Shikakeology

I met a very interesting visiting scholar to Stanford University: Naohiro Matsumura. Dr. Matsumura is the father of shikakeology.

There is no particular reason to explain the origins of the Japanese word or how it connects to Dr.
Matsumura’s work.  His work concerns the way objects get us to behave in pre-disposed ways.

One of his examples is this ad from a Volksvagen collection. You will notice that when people drop garbage into the garbage can they get a sound of an object falling and finally hitting the bottom loudly. It is fun and encourages passersby to pick up garbage and throw it into the garbage can.

There are many other such objects and Dr. Matsumura will have a website to display them in the next few months.

My interest in the subject is that marketing people already use this intellectual domain of shikakeology.  Virtually everything about marketing is intended to induce the desired behavior. That includes long aisles, garish displays, a whole range of lighting and sound issues as well as the use of smells and design.

I wish Dr. Matsumura well in his continued explorations of the subject.