Boss vs. Backseat Driver

When BMW was first introducing cars with voice-automation into their German market they decided to use a female voice. As these cars made their way onto the streets, German drivers began to complain to BMW they did not want to be given instructions from a woman. Their response was so strong and so negative that BMW did a full product recall and substituted in a male voice. There were no further complaints.

This nugget was mined from the KPBS film "Do You Speak American?"

Ridiculously Interesting Neuromarketing Post Alert!

I just read a recent post on one of my favorite blogs (see Neuromarketing on the sidebar) about how the order in which information is presented dramatically changes its reception. He mentions a study conducted by Frank Luntz in which focus groups watched three video clips related to Ross Perot (a biography, a third party recommendation and a speech). The groups who saw the speech first, followed by positive background information, responded overwhelmingly more negatively to Perot than the groups who first saw the clips describing his impressive and successful business history. People respond positively when they are given subtle, even subconscious, promptings. Bottom line: read the full post for a more detailed explanation.