Personas
One of the core concepts I took away from this group project was the value of using personas rather than just segmentation to produce a needed home office prototype for our “Do-It-All Mom.” Segmentation uses traditional data and observation (demographics, behavioral activities, psychographics, etc.). Creating a persona is effective because we first took segmentation into consideration, and then we created an experience for ourselves by inventing a narrative with a fictional character. A gesture as simple as naming our Do-It-All-Mom gave reality to our persona. I loved bringing Monica to life from the two-dimensional world! Using our own minds and creativity, we looked at Monica’s personality traits, lifestyle, beliefs, desires, fears, etc. It helped me build empathy and have deeper understanding about our persona’s needs to separate her from the typical home office user. Personas allow for interesting qualitative data that may sound insignificant or even irrelevant on the surface, but turn out to prove useful during the research process. For example, Monica is a web designer and PTA mom who works from home so she can be fully involved in her young child’s life throughout the day. We pictured her as a Super Mom whose home office was functional for her professional life yet allowed her to take care of her son while working. During our research, we found that our Do-It-All Moms sent their children to day care or school during the work day. However, the moms still tended to their children by making preparations for their kids’ activities or receiving calls about school functions. Our prototype, the Desk-Mobile, was like Batman’s utility belt for our persona. Our moms could answer to their work and home life while keeping them separate by utilizing the white/cork board.
Photo Journals
As with personas, the importance of stories in photo journals is a theme I learned from this course. There are several ways to gather qualitative research, and I think a photo journal is one of the most useful methods to finding inspiration during a project. Research participants submit answer to questions via a photo journal on PowerPoint accompanied by brief explanations in the notes. Visual images tell stories because we can envision the mom in her brightly lit home, gazing at family portraits on the terracotta-colored walls, sitting in the black computer chair, typing on her Mac, and reaching for her Coke sitting on the coaster. These details are not articulated through surveys. Some of the most important pictures we received were for the question “Take a picture of the area at home that you do the most business work. Why do you choose to do the most business work in this area?” We were all surprised to see that several moms did not work in an actual home office but opted for the kitchen. Moms could not work efficiently and share an office with other people, so they moved to another area of the house. Because the pictures peaked our interest, we asked follow-up questions to uncover the stories. One participant told us she did not just work in the kitchen, but traveled all over the house depending on her mood and functionality of the work surface. We created a desk to help Do-It-All Moms travel easier. I think that photo journals elicit better stories and more legitimate research because participants are more active players in the research process. When asked to take pictures, they have to go to their destination and look at what they are talking about. Therefore, the results they hand back to us as well as our own observations are more holistic.
My Reflections
I thoroughly enjoyed working with the people in my group. The diversity in our group (girls and guys, Americans and Spaniards, etc.) gave different perspectives to our persona and prototypes. We laughed, became friends, and even went to karaoke after the end of the course. In regard to the project, at times, we were sluggish or clashed in idea generation, cohesiveness, work ethic, and having the same vision. I realize those are obstacles of any team. In the end, I think we listened more to one another and made more progress with creating a useful prototype for our persona. Along the way, I had to experience the frustration in order to realize my appreciation for the struggles.
Professor Walls clearly has passion and insight about the customer. Leading us to complete the project in parts (creating a persona, research, first prototype, final prototype) helped us truly learn more and more and experience our persona and prototype. I think we could have had a more holistic experience with more thorough feedback about our deliverables and prototype. One of Professor Walls’s first lessons in the class was that marketing is not about creating products for the sake of creating them. The important element is to improve people’s lives. I aimed to take that lesson to the prototype, and I will take that lesson away with me for the rest of my life.
I loved the level of involvement with this project. It was not just surface-level research. We got to know our persona and our participants. I wanted to make a prototype that would improve the lives of our Do-It-All Moms. The feedback from the moms when we showed them our prototype made me feel very successful. They liked the usefulness of our desk. One exclaimed that it was brilliant to be able to shuffle the desk around instead of all her stuff. I was proud our research and ideas had potential for end-users.
