DC is a boutique marketing firm.  We are small.  We like being small.  We help our partners implement creative technologies that give them a strategic advantage over their competitors.

The short articles on this page provide some information about how we think.  If you are interested in learning more, please contact us.  


7? WHY 7, you ask?  

The History

1732         First Magazines
1836       Newspaper ads begin
1864       Spam messages sent via telegraph
1867       First Billboard
1922       Radio ads emerge
1950        Telemarketers first start to annoy 
1978       Al Gore invents The Internet
1982       1st Spam sent via computer
1996       Viral marketing
2002       Integrated Marketing  (Customer
                                             Talks Back) 

                    Today  Social and Neuromarketing

People Look For Meaning

Love sells better than sex.  Studies show that beauty and sex distract the consumer, but love and friendship engage the mind in episodic, contextual memory that ties your product to the experience.

Information Inflation

By the time we reach age 66, most of us will have seen 2 million television ads.  That is 
more than 16,000 hours and the equivalent of 8 years of full time employment

In 1965, the typical consumer had a 36% recall of those ads. By 1990, the figure had fallen to 8%.  In 2007, it was 2.21%. -  AC Neilson

The Logo Myth

fMRI Studies of the brain suggest that logos do not work nearly as well as previously thought.  That's why we didn't waste money on ours.  Instead, consumers put items in context with ancillary information relating to the brand, such as colorsfeel/touch, personal experience, and the story line.  

Visual Overload:  The visual component of brand advertising is important, but it is overdone.  Aromas, sounds, touch, and episodic context can be even more powerful if applied appropriately.  Hint: Blasting air freshener everywhere isn't likely to work.

Subliminal Advertising

We turned this Heineken ad upside down for you to illustrate a point-- subliminal advertising is alive and well. 

Some retailers use subliminal audio messages in their stores hidden behind music with suggestions such as, "Don't take it.  You'll get caught!" and "That would look good on you."  Result: Sales are up and theft is down.