Friday 29 August 2014

Friday Research: She Touches Me - She Touches Me Not

When Will You Use This?  


Training your sales staff, engaging in direct communication with customers and clients.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 


Every individual has a different comfort level when it comes to interpersonal touch. Some people like to be touched, some - not so much… What about your customers?

Current research* investigates individuals’ comfort with interpersonal touch and aims to understand how people are different with respect to their preference and use of touch with strangers. Authors of this study developed a scale, called Comfort with Interpersonal Touch (CIT), measuring both dimensions of touch – initiating and receiving touch.

Do Not Touch: Some Customers Might Be Highly Disturbed By Touch in Shopping Environment


Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    


This research brings some insight for the marketers directly dealing with the customers. It's important to note that when touched, an individual’s comfort with interpersonal touch will influence their evaluation of their surroundings. For example, in retail environment, if Kate, a salesperson, touches John, her customer, and John is uncomfortable with touch, then it's very believable that John will evaluate the brand, its products and his shopping experience less positively after being touched.

As authors say, "these results are really interesting because we are able to demonstrate that comfort with interpersonal touch can influence what a consumer thinks about a service provider and how that consumer perceives an experience. Whether it be tour guides on a campus tour, wait staff in a restaurant, or a retail employee, the way a service provider interacts with customers affects the customer’s experience."
  

*Webb A., Peck J., ‘Individual Differences in Interpersonal Touch: On the Development, Validation, and Use of the 'Comfort with Interpersonal Touch' (CIT) Scale. Journal of Consumer Psychology (2014 Forthcoming) {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with touching your customers? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Tuesday in India: Have Fiat Just Made Life #MoreInteresting, Anyone?

What's the difference between great and interesting?

It's like a sipping step between black coffee and cappuccino, says Fiat.

The company has just launched a new TVC to highlight features of its revamped Fiat Punto...

..and it's great, or just interesting?




P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Friday 22 August 2014

Friday Research: When Customers Get Interuppted..

When Will You Use This?  


Researching your customer's decision process.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 


Today we get interrupted by calls, messages, emails, notifications and everything else every other minute. How does that affect us?

Current research* examines how interuptions affect the following decisions, more precisely, whether an individual’s desire to finish an interrupted activity depends on the timing of the interruption (specifically, whether an individual’s desire to finish an interrupted activity is heightened when an interruption disrupts the most intense, important ("climatic") moments of an activity or task).

This study found that people who were interrupted during a climactic moment of a television clip, and who were prevented from watching the end of it, were more likely to make unrelated purchase decisions than their uninterrupted counterparts.

It's observed that when a climactic interruption prevents individuals from achieving closure in the interrupted domain, the resulting unsatisfied need for psychological closure can cause individuals to seek closure in totally unrelated domains. That need for closure motivates individuals to make a decision rather than remain in a state of ambiguity. Research shows that climactic interruptions could increase the likelihood that individuals would make unrelated purchase decisions rather than continue examining product alternatives.

Hi, We Are Here So You Wouldn't Finish What You Started!






Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    


This research brings some insight for the marketers, as authors say,“ ..because our findings suggest that climactic interruptions can increase the likelihood of choosing to purchase a product rather than continuing to examine alternatives, it is possible that these closure-motivated choices may increase post-purchase regret. In fact, research indicates that insufficient thinking about decision alternatives in and of itself can increase post-decision regret, even when decision outcomes are held constant. To the extent that the current research suggests that need for psychological closure may increase hasty purchase decisions, it is possible that these decisions may increase post-decision regret.”.
  

*D. Kupor, T. Reich, and B. Shiv,"Can't Finish What You Started? The Effect of Climactic Interruption on Behavior", Journal of Consumer Psychology, Upcoming 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with unrelated purchase decisions and post-purchase regret? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Tuesday in India: For Those Who Care Enough to Know the Meaning of National Anthem


After beautiful celebration of India’s 68th Independence Day last Friday, today I stumbled upon a fact that 9 out of 10 Indians do not know the meaning of their National Anthem.

Huh?

No shame, actually. Indian National Anthem is written in highly Sanskritised Bengali language which isn't widely spoken anymore.

Help is here. Through this video kids from Akanksha Foundation 'teach' you what you probably didn't know.

Nice concept, sweet execution.

 

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Friday 15 August 2014

Friday Research: East or West - Consumer's Distinct Quest!

When Will You Use This?  


Planning and developing your branding and advertising strategy.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 


Spending huge amount of time in UK and Europe (West) and India (East), I couldn’t help but notice the difference between consumers preferences, consumption expectations and brand experiences. Time ago it has been observed that how consumers feel about an unhappy consumption experience depends on who makes the choice and, more significantly, in which cultural context the choice occurs. Actually there are important differences in how Easterners and Westerners view themselves.

Previous studies shown that Westerners tend to expect individuals to act to promote their own interest (coming from beliefs that individuals are self-reliant, self-centered people with autonomy over their own behaviour). On the other hand, in Eastern cultures, people expect groups to act to promtoe the interest of the group (coming from beliefs and values that places greater expectations on working towards the well-being of a group).

Current research* found that Westerners are more likely to switch brands when the unsatisfactory consumption experience is a consequence of their inaction relative to the inaction of a group to which they belong. In contrast, Easterners are more likely to switch brands when the unsatisfactory consumption experience is a consequence of inaction on the part of the group to which they belong relative to their own inaction.

Unhappy Eating Experience: Who will actually change the restaurant?


Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    


This study suggests a few ways how a company might benefit from this study in the areas of brand management and advertising. As authors say, “in bicultural settings (such as Singapore and India), firms would do well to consider the possibility that subtle message frames might yield brand loyalty or switching. Given the behavioral consequences of felt regret, an induction of regret can activate a change in the mode of behavior, such as brand-switching. For instance, a firm might be able to limit consumer switching following an unhappy experience, by emphasizing individual action or group inaction (in a Western setting) or by emphasizing individual inaction or group action (in an Eastern setting) in their persuasive communications, since such an emphasis is likely to elicit relatively less regret. By the same token, when consumers have an unhappy experience with a competing brand, a firm may be able to induce consumer switching by emphasizing individual inaction or group action (in a Western setting) or by emphasizing individual action or group inaction (in an Eastern setting) in their persuasive communications, since such an emphasis is likely to elicit relatively greater regret. Therefore, by appropriately accounting for elements that likely affect consumer regret and brand-switching, firms might enhance or limit brand-switching following an unsatisfactory consumption experience, an issue of considerable interest to firms addressing culturally diverse markets, both domestically and internationally..”.
  

*Sharon Ng, a, Hakkyun Kim, b, Akshay R. Rao,c,"Sins of Omission versus Commission: Cross-Cultural Differences in Brand-Switching Due to Dissatisfaction Induced by Individual versus Group Action and Inaction" Journal of Consumer Research, Upcoming 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with cross-cultural marketing? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Tuesday in India: Insatiable, Unpredictable Appetite for Movies? This Should Be of Use


The mood to watch a movie, like an itch or yawning session, can set in anywhere.

Having that in mind, Indian online ticketing site Bookmyshow.com has launched a campaign to promote its mobile app.

And it's quite fun.

When you try, you'll never want to go back.



P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Friday 8 August 2014

Friday Research: Sooo Cute I Want To Bite Your Product

When Will You Use This?  


Developing your products and marketing promotions.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 


Cuteness is everywhere. Brands come up with new cute products every week and they are popular not only among kids but adults as well.

Current research* examines the extent to which consumers engage in more indulgent consumption when they are exposed to whimsically cute (associated with capricious humor and playful disposition) products and explores the process by which such products affect indulgence.

It is revealed that the whimsical nature of cute products triggers indulgent behavior in adult consumers. Researchers say that exposure to whimsically cute products primes mental representations of fun, increasing consumers’ focus on approaching self-rewards and making consumers more likely to choose indulgent options.


Neutral vs Cute: Isn't the Winner oh-so-obvious?
(these products were used as stimuli in this research)


Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    


This research shares a few insights to help you with developing products and marketign campaigns for them. As authors suggest, "..there are times when adults may not consume beneficial products to the extent that they should (e.g., health-related products), and our findings could be leveraged to suggest that a cute version of such products can increase their consumption, leading to a potentially positive outcome. For example, cute adult “gummy bear” multivitamins are a popular product that may have downstream benefits insofar as their cuteness creates mental representations of fun, causing consumers to indulge in a beneficial way and consume the vitamins more often. Recent reports have indicated increased use of cute anthropomorphized brand characters by companies employing mascots and characters to interact with consumers on social media (Vranica 2012). Because these brand characters are part of the extended product, our findings provide some insights into their potential downstream effects on the brand. That is, the use of cute characters to personify corporate brands could be advantageous for some companies, for which indulgent choices on the part of consumers are beneficial (e.g., Kellogg’s talking granola bar Mel promoting the MilkBite line) but could backfire for others, for which indulgence could result in spending on some pleasurable consumption alternative, rather than on theintended, utilitarian consumption choice (e.g., Aflac’s whimsical duck selling insurance)."
  

*Nenkov G.Y., Scott M.L.,"'So Cute I Could Eat It Up’: Priming Effects of Cute Products on Indulgent Consumption." Journal of Consumer Research, August 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with cuteness and marketing? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Tuesday In India: Anything Can Leak in India, But Not This?

Exam papers leak, videos of corrupted politicians leak, sex tapes leak...

Everything leaks but not these pipes.

A funny ad with a quirky soundtrack from Prince Piping Systems is a marketing gem for this week.

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your favourite campaign this year? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

Friday 1 August 2014

Friday Research: Your Experience With Identity Marketing Could Flop

When Will You Use This?  


Creating marketing messages that target consumers on the basis of their identity.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 


Marketing messages often appeal to consumers because of their targeted identities, for example, Crisco targets culinarians by noting that "Cooks who know, trust Crisco" and Jell-O asserts that all real Americans eat their desserts.

However, could identity marketing flop?

Current research* demonstrates that explicit identity-marketing messages can backfire. As authors note, "identity marketing messages that explicitly connect consumer identity expression to a particular brand may highlight the role of external forces in determining consumers’ purchase behavior. In doing so, explicit identity marketing may inadvertently reduce consumers’ perceptions of personal agency in identity expression, undermining the value of brand purchase as a meaningful expression of identity. Five studies support this theorizing and demonstrate that explicit identity-marketing messages may reduce purchase likelihood. Consumers perceive such explicit identity marketing as a threat to free identity expression and avoid brands they would otherwise prefer..".

Xbox One Invitation for Real Gamers: Is This a Meaningful Expression of Their Identity?




* Bhattacharjee, A., Berger J., Menon G., “When Identity Marketing Backfires: Consumer Agency in Identity Expression". Journal of Consumer Psychology: August, 2014. {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with identity marketing? Leave a comment or Tweet me, let's chat!

P.P.S. Need some help on crafting your marketing message? Let's do this together.