With this project, I cannot fathom having to do it alone. Bouncing ideas off one another, laughing with other people, and celebrating team successes are lost on individual projects of this caliber. Chloe took the lead and kept our focus especially when we created a video to explain our prototype and solicit feedback. She articulated what points the moms needed know in order to understand our prototype. Joy’s spirit and creative mind in creating Monica gave our group direction. Borja gave particular insightful comments about our prototype and pushed our group to think how it would serve our moms. Esteve’s reflections on the themes from class and his appreciation of our group dynamic are always poetic. It makes me realize the bigger picture of marketing and in life at times when I am too focused on this one project.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Social Media
Young people have always been the largest group of consumers. As Professor Walls declared in class, technology and social media are regular mainstays of our generation, and established companies are recognizing that social media is the new way to reach that audience. Engaging in social media is smart and efficient because it does not take much money, just human capital. Social networks, like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, various blogs, etc. already exist for free. Humans just need the passion (or pretend to have passion) for spending time posting and connecting with people, giving the brand personality. I think Facebook is one of the biggest social media names that companies should focus on. Facebook is the only social networking website for which I reach out to companies I like.
I become a “fan” of brands I enjoy, such as Target, Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle, etc. More so than hoping the brand has a page on Facebook, I expect it, because it is somewhat a gauge for how “cool” the brand is. Of course I like cool brands. Companies should create a Facebook page because the number of fans gives insight into how popular and strong the brand is. Avid customers seek out the brand, not the other way, so people do not feel that companies are obtrusive. Brands people are fans of is public knowledge on Facebook, so this further gives companies insight to how loyal their customers are. For example, when I wrote this, Target has 573,306 fans while Walmart has 43,702 fans though Walmart obviously gets more traffic in the stores. The fans disparity gives insight to how proud customers are about brandishing the brand name. People are more proud to say they are Target shoppers than Walmart shoppers.
Companies can also use Facebook to reward customers and create a personable customer experience. They can offer exclusive deals, media, sweepstakes, contests, event invitations, applications, etc. Posting coupons for store purchases lets customers know they are appreciated. Tracking how Facebook advertising translates into store sales can tell a company how effective it is compared to the more expensive direct mail, giving insight to which they should pursue. Exclusive videos for Facebook fans also reward fans. I especially enjoy when a celebrity at a store event says something short on the video. It is usually a rough cut that has not been edited professionally, so the rawness makes it seem like a friend is posting a video to me. Project Runway winner Christian Siriano talked about his makeup line at a Victoria Secret flagship store. The view count on the videos gives insight to how interactive customers are with the page. When I see status updates on my home page’s News Feed about new products or new deals, I feel like the companies are reaching out and sharing with me directly.
Facebooks is a great way to access customers because the company’s presence feels unobtrusive. Fans go TO the page to write on the wall or start a discussion thread. These are voluntary actions that show customers want to connect with the brand and with other customers. They have a great experience giving feedback and discussing their interests toward the company. Insights gained from customers’ discussions can vary from particularly liked items or disappointments with commercial campaigns. It is free market research! In all, Facebook is a great way for companies to realize and/or modify their brand image.
Google blogs
I chose Lady Gaga as a search topic in Google blogs because she is a hot person right now, and I was certain there would be a plethora of bloggers with opinions. Many websites I have heard of before, such as popbytse and MTV newsroom, so I opted to click on more obscure blogs, for which there were plenty. The search results were astounding. I foremost like the passion that fans and foes have because they sometimes create more ingenious titles for their blogs than professional magazine writers do. One is “Like Karaoke? You’ll Go (Lady) Gaga Over iOKi’s iPhone App.” It turns out that the new iPhone Lady Gaga app will be heavily marketed closer to when she debuts her new album November 23. Speaking of social media, the blogger suggests the app partner with Facebook so the recordings can show up on News Feeds. Marketing directors will find great ideas and insight from reading what bloggers write about their products and what potential consumers write in the comments. Since the app has not been rolled out yet, there is time to take the suggestions to improve the product or market it in a specific way.
