman, How Customers Think, that suggests only 5% of consumer purchasing behavior is based on rational thought:

Especially in these tough times, people want simplicity and authenticity. That’s the exact thing most great designs provide naturally, and the distinction that helps brands earn a place in consumers’ hearts.

brand marketing business
“My feeling is that everything you do is marketing all the time. Your products are marketing. Your Web sites and your customer service are marketing. All of those things to me are what marketing is all about; it’s not a department.”
Jason Fried, interviewed on TechRepublic
app design marketing web
“Search Engine Optimization is not a legitimate form of marketing. It should not be undertaken by people with brains or souls. If someone charges you for SEO, you have been conned.”
Derek Powazek in the best SEO rant I’ve ever seen.