Should gyms be fun or hardwork?

I am quite annoyed with myself. You see, I usually pride myself of seeing through tempting packaging or sales deals, and base my purchase decisions on the product and its value for me, more than anything else. Yet, here I am, very foolishly mourning the fact that the gym that I usually … Continue reading Should gyms be fun or hardwork?

Oh, don’t you love the smell of 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline?

Today, a marketing lesson from the kiddo: What he is talking about, here, is the role of smell as a stimulus. Smell (and other stimuli like colour, temperature, or sounds) can create an affective response in shoppers. This can either be a direct emotional reaction to the stimulus (e.g., the smell makes us feel hungry); or … Continue reading Oh, don’t you love the smell of 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline?

Why do women pay extra for products?

In the UK, as in the US, women routinely pay more for the same, or identical, products marketed at men. The difference, which is sometimes referred to as the pink tax, can range from a few percentage points, to twice as much. Sometimes, the only difference is that the product is pink; other times, not … Continue reading Why do women pay extra for products?

Studying sentiment on Twitter is… complicated

Emotions are key to explain and anticipate consumer behaviour, and sentiment analysis offers marketers a way of measuring and summarising those emotions. Emotions displayed on social media conversations, in particular, are very appealing for research, as these platforms offer many opportunities to listen to the conversations in real time, with minimum disruption for the individuals … Continue reading Studying sentiment on Twitter is… complicated

Google research on choice and use of mobile apps

For a customer facing company, there are many potential benefits of developing an app. It can provide valuable customer insight; it offers a vehicle for personalisation; and it can foster loyalty towards your brand, as discussed here. However, with more than 1 million apps available in Apple’s app store, alone, you really need to understand … Continue reading Google research on choice and use of mobile apps

Customers that suffered to get your product value it more than those that didn’t

I am (finally) reading the book Mistakes were made (but not by me) by Carol Travis and Elliot Aronson (affiliate link), which explores why people find it hard to accept responsibility for mistakes. There is an interesting section in the book, where authors report on findings from psychological experiments that show that: ‘(I)f people go … Continue reading Customers that suffered to get your product value it more than those that didn’t

Who needs a phone, anyway?

Oh, I love this – it is a screenshot of this man’s 13 year old daughter’s iPhone home screen. Within easy reach are: Camera Instagram Text messaging Web browser Less accessible (i.e., tucked away within a folder) are: iTunes Pinterest Snapchat Youtube And nowhere to be seen: Facebook and… Phone! I suspect this reflects the … Continue reading Who needs a phone, anyway?

It’s official: cats don’t rule the Internet

Quick. Answer this question: What is the most popular category of photos on Instagram? I thought it was food, but I was wrong. And if you thought that it was cats you were wrong, too. According to this paper by Hu, Manikonda and Kambhampati, nearly a quarter of content posted on Instagram are selfies. This is … Continue reading It’s official: cats don’t rule the Internet

What would you miss without your mobile phone?

Sometime ago this picture of a modified Maslow’s pyramid of needs was doing the rounds on Twitter. It was meant to be a joke, but it turns out that it may not be that far off reality. According to research recently published by Ofcom, access to mobile services and access to the Internet are now … Continue reading What would you miss without your mobile phone?