Another blogger writes, “You win, Lady Gaga,” conceding that the artist is a “genius.” He posted her new music video for “Bad Romance.” I didn’t even know she had released a new song, and there’s already a music video! I may have to start searching blogs more because I am finding new products, news stories, and new media I am very interested in. The handy navigation bar on the left allows me subscribe to an RSS blog alert so that up-to-the-minute updates come to me. Over half the first results page was about the new video. Out of curiosity, I typed “lady gaga bad romance” into the search bar and found 168,609 blog posts referring to the new music video. If they aren’t already, Lady Gaga’s management should be ecstatic about how much attention she is drawing the day the video is released. Since the comments are unfiltered, it reveals honest delight or disdain toward an artist. Lady Gaga’s team can look at comments on blogs to gauge how her image is. Again, it’s all free market research.
The results are defaulted to sort by relevance. If I sort by date, I can see that every hour, there are at least three new blog posts about Lady Gaga. To marketers, the chatter in the blogosphere shows how relevant and important a brand, idea, or person is to consumers. Looking at blogs is a useful way to do market research because it is current. A keyword search in Google blogs finds up-to-date information and comments from people around the world. However, I would think mostly the passionate people, either for or against the brand or artist, will spend the time writing about it. It may not be a true representation of all the products’ or artists’ fans.
I become a “fan” of brands I enjoy, such as Target, Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle, etc. More so than hoping the brand has a page on Facebook, I expect it, because it is somewhat a gauge for how “cool” the brand is. Of course I like cool brands. Companies should create a Facebook page because the number of fans gives insight into how popular and strong the brand is. Avid customers seek out the brand, not the other way, so people do not feel that companies are obtrusive. Brands people are fans of is public knowledge on Facebook, so this further gives companies insight to how loyal their customers are. For example, when I wrote this, Target has 573,306 fans while Walmart has 43,702 fans though Walmart obviously gets more traffic in the stores. The fans disparity gives insight to how proud customers are about brandishing the brand name. People are more proud to say they are Target shoppers than Walmart shoppers.
Companies can also use Facebook to reward customers and create a personable customer experience. They can offer exclusive deals, media, sweepstakes, contests, event invitations, applications, etc. Posting coupons for store purchases lets customers know they are appreciated. Tracking how Facebook advertising translates into store sales can tell a company how effective it is compared to the more expensive direct mail, giving insight to which they should pursue. Exclusive videos for Facebook fans also reward fans. I especially enjoy when a celebrity at a store event says something short on the video. It is usually a rough cut that has not been edited professionally, so the rawness makes it seem like a friend is posting a video to me. Project Runway winner Christian Siriano talked about his makeup line at a Victoria Secret flagship store. The view count on the videos gives insight to how interactive customers are with the page. When I see status updates on my home page’s News Feed about new products or new deals, I feel like the companies are reaching out and sharing with me directly.
Facebooks is a great way to access customers because the company’s presence feels unobtrusive. Fans go TO the page to write on the wall or start a discussion thread. These are voluntary actions that show customers want to connect with the brand and with other customers. They have a great experience giving feedback and discussing their interests toward the company. Insights gained from customers’ discussions can vary from particularly liked items or disappointments with commercial campaigns. It is free market research! In all, Facebook is a great way for companies to realize and/or modify their brand image.
