Small Data:The Tiny Clues That Uncover Huge Trends by Martin Lindstrom

Alfred Hitchcock’s movies always manage to keep the audience on the edge of their seats through series of climactic sequences. The British director is known for his ability in creating stories filled with suspense, thanks to his ability to control the feelings that we, as humans, all share. Hitchcock has a methodology that favors the effective development of his work: he simultaneously uses two separate scripts when making his films. The blue script is dedicated to documenting the functional aspects of the shooting process, for instance, the scenarios, camera angels and dialogues. The second script – called the green script, in addition to outlining the main storyline and plot of the film, describes the characters’ emotions and complex psyches with meticulous attention to detail. Moreover, Hitchcock’s green script focuses not only on the emotional state of his characters, but also on how the audience would feel and react to them. In this way, Hitchcock can control the pace of the film and, at the same time, have an accurate understanding of the emotions experienced by viewers.

Hitchcock’s blue-and-green script strategy is also applicable to brand marketing. As a matter of fact, many renowned global brands are experts at analyzing the psyche of their customers. For instance, Apple stores are projected to resemble the structure of a modern art museum. The interior is spacious, display tables are simple, and the products are evenly organized on top of them. The purpose of Apple’s interior design is to assure that customers focus their attention on the product. Considering from an emotional perspective, the goal of this layout is to unlock a subconscious association of Apple products with artwork, thus further highlighting their value.