A couple of conversations recently have highlighted just how stupid consumers often are. Case in point, me. I like to think I’m reasonably capable, astute, switched on, together. But that’s just what I like to think. You see, I’ve been following this blog on investment (www.greatwealth.com/). To begin with I felt sort of obliged to stick with it, I’d said to someone that I would look at it. But it was a bit annoying. The investment adviser there (Rod) seemed determined to spell out assumptions people have about investing with the implicit message that they didn’t stack up. Rod did say he would tell us why, but my resistance was, if anything, increasing as the days went on. You see I know about investing. Well, when I say “I know” that’s not totally accurate. It would be more accurate to say that I have invested money in my time, like […]
What Consumer Behaviour Reveals about Sexism
When it comes to observing consumer behaviour, or any aspect of human behaviour, there is an important tip you would do well to keep in mind. The process of observation needs to be as detached and objective as possible. It’s also worth remembering that you will learn the most when your presence as an observer isn’t something the people you’re observing are aware of: “I’ve just come here to watch, you carry on as normal” is not going to work. You’ve just raised the question of what “normal” is and virtually guaranteed that someone is going to be consciously aware of their own actions. Yesterday I had a fascinating insight into sexist behaviour. You know the sort of thing, putting women down, not treating them as equals, pushing people into gender stereotypes. It can get you a little cross can’t it. Who was guilty of this? Would you be surprised […]
The Unconscious Impact of Brand Exposure
Yesterday’s article, for all its mediocrity (sorry about that), did spark an interesting question from Yann. He questioned the extent to which the ads I was discussing would generate business for those companies. As I mentioned in my reply to Yann, at least part of the way in which advertising works is to “register” a brand or product at an unconscious level. Given the way in which the unconscious mind works (by associations) I’m convinced that the unconscious benefit is likely to be maximised when unconscious awareness of the ad coincides with positive emotions. Even if the humour has little or no relevance to the product, the fact that the two exist together at that moment in time can have a positive impact. Part of the support for my theory comes from the fact that the only meaningful correlation that people who track advertising have been able to identify from […]
The Easiest Way to Spend Money
Today I had the last of five or six conversations with my brother about buying a camera. I’m no Annie Liebovitz! But I did get into SLR photography many years ago and have had the good luck to take one or two half decent photographs over the years – including one of the Brooklyn Bridge that my brother has in his house. It’s a good picture, although not so good that he’s ever asked me to sign it or anything. Probably the best picture I ever took was of a sculpture. I was in Paris and took a black and white photo of a Rodin work called The Woman Under the Stone (only that in French, I imagine). By over-exposing the picture perfectly, the dark weathering of the sculpture was magically transformed into a dramatic blend of shimmering shades. Of course, this was in the days when you didn’t know […]
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