Google blogs
I chose Lady Gaga as a search topic in Google blogs because she is a hot person right now, and I was certain there would be a plethora of bloggers with opinions. Many websites I have heard of before, such as popbytse and MTV newsroom, so I opted to click on more obscure blogs, for which there were plenty. The search results were astounding. I foremost like the passion that fans and foes have because they sometimes create more ingenious titles for their blogs than professional magazine writers do. One is “Like Karaoke? You’ll Go (Lady) Gaga Over iOKi’s iPhone App.” It turns out that the new iPhone Lady Gaga app will be heavily marketed closer to when she debuts her new album November 23. Speaking of social media, the blogger suggests the app partner with Facebook so the recordings can show up on News Feeds. Marketing directors will find great ideas and insight from reading what bloggers write about their products and what potential consumers write in the comments. Since the app has not been rolled out yet, there is time to take the suggestions to improve the product or market it in a specific way.
Another blogger writes, “You win, Lady Gaga,” conceding that the artist is a “genius.” He posted her new music video for “Bad Romance.” I didn’t even know she had released a new song, and there’s already a music video! I may have to start searching blogs more because I am finding new products, news stories, and new media I am very interested in. The handy navigation bar on the left allows me subscribe to an RSS blog alert so that up-to-the-minute updates come to me. Over half the first results page was about the new video. Out of curiosity, I typed “lady gaga bad romance” into the search bar and found 168,609 blog posts referring to the new music video. If they aren’t already, Lady Gaga’s management should be ecstatic about how much attention she is drawing the day the video is released. Since the comments are unfiltered, it reveals honest delight or disdain toward an artist. Lady Gaga’s team can look at comments on blogs to gauge how her image is. Again, it’s all free market research.
The results are defaulted to sort by relevance. If I sort by date, I can see that every hour, there are at least three new blog posts about Lady Gaga. To marketers, the chatter in the blogosphere shows how relevant and important a brand, idea, or person is to consumers. Looking at blogs is a useful way to do market research because it is current. A keyword search in Google blogs finds up-to-date information and comments from people around the world. However, I would think mostly the passionate people, either for or against the brand or artist, will spend the time writing about it. It may not be a true representation of all the products’ or artists’ fans.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Walmart
Walmart is one company that undoubtedly recognizes that the knowledge it collects “is not only power. It is profit, too” (Hays). Seeing how Walmart maintains its supremacy in the retail business, it must be doing something right. Most notably, its amassed data and advanced technology inform the company about its customers’ habits.
Given the enormous amount of data that Walmart captures, do you think they have been successful at converting into an experience that serves as a competitive advantage for them?
Walmart is absolutely successful at converting its captured data into an experience that serves as a competitive advantage for them. Despite its terabytes of data, Walmart mines it all for effective use. I see the data collection process similar to how guest speaker Kate described shop-alongs (but obviously on a larger scale and without a person following you around). The object is to see what a household buys. Rather than using a loyalty card that correlates type of person to items bought, Walmart seeks data on basket size, like buying chicken soup and cold medicine at the same time. This approach gives Walmart a competitive advantage in pricing strategies and appropriate restocking amounts.
Walmart’s consistently stocked shelves give it an edge over competitors like Target. Customers will opt for Walmart over other stores because they know all the items on their shopping list will be in stock. Customers trust Walmart to be their place of one-stop-shop. Also, understanding customer behavior makes day-to-day operations flow easier. One example from the article is how each store can figure out how many cashiers are needed during certain hours. That builds customer satisfaction. Customers come for the low prices, healthy stock of products, and relatively efficient checkout.
Other companies try to collect large amounts of data but find little use and knowledge from them. They cannot match Walmart’s ability to turn data into information and then into insight. One example Walmart has the upperhand over competing retailers is in predictive technology. The company used its sales history during Hurricane Charley to prepare shelves for Hurricane Frances. Beer and strawberry Pop-Tarts would have been in “low” supply otherwise. As we saw with Hurricane Katrina, Walmart’s knowledge about customers and its ample resources allowed it to reach people in need of supplies before the federal government could organize a relief effort. This put Walmart in good standings with people, demonstrating it can deliver in ways other stores, and even the government, cannot.
