It is a puzzling but frequent behaviour: low-income individuals often spend a proportionally higher percentage of their earnings in high-status goods than their wealthier counterparts. The result? Cumulative levels of debt and stress, sometimes spiralling out of control. What can explain high levels of conspicuous consumption among those that can least afford it? One explanation … Continue reading Self-esteem on sale?

A couple of days ago, my better half and I were talking about mobile phone etiquette. The scenario was someone’s mobile phone ringing during a get together or a meal with friends and family. I argued that face-to-face should take precedence over the mobile phone, i.e., that under normal circumstances, the person should not interrupt … Continue reading Why are you answering that phone call?

UPDATE on 22/12/2010: The website is now ‘live’ and, if you are interested, you can check it here: http://www.home-me.co.uk It is far, far from completion - not even a beta version, yet 😉 There are lots of mistakes and loose ends. But, please, bear in mind that this entrepreneur / web-designer is 9 years old, … Continue reading A funny thing happened on Sunday

I have a confession to make: I rarely miss an episode of The Apprentice. I know, I know… this is only a pseudo-business programme where pseudo-business men and women get rewarded for short-term success and their ability to shift blame. But occasionally – very occasionally – there are some good, simple lessons to be learned. … Continue reading You are hearing, but are you listening?

Initiatives such as Fairtrade certification or cause marketing bring together two basic human activities: consumption and helping the other. For instance, by choosing to consume fairtrade wine, you can contribute to raising the living standards of the communities that created it; while buying blue-ribbon adorned merchandise this month will raise funds for prostate cancer research. … Continue reading Cocaine – a paradox of ethical consumerism?

Note: This article was originally posted on October 21st 2010, but later deleted by mistake. This is a re-posting of the original message. Word of mouth (WOM) influences about two-thirds of consumer decisions, with 90% of respondents in a NOP survey saying that WOM was the best, most reliable and trustworthy source of information. The … Continue reading Understanding eWOM

Is Marketing Research an Art or a Science? Well, neither, according to Bors Hulesch, Captain at Marketing Research firm, Brains and Cheek. In a recent talk at Oxford Brookes University Business School, Bors explained why he believes that Marketing Research is a craft – more specifically, the craft of managing anxiety about uncertainty. To reduce … Continue reading 15 pitfalls to avoid in marketing research

This summer, my 9-year old got a new hobby: friendship bracelets. Mind you, it is not as if she did not know about them before. She did, and she even bought a set with her own pocket money, a year or so ago. But she never really spent more than 15 minutes at a time … Continue reading Friendship bracelets