Kevin Randall

How Your Brain Can Predict Blockbusters

A research company shows Fast Company how it’s zeroed in on a way to predict whether a film will make tens of millions in its opening weekend.

Harvard Business School For The Facebook Age

Innovation and real startup companies are front and center at the newly re-engineered HBS. The venerable institution hopes to prepare budding entrepreneurs–with inspiration from the one that got away.

Human Lie Detector Paul Ekman Decodes The Faces Of Depression, Terrorism, And Joy

Since he experienced tragedy at age of 14, the real-life psychologist who inspired the show “Lie To Me” has searched for signs of hidden human emotion in faces. New applications based on his findings are getting attention from Apple, Pixar, Google, the Army, and others.

Why Neuromusic Will Never Be As Catchy As Katy Perry

Neuroscientists have found how brainwaves can predict hit songs, but listen (below) to actual music made from neuro feedback, and you’ll understand why experts think the pop charts will remain mindless for decades to come.

Inside Pandora’s New Social Music Mind-Meld

Pandora already acts like an all-knowing DJ. This week, it launched tools and tweaks to its Music Genome Project algorithm that could factor your friends’ song choices into a streaming social megamix. Founder Tim Westergren and CTO Tom Conrad explain.

Analyzing The Faces Of Republican Candidates

Commentators continue to guess at whether GOP candidates at the June 13 debate in New Hampshire will live up to their promises. But their faces never lie. Sensory Logic’s Dan Hill analyzes their expressions for Fast Company to reveal what traditional pundits can’t.

Face The Nation: How Sensory Logic Sees Secrets In Candidates’ Mugs

The likely Republican candidates for president might not be saying much about their candidacies just yet. But, as the saying goes, the medium is the message. Facial decoding firm Sensory Logic has figured out ways to interpret their messages.

Rise of Neurocinema: How Hollywood Studios Harness Your Brainwaves to Win Oscars

One thing you aren’t likely to hear Sunday night from the Oscar-winning producer after accepting the trophy for Best Picture: “I’d like to thank my neuroscience partners who helped us enhance the film’s script, characters, and scenes.” It’s not that far-fetched, though.

How Neuromarketers Tapped the Vote Button in Your Brain to Help the GOP Win the House

There are a multitude of reasons Republicans regained control of the House on Tuesday: unemployment, voter discontent, tea party-ism. The one factor you aren’t likely to hear about is the use of neuromarketing triggers during the campaign.

How to Measure Brand Value: Likes, Followers, Influencers, Views? No, Social Currency

Do brands really create value? Will Old Spice’s tornadic viral campaign and sudden “influence” improve Procter & Gamble’s bottom line? Actually a number of events and trends have conspired like a perfect storm over the last several years to put brands and their stewards on the hot seat.

Red, Hot, and Blue: The Hottest American Brand Is Not Apple

5 Reasons Your Fast-Car Is More Social Than Your Fast-Food

This Just In: The Boob-Tube, Not YouTube, Is Transforming the World

Amazon Basics: Branding Advice for Jeff Bezos from 11 Marketing Experts

Memo To: Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.comMemo From: Fast Company Marketing Roundtable AdvisorsRE: Amazon Basics branding

Market Research 3.0 Is Here: Attitudes Meet Algorithms in Sentiment Analysis

This is the marketer’s and researcher’s dream. Reconciling the natural tensions that challenge and befuddle brand planning:

Does Branding Pay Off for Colleges? Harvard Thinks So.

It has taken a while for branding to seep into the world of higher education. Traditionally universities and colleges have not been staffed by professional marketers. There has been a revulsion toward the concept of Customers, in favor of Students. Education has been the mission; it was never about the Bottom Line.

This Five-Letter Word Is Key to Marketing Success: B-R-A-N-D

While the concept of personal branding has taken off, corporate branding seems to go in and out of favor. Economic cycles may have a lot to do with that. With the growth of the Internet and social technology tools, personal branding opportunities and activity have exploded. On the other hand, in some ways, the arc of Web 1.0 to 2.0+ (not to mention this current economy) has seduced many marketers into being focused on tactics at the expense of strategy including branding.

Neuromarketing Hope and Hype: 5 Brands Conducting Brain Research

Even before the age of Mad Men marketers were trying to tap into the human subconscious to influence consumers to buy their products.