One of Walmart’s strongest points of competitive advantage is its fearless penetration into new technologies. The corporation is powerful enough to experiment with innovative technology and lead the pack. Technology is part of its past, present and future. In 1991, Walmart invested in innovation such as bar codes and scanner data that are standard across businesses today. Not only did it create speedy checkout for customers, the company could collect data about customers’ buying habits. Today, Walmart is implementing RFID tags to its inventory to track the exact location of its items. This more accurately tracks misplaced merchandise as well as sales, saving employees time that can be spent on other tasks. Experts see scan-based technology in Walmart’s future. In a way, the technology frontier is partially defined by Walmart’s actions.
What impact do you think they are having on their suppliers - making them better and more efficient or driving them too hard and reducing their profitability?
I think Walmart’s seemingly invincible power drives its suppliers too hard and reduces their profitability. A manufacturer knows it’s on the map when Walmart sells its product. Profits soar, but it must play by Walmart’s rules. The article quoted a retail analyst for Meta Group saying “Walmart lives in a world of supply and command” (Hays). They are strict with suppliers. Period. Walmart has been known to sever ties with suppliers when Walmart does not have the power in the relationship, so suppliers often concede to the retail giant. One Rubbermaid location was put out of business because Walmart refused to let their prices rise by even a penny even though raw material prices rose significantly.
Additionally, suppliers are constantly anxious because they need to meet the year-end sales goal both parties “agreed” upon. Also, data is collected about problems with orders, delivery, restocking or returns, etc. Like parents penalizing a misbehaving child, Walmart will deliver tougher negotiations to suppliers the next time around if expectations are not met. A supplier may find the technology keeps such close tabs on their actions, they don’t have the courage to try new ideas for more efficient operations in case it fails. Walmart is the bully lurking around the corner.
In a class discussion on the music industry, we talked about how Walmart sells more CDs than any other physical site. Walmart’s decreased shelf space due to the declining music industry further strangled CD sales. Suppliers are helpless if that is their core competency. More than having leverage over suppliers, Walmart seems to have dominance over them.
If Walmart does use scan-based technology in the future, it will have even more power over suppliers. One problem with large retailers is holding large amounts of inventory because it costs money to store items. If the manufacturers own the product until it is sold, Walmart does not incur holding expenses, and the burden falls upon the supplier. Walmart has a win-win situation.
Given the enormous amount of data that Walmart captures, do you think they have been successful at converting into an experience that serves as a competitive advantage for them?
Walmart is absolutely successful at converting its captured data into an experience that serves as a competitive advantage for them. Despite its terabytes of data, Walmart mines it all for effective use. I see the data collection process similar to how guest speaker Kate described shop-alongs (but obviously on a larger scale and without a person following you around). The object is to see what a household buys. Rather than using a loyalty card that correlates type of person to items bought, Walmart seeks data on basket size, like buying chicken soup and cold medicine at the same time. This approach gives Walmart a competitive advantage in pricing strategies and appropriate restocking amounts.
Walmart’s consistently stocked shelves give it an edge over competitors like Target. Customers will opt for Walmart over other stores because they know all the items on their shopping list will be in stock. Customers trust Walmart to be their place of one-stop-shop. Also, understanding customer behavior makes day-to-day operations flow easier. One example from the article is how each store can figure out how many cashiers are needed during certain hours. That builds customer satisfaction. Customers come for the low prices, healthy stock of products, and relatively efficient checkout.
Other companies try to collect large amounts of data but find little use and knowledge from them. They cannot match Walmart’s ability to turn data into information and then into insight. One example Walmart has the upperhand over competing retailers is in predictive technology. The company used its sales history during Hurricane Charley to prepare shelves for Hurricane Frances. Beer and strawberry Pop-Tarts would have been in “low” supply otherwise. As we saw with Hurricane Katrina, Walmart’s knowledge about customers and its ample resources allowed it to reach people in need of supplies before the federal government could organize a relief effort. This put Walmart in good standings with people, demonstrating it can deliver in ways other stores, and even the government, cannot.
