Sunday Video: I Don't Want To Work For Free.. Even If You're My Friend!

Putting your time and energy into a valuable activity for someone and not getting anything in return - often this leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Should you work for free for your friends?

If it's a light, few hours long job, I am happy to do it.

Otherwise, I say polite 'no' because I can't afford to work for free.

Check this video if you also find it hard to make your friends understand you don't want to work for free. I bare my soul here.


P.S. When you’re done watching, leave a comment or Tweet me how did you like it. Can't wait to hear from you!

Friday Research: Don't Threaten Me With Your Ad, Or I Will Forget You

When Will You Use This?  

Creating advertisements and marketing promotions.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Marketing research has established that most people buy something because they remember a persuasive ad for it. 

Current series of experiments* examine motivated forgetting of identity-linked promotions (defined as marketing promotions that target consumers based on a social identity). As authors say, “identity-linking occurs, for example, when firms strategically use a particular gender or race as spokespersons or actors in ads or offer sales promotions like “10% discount for senior citizens” or “Ladies receive 1 free drink.” Because these promotions are personally relevant and offer financial benefits, target consumers should be inclined to pay attention to and encode them.”

Researchers demonstrate that consumers remember the least when they feel the most threatened. It’s a natural defense mechanism.

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

 

Most consumer decisions are memory based. It is natural that people pay attention and remember better those promotions which capitalize on their social identity. Following current research, remember that people are motivated to forget the ads that are threatening their identity that’s why you should be very careful developing and including any sensitive subjects of religion, race, political believes, etc in your campaigns.

*Amy N. Dalton and Li Huang. “Motivated Forgetting in Response to Social Identity Threat.” Journal of Consumer Research: April 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with creating visually-stimulating website? 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 In India: Dengue, Ox That Is In The Ditch

Dengue, which symptoms are often mistaken for those of flu by common people, is a killing machine.

Millions and millions die of it every year.

It's a biggie and Mortein, household insecticide brand, knows it.

Their new awareness campaign ‘U and Me against Dengue’ tries to tackle the issue in India. And the future is bright, we honestly hope.

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

Sunday Video: Take The Bull Of Luxury Marketing By The Horns

The future is very bright for luxury goods market.

And I want to see you setting the Thames on fire with your luxury brand. 

Here is my second video in the series of Luxury Marketing which will teach you a few tips and tricks.

Writing is cheap, watch the video.

P.S. When you’re done watching, leave a comment or Tweet me how did you like it. Can't wait to hear from you!

P.P.S. If you missed the first video on Luxury Marketing, no worries - you can find it here.

Friday Research: The Power of Lists Or How Do Rankings Influence Evaluation?

When Will You Use This?  

Developing ranked lists to increase sales as well as managing your own presence on Top Lists.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

People love lists and there is an ever-present Top 10 List for just about everything.

Given the influence of ranked lists on both the consumers and producers, it is important to understand how people use the information provided on these lists in their decision making.

Current series of experiments* examines the “top 10 effect,” the power of round numbers, and how our perceptions can be manipulated. Researchers demonstrate the existence of a cognitive bias in the interpretation of ranked lists: there is an observed significant importance of round numbers (end with a 0 or 5, such as 25, 50, 100). This research shows that round-number categories (e.g., top 10, top 25), rather than place-value categories (e.g., single digits, the twenties) guide the interpretation and value of ranked lists.

Moreover, researchers observe that despite the fact that ranked lists are already explicitly ordered and highly structured, consumers still mentally subdivide them into a smaller set of subjectively generated categories.

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks  

 

It’s obvious that people find ranked lists informative and influential. Consumers often choose goods and services based on a product’s inclusion in a ranked list (just think Billboards music charts, Time 100, Forbes lists, etc).

If your company is a subject to third-party ranked lists, it’s important to have a few things in mind:

• if you are just on the outside looking in to a round-number category, invest more actively and devote significant resources to improve your rank (the ones who should be more worried are those ranked 11th in a top 15 list, or 26th in a top 25 list, etc).

• aim for a round-number category to make sharp numbers prominent and reduce consumers’ tendencies to see your products as second-rate.


*Mathew S. Isaac and Robert M. Schindler. “The Top-Ten Effect: Consumers’ Subjective Categorization of Ranked Lists.” Journal of Consumer Research: April 2014.{Thanks for the material}
 
P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with rankings and evaluations, how do they help to sell? 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 In India: I Love Yeh Wala - It's So Bad

Funny ads are my favourite.

Always cheeky Center Fresh introduced their latest commercial for Indian audience.

