Original Thoughts - Consumer Psychology

Spreading the pain is no way to grow a business

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 05:42:06 -0400

Have you ever wondered why it seems harder, not easier, to get good service in the current down economy? It seems strange doesn't it? People are out of work, resources for hire are abundant, and revenue is scarcer for many companies. So, why isn't service better in general, instead of worse?
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Balancing online and traditional marketing in a down economy

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:15:00 -0500

We're often asked what the right balance of online and traditional marketing is. Not unexpectedly, the answer is it depends. It depends on the product. It depends on the time of year. And, of particular importance right now, it depends on the economy.
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McDonald's -- Small oversight, big impact

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:47:57 -0400

Drive up to a McDonald's today and you're likely to be asked "What can I make for you?" Somewhere along the way, McDonald's marketing department and market researchers obviously told them that their food would seem fresher if their drive-through personnel said this, instead of "What can I get for you?".

Sounds reasonable right? But here's what we found to be the case...
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High pressure sales and low, low pricing shouldn't necessarily go together

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:53:31 -0500

Many high pressure sales environments also rely on offering very low pricing as a way to close the deal even faster, but is this always the most effective approach?
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Digesting value propositions under pressure

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:01:00 -0500

If you have an opportunity to present your product or service value proposition to a potential customer, would you prefer that the customer not be under any perceived time pressure during the presentation or would it somehow be better if the customer did perceive some time pressure?
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Annoying advertising and the consideration set

noreply@zionandzion.com (Aric) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:38:10 -0400

Does annoying advertising actually work? Well it depends upon what your definition of working is. We recently conducted a secondary market research project on the topic. The focal point of which was Vonage, the internet phone company.
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