One of Walmart’s strongest points of competitive advantage is its fearless penetration into new technologies. The corporation is powerful enough to experiment with innovative technology and lead the pack. Technology is part of its past, present and future. In 1991, Walmart invested in innovation such as bar codes and scanner data that are standard across businesses today. Not only did it create speedy checkout for customers, the company could collect data about customers’ buying habits. Today, Walmart is implementing RFID tags to its inventory to track the exact location of its items. This more accurately tracks misplaced merchandise as well as sales, saving employees time that can be spent on other tasks. Experts see scan-based technology in Walmart’s future. In a way, the technology frontier is partially defined by Walmart’s actions.
What impact do you think they are having on their suppliers - making them better and more efficient or driving them too hard and reducing their profitability?
I think Walmart’s seemingly invincible power drives its suppliers too hard and reduces their profitability. A manufacturer knows it’s on the map when Walmart sells its product. Profits soar, but it must play by Walmart’s rules. The article quoted a retail analyst for Meta Group saying “Walmart lives in a world of supply and command” (Hays). They are strict with suppliers. Period. Walmart has been known to sever ties with suppliers when Walmart does not have the power in the relationship, so suppliers often concede to the retail giant. One Rubbermaid location was put out of business because Walmart refused to let their prices rise by even a penny even though raw material prices rose significantly.
Additionally, suppliers are constantly anxious because they need to meet the year-end sales goal both parties “agreed” upon. Also, data is collected about problems with orders, delivery, restocking or returns, etc. Like parents penalizing a misbehaving child, Walmart will deliver tougher negotiations to suppliers the next time around if expectations are not met. A supplier may find the technology keeps such close tabs on their actions, they don’t have the courage to try new ideas for more efficient operations in case it fails. Walmart is the bully lurking around the corner.
In a class discussion on the music industry, we talked about how Walmart sells more CDs than any other physical site. Walmart’s decreased shelf space due to the declining music industry further strangled CD sales. Suppliers are helpless if that is their core competency. More than having leverage over suppliers, Walmart seems to have dominance over them.
If Walmart does use scan-based technology in the future, it will have even more power over suppliers. One problem with large retailers is holding large amounts of inventory because it costs money to store items. If the manufacturers own the product until it is sold, Walmart does not incur holding expenses, and the burden falls upon the supplier. Walmart has a win-win situation.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Fun Theory
Volkswagen (VW) recently released YouTube viral ads in a campaign called “The Fun Theory,” created by ad agency DDB Stockholm. Several experiments test this fun theory – that people’s behavior can improve if they can have fun simultaneously. I believe the experiments and ads are creative because they take an activity and allow it to be experienced in a new and exciting way. Two videos of experiments are posted so far, which can be found at http://www.thefuntheory.com/.
In “The World’s Deepest Bin,” when trash is thrown down the public trash can, the sensor triggers a cartoon-like noise that sounds as if the trash keeps on falling for 50 feet. People keep throwing trash away to hear the noise. The video reports that 41 kg (about 90 pounds) more trash was collected in “The Fun Theory” trash can than a nearby trash can. That simple change morphed a chore into a fun activity that actually helps out the world. This imaginative trash can evokes amusement, laughter, and childhood memories of Saturday morning cartoons. The idea is great because on a subconscious level, it reminds people how they (hopefully) were taught from infancy to throw their trash away and to be a good person by throwing other people’s litter away. I see how this experiment takes a page out of a parenting book. Parents try to make tasks and chores fun for their children to convince them to do it. As it turns out, even adults’ minds need to be tricked that way. This fun theory idea can spread to recycling programs. Many restaurants now have three or more separate bins for different recyclables, but that is too much thinking time for me to decipher what items on my tray go in what bin. I tend to dump everything in the trash can in the end. If there is a fun reward for discarding my variety of trash, I would certainly do so. I can spare 30 seconds if it will make me chuckle.
