We all know sex sells… but is it that clear cut? In the book, Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, author Martin Lindstrom suggests that sex doesn’t sell. All that erotically charged imagery actually overwhelms the brain, which can’t recall the product.
How does he know? He spent $7 million using both MRI and EEG technologies to study what was really going on in the brains of consumers as they watched commercials and thought about brands.
It turns out what does work is sex with emotion, particularly sex with controversy. Think “Nothing comes between me and my Calvins,” ad circa 1980 where the public was up in arms… The most important thing in triggering a buy is to make a product memorable, which is what happens when a buyer experiences emotion connected with a product.
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June 22, 2009
Categories: Persuasion . Tags: Wallet-opening reflex . Author: horsepowermarketer . Comments: 1 Comment

Shooting @ Brass Balls Choppers & Bobbers
Horsepower Marketing attended the Long Road stop of the Smoke Out 10 ride across America. The Chopper Jockeys stopped in OK City at the Brass Balls Bobbers facilities.
Before the bikini contest, George Emmons Najar, Media Engineer, set up early and took a few shots to showcase the bikes. Before the crowd packed the place and the light went bad, he was able to get some good pictures. These pictures will be utilized in upcoming ads and promotions.
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June 22, 2009
Categories: News . Tags: Bikini Contest, Photo Shoot @ Brass Balls . Author: horsepowermarketer . Comments: Leave a Comment

Where Are You Now?
Flickr has always liked the idea of showing photos taken in a particular place and today they have developed that ability on the smartphone mobile site.
Check Out the Flickr Party with iPhone 3.0 Software.
For those devices that support it (currently Android and the iPhone with the new 3.0 software), the Mobile Nearby page will figure out where you are in the world and show you photos that have been taken in the same area.
Use this to explore your neighborhood, or find the best places to photograph local landmarks from. You can reload the page as you walk around a city, and see the things that have happened there in the past.
The best way to get started is to head over to m.flickr.com where you’ll see a new link — “Photos taken nearby
June 20, 2009
Categories: Internet Marketing . Tags: GPS Tagged Photography . Author: horsepowermarketer . Comments: Leave a Comment
The Little Chopper Shop from Oklahoma has a Star that is Still Rising
Top Clicks @ Brass Balls Choppers & Bobbers is none other than Megan, the Chopper Chick. A year after the photographs were found and posted on Flickr, Brass Balls Choppers & Bobbers is still seeing strong traffic in the Harley-Davidson Flickr community.
Monthly we track the activity of Brass Balls Choppers & Bobbers and it is of no surprise that Chopper Jockeys still find Megan to be popular. She has contrasting bronze skin and blonde hair that really sets off the motorcycle she is on.
Gratuitous Pictures of Megan
The following are a few additional pictures of Brass Balls most popular model.
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June 20, 2009
Categories: Website Evaluation . Tags: Brass Balls Bobbers Top Page, Top Click Chick, Traffic @ Brass Balls . Author: horsepowermarketer . Comments: Leave a Comment

Hey, Get Out & Ride
June 15th is RIde To WOrk DAy.
Hey, Get Out & Ride… Your Wife Said it Was Okey!
In many parts of the country, particularly those with vibrant local economies, automotive ‘gridlock’ is rapidly becoming an unattractive fact of life. This is due to the greatly increased use of single-occupancy automobiles. Increases in automobile usage cannot be sustained without consequences, and this sentiment is beginning to have some resonance among the general public.
An objective analysis of the potential benefits of increased use of motorcycles will reveal that they are an underutilized solution, and that their value as a source of congestion relief is being largely ignored.
Motorcycles are a legitimate part of the overall transportation mix, deserving of greater consideration in traffic planning procedures and by those responsible for all kinds of social policy decisions. Our current culture largely considers motorcycles ‘toys’. This is an unfortunate hindrance to the status they deserve as a legitimate mode of personal transportation.
June 11, 2009
Categories: Internet Marketing . Tags: Commute on Your Scoot, Get Out and Ride . Author: horsepowermarketer . Comments: Leave a Comment

Horsepower Marketing Provides Email Checklist
Sourced this from Lyris
SAMPLE SUGGESTION
Think of the preview pane as your teaser area – a place to grab
the reader’s attention and entice them to either scroll down or
to fully open the email. Don’t put anything in that area that
isn’t a benefit to your readers. E-newsletters should include
headlines or “in this issue” content teasers. Promotional emails
should summarize or highlight the key value proposition and
call-to-action.
This free guide will help you by providing:
- An overview of the designs that are most effective in email campaigns
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June 10, 2009
Categories: Internet Marketing . Tags: Email Design White Paper, Email Guidelines . Author: horsepowermarketer . Comments: Leave a Comment

Interactive Video Ad
SUMMARY: When Marketing Sherpa asked a sample of marketers using video advertising, either online or on TV, what effect various tactics would have on their video ads, greater interactivity and creating more versions for more consumer targets proved to be the most popular.
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June 2, 2009
Categories: Internet Marketing . Tags: Interactive Video, Marketing Sherpa . Author: horsepowermarketer . Comments: Leave a Comment
Bada Bing! Microsoft (MSFT) is planning to whack rivals Google (GOOG) and Yahoo (YHOO).
Microsoft is placing a lot of expectations on its new search engine and has wasted no time in building it up by calling it a “decision engine”.
Bing works a little differently than traditional search engines. For example, if you type “Haw” into a Bing search bar, an “auto suggest” feature may figure out that your intent is to research a vacation in Hawaii. Read More…
June 2, 2009
Categories: Internet Marketing . Tags: Bing, Microsoft . Author: horsepowermarketer . Comments: Leave a Comment
Read more at Entrepreneur.com »
A lot of businesses start with less than ideal websites. A friend of a friend knows a guy who knows a girl who made a site for her brother’s band, and, well, you know the rest. But every business reaches a point where it needs a professional online appearance. Unfortunately, commissioning a website isn’t as simple as ordering office supplies. Web professionals and businesspeople don’t always speak the same language, and the learning curve for an already beleaguered entrepreneur can be steep. Here, several web designers explain how to select and collaborate with a designer to create an attractive and effective site–on time and on budget.
This is a useful article for small businesses considering a new website. Another key tip… Before starting any website project determine what your goals are for the website. For example, do you want to drive qualified traffic and generate quality leads for your business? Just building a website, will not deliver many new leads. Therefore, you also need to consider additional marketing tactics such as search engine optimization, telemarketing, pay-per-click advertising and social media campaigns.
Read More…
May 15, 2009
Categories: Internet Marketing . Tags: 8 Tips for Working With Web Designers, Online Development, Succcessful Websites . Author: horsepowermarketer . Comments: Leave a Comment