We all need a few minutes throughout the day to take our mind off of work, grab a snack, and tune out for a few minutes. At Plastic Printers, we want to give your time out a little extra brain power by giving you weekly tips on videos that inspire us. This week, we’re checking out the connections between physics and marketing from Google’s Dan Cobley.

Illustrating how brands behave with science

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like the science of physics and the art of marketing would have much in common. However, there are plenty of parallels between how the physical world functions and how consumers interact with brands. Google Marketing Director Dan Cobley was inspired at an early age by the world of physics, and has been able to transfer many of those ideas and concepts to how brands and people behave in the marketplace.

Dan’s first example goes into the connection between Newton’s second law and the amount of force that it takes for brands to accelerate change. Simply put, the larger the brand (and the larger the presence), the more work it will take to change the brand’s direction. Dan then uses Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle to note the difference between what customers say they do (through surveys and interviews) and how customers actually behave. In the end, it’s objective data, rather than opinion, that will give your business the most accurate perspective possible. Dan also draws a connection with the scientific method and how one event can destroy a lifetime of brand building, and shows how the second law of thermodynamics can illustrate how brands need to embrace the democratizing power of digital media.

In all, Dan uses solid and proven scientific logic to show that the rules of marketing aren’t nearly as complex as they seem. It’s an informative and witty way to spend today’s break! Have any video ideas for an upcoming BreakFuel? Leave us a tip in the comments!