Are you curious about the behavior of consumers? Consider questions such as:
- A "fraction" of an ad that a TV viewer sees during channel surfing is often more effective than a complete ad seen under ordinary circumstances. Why?
- Why does Tony the Tiger wear a scarf? (Yes, this is "a question only a psychologist could ask.")
- Do people really see a price of $24.99 as cheaper than $25.00?
- Cell phone service at $30 per month seems like a lot of money. Can you state the same price and make it seem cheaper?
- An experimenter waits for a line to develop for copiers in a library. She then walks up and asks users if she can go ahead of them. Half of the time, she adds, "because I have to make copies." Is she more likely to get her way in one situation than in the other?
- Frito Lay once ran an ad campaign that "You can't eat just one!" Those of us who have been one a diet know that it is dangerous to try to take just a little piece of cake. We will most likely want more. Often, it would have been more comfortable not to eat any. Why?
- Advertisements that irritate consumers are often more effective than those consumers like. Why?
Starting in January, 2003, Dr. Lars Perner will publish a monthly electronic newsletter commenting on current events, trends, and perspectives on consumer psychology and marketing. Each month, the ConsumerPsychologist Newsletter will also address questions such as those above.
Lars Perner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Marketing
San Diego State University
Imperial Valley Campus
720 Heber Ave.
Calexico, CA 92231 lperner@mail.sdsu.edu http://www.LarsPerner.com "Birth is nature's way. Adoption is God's way!" (Source unknown)