And basically it is a mockery of other ads and brands' hyperactive ways of pushing products .

Naughty naughty.

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

Sunday Video: Sink Your Teeth Into Luxury Marketing

The luxury goods market has been increasing for many years.

So if you're building a luxury brand, make hay while the sun shines.

Watch this light video and be fed with a few insights on the situation and specifics of luxury marketing.

Bon appetite!

P.S. When you’re done watching, leave a comment or Tweet me how did you like it. Can't wait to hear from you!

Friday Research: Why You Could Sell Gaga's Socks And Buy A Car

When Will You Use This?  

Planning and managing celebrity endorsement programs and auctions.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Is it possible that belief in contagion (that a person’s immaterial qualities can be transferred to an object through physical contact) can influence the sale of celebrity memorabilia?

Current research* examines data from three high-profile estate auctions. Researchers find that people’s expectations about the amount of physical contact between the object and the celebrity predicts the final bids for items that belongs to famous individuals.

Moreover, contagion beliefs could be the reason behind this: when asked to bid on a sweater owned by a well-liked celebrity, participants were willing to pay substantially less if it was sterilized before they received it. On the other hand, sterilization increased the amount people would pay for a sweater owned by a disliked celebrity.

 

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks  

 

Researchers confirm that physical contact have a real-world effect on how much people pay for celebrity objects. So if you once happened to dress Lady Gaga or Cheryl Cole, or have any other brand's object that belonged to/was touched by/been in photo shoot with a celebrity, keep in mind: people would pay incredibly high prices to obtain them. It could help build brand recognition and visibility as well.


*Newman, G. & Bloom, P., “Physical Contact Influences How Much People Pay at Celebrity Auctions,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (forthcoming)..{Thanks for the material}
 
P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with "celebrity-oriented" 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 In India: Go Further To Get Closer

India is the second largest potential market for British Airways.

No wonder the company pays so much attention (and marketing money) to this region.

And they know what they're doing, obviously.

Portray an individual's story, help him solve some problem, add a range of moving emotions and you'll have any Rakesh, Ramesh and Rajesh laughing and crying together with the characters. And spreading the message further. Ding ding.

Check BA's recent campaign “Go further to get closer”, then move away from the screen and hug your beloved one. That's what I call inspiration.

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

Sunday Video: You Need To Know This When Marketing To Women

Women are wonderful.

They are also very active online: shopping, chatting, sharing.

Watch this light video and get to know some recent statistics on women shoppers and a few valuable insights on what women want (when you're marketing to them).

P.S. When you’re done watching, leave a comment or Tweet me how did you like it. Can't wait to hear from you!

Friday Research: Oh Yes, Sex Actually Sells To Women As Well

When Will You Use This?  

Planning and developing your marketing messages for women.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Previous literature have established that women’s economic decision making, contrary to men’s, is virtually insensitive to the presence of sexual cues.

Wrong!

The current research* investigates female economic decision making after having touched sexually laden stimuli. Researchers found that after touching boxers, women expressed a higher preference for a smaller immediate reward rather than a larger delayed monetary reward; the same treatment led female consumers to be less loss averse for money and food and to be willing to pay more for the rewards. The authors explain these findings by showing that the closeness of an appetitive (or sexually energizing) item activates Pavlovian consummatory responses.  Remember good old Pavlov's experiments with dogs? We are actually so similar in our primary responses.

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks  

  

While marketing for females customers, keep in mind that tactile sexual stimuli enhance women’s reward seeking decisions, and exposure to sexually rewarding cues can lead to a non-specific craving for all sorts of rewards like money, food or drinks.

*What a feeling! Touching sexually laden stimuli makes women seek rewards.Anouk Festjens, Sabrina Bruyneel, and Siegfried Dewitte, Journal of Consumer Psychology, forthcoming.{Thanks for the material}
 
P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with "sex sells" type of 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 In India: Made For Gloomy Mornings Just Like This

Wake up in the morning feeling old and broken - some coffee should sort you out.

And a nice video as an appetizer.

My morning is kind of dull and I'm grumpy so less talking, more watching.

This one is a part of Vodafone India campaign ‘Made for…” and is kind of cute, even if I'm a teenager...

Not.

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

Sunday Video: The Einstellung Effect

Your brain is amazing.

But has some mysterious ways to help you save your time and energy (even when you don't want to).

Watch this video on The Einstellung effect and learn how you can make a better use of your decision-making process.

P.S. When you’re done watching, leave a comment or Tweet me how did you like it. Can't wait to hear from you!