I have always been fascinated by memory—by how individual memories are formed, stored, recalled (or not), lost forever, reshaped. A gazillion nanosized filmstrips jumbled together as protein combinations inside our brain cells. Still, mom’s phone number jumps out instantaneously when I need it; or rather, I visualize my fingers dialing the numbers, sheer pianist-like mechanical memory. I just know the right sequence every time I think of calling her.

We are, after all, evolutionarily hard-wired to know how to find mom—that’s where milk is. But people’s names? I forget a name right after I am introduced to someone, or just as I am shaking one’s hand for the first time. I’ve become aware that, on these occasions, my brain is too busy decoding the new person’s substance, his/her name a lower-pri item. Reader, that’s a disclaimer for when we meet ;-)

I find analyzing the mechanics of memory through movies even more fascinating: I remember loving Spike Jonze’s Adaptation; but aside from a 2-second orchid-hunting clip the only other sequence I remember from the entire film is the one where Meryl Streep’s character is completely stoned, singing harmony on the phone. That one scene and the movie poster do, together, all the heavy-lifting in terms of recall. In contrast, I am capable of remembering many more images, sounds and sequences from Wong Kar Wai movies, for example. Perhaps I relate more to his stories; Christopher Doyle‘s stunning and unusual cinematography probably helps a lot, too. So many images from Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s wonderful Last Life of the Universe (see top picture), also photographed by Doyle, are perfectly vivid in my mind.

When I put these observations in the work context, a few questions come up. Are we marketers hitting the mark and being cost-effective when designing experiences? As a marketer, do you apply neuromarketing to your projects, or do you rely on focus groups for insight? Or perhaps just on common-sense, curiosity and observation? Do you sweat the small stuff in order to cement long-lasting protein combinations on the minds of consumers?