Peter Gordon

Will fire up the grill at the drop of a (chef’s) hat. A former Jeopardy contestant who read encyclopedias as a child just for fun. Understands nuances of biochemistry and personal chemistry. Graduate of Yale and Columbia.

2011 May

17

Feeding the thing with two brains.

Are you feeding both brains adequately?

What makes someone choose to work in life sciences marketing? Maybe it’s a case of feeding the two brains we’re blessed with — our left and right brains. Almost 30 years ago, I read Robert Ornstein’s The Psychology of Consciousness. Ever since, I’ve been fascinated by how we can approach the world on different planes, from different perspectives — due to the differences in our “two” brains. So how does this relate to life sciences marketing? With apologies to Dr. Ornstein, I will use his framework to explain our own. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Aug

31

It's dangerous to text while driving.

Don't mix texting and driving!

Of all the new media, texting has exploded in the last year and, together with its sibling, twittering, it may now come with a caution label attached. While many of us are accustomed to listening to the radio in the car, very few of us watch television in the driver’s seat. The logic is obvious, and yet many of us engage in texting behavior that defies that same logic.

According to The New York Times (7-18-09; 7-28-09), two studies have shown that this new media and driving don’t mix. A study conducted by Virginia Tech showed texting truckers (on actual runs) were 23 times more likely to have a crash, and a University of Utah study showed that college students (in simulators) were eight times more likely to crash. Read the rest of this entry »

2009 Mar

3

Copywriting

I sometimes wonder whether some agencies even read the copy aloud before it's approved.

Two examples come to mind: A prominent lizard has been the spokes-reptile for an auto insurance giant that frequently tells viewers that they can save "... hundreds of dollars or more on car insurance." Moron car insurance? I don't want that! Or how about the pharmaceutical hair remedy whose ads claimed that in clinical studies, "most grew some hair." Most gruesome hair? I want none of that either.

My point? Just remember that you need to look at the creative product from all angles before it leaves the agency. You never know who may look at the work the wrong way.