Learning from the Distraction Experts

• Advertisers spend millions of dollars a year studying the science of distraction. Cathy starts this chapter with the story of how a Cymbalta (anti-depression drug) ad uses this science to distract viewers from the scary side-effects required in all drug ads. Look for selective mumbling and happy images when the voice-over hits the side-effects. Such commercials also draw on values embedded in the culture they are aimed at. American ads don’t play in Japan. Cathy devotes the rest of the chapter to giving the reader some notion of how American culture is transmitted from parents to their children with some references to how other cultures are different.

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