A new report published by eMarketer today suggests that one of the best ways brands can capture the attention of internet users is by “providing relevant news and analysis” as well as providing “new ideas and thinking”. In other words, brands need to educate the user. By providing educational content, the theory is that internet users will reciprocate by providing support to the brands that educate them.



The one flaw with this survey? When was the last time that a human could rationally explain why they purchased something? Robert Cialdini’s “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” discusses some of the methods that can be used to influence consumers. Never does Cialdini go and poll consumers as a method for proving how something can influence a user’s purchase decision.

This doesn’t mean that this data is horrible though. Educating users simply works. The most popular articles that we’ve written over the years are those that are educational. Since the cost of content production has dropped dramatically over the years, it almost makes sense for l