In the other video, “Piano Stairs,” a set of stairs in a subway next to an escalator was manipulated to become large piano keys. The video reports that 66% more people than normal opted to take the piano stairs than the standard stairs. People not only walk up or down the stairs in a regular fashion, but they spend some time making melodies or jumping around in a rhythmic pattern. Playing around on the music steps is an obvious joyful experience for them before a mundane subway ride traveling to work, to grocery shop, to meet friends, etc. After all, music is universally enjoyed across cultures, ages, genders, etc. This inventive manipulation of the stairs literally puts a bounce in people’s day. While they are having fun on the piano stairs, they are active without having to wake up at six a.m. for a two mile jog. It starts to solve a need people have- to overcome laziness and exercise. The experiment aims to change people’s behavior by encouraging them to stay energetic and keep their bodies moving. I fully encourage my apartment complex to line our stairs with piano keys playing different melodies so that when I take the stairs, I am happy upon reaching my floor instead of irritated by the “lengthy” one and a half flights.
Obviously, throwing trash away and taking the stairs are not new processes, but this campaign looked for new creative applications. I see how these “fun” experiences relate to Jeff Mulhausen’s idea of design for impact. Public trash cans and stairs in a subway are everyday items that do not receive special attention. With redesign, the impact is delivered by understanding human behavior and knowing how to bring out the best in people by using fun. With “The Fun Theory’s” approach to design for impact, people’s lives improve because there is a social benefit to the fun experiences (i.e. greener world, healthier people, and happier world). These experiences are designed to empower people, helping them change for the better.
As these ads do not even appear on television, the Internet plays the major role. The viral videos, originally posted on YouTube, have been seen by millions because of its position as a top video and social networking. As “The New, Faster Face of Innovation” article notes, a company can change its website and observe results in a timely fashion such as tracking online traffic and reading customer comments. This sheds insight into the human thought process. Based on how well the viral ads are faring, the VW initiative is successful. Only in the Internet sphere can creative and innovative ideas spread so quickly and cheaply. With this campaign, VW can test idea after idea and video document experiment after experiment to observe people’s behavior without months of planning or large budgets. Personally, I was so intrigued by the YouTube video, I went to the official website. The website merely contains a short summary of VW’s initiative and the few video ads. On the side bar, there seems to be a competition for the “Fun Theory Award” in which regular people can submit their own entries to change behavior. Involving regular people in the campaign is a great way for the company to establish a connection with its potential customers. Unfortunately, the links are not clickable and perhaps are inactive. The article states that Internet technology is revolutionizing the research-and-development process. “The Fun Theory” applies this by forming a theory about how people can improve their lives, test the theory and catch people’s behavior on film, create a video for world exposure, and gauge the Internet response. These theories and test reactions can lead to new creative strategies for products. For instance, people often overlook safety precautions in the car. An automobile company like VW can use their knowledge about the human behavior and infuse fun with safety. For example, in buckling the seat belt, the car can emit a fun noise – a creative approach to preventing injuries by raising the percentage of Americans that wear seats belts from the current 80%.
To me, the creative ads are metaphoric for how insights into human behavior- that people like to have fun- can translate to fun and innovative ideas for VW to serve its customers. At the very least, VW is making the world greener and helping people stay healthy. The “Fun Theory” experience (or vicarious experience if the ads are viewed through the Internet) forms a positive association with the VW brand, even influencing people to buy eco-friendly VW cars. Creativity and innovation are obviously necessary because the reason these activities are fun because of the novelty. A third ad video called “Bottle Bank Arcade Machine” is on its way.
In “The World’s Deepest Bin,” when trash is thrown down the public trash can, the sensor triggers a cartoon-like noise that sounds as if the trash keeps on falling for 50 feet. People keep throwing trash away to hear the noise. The video reports that 41 kg (about 90 pounds) more trash was collected in “The Fun Theory” trash can than a nearby trash can. That simple change morphed a chore into a fun activity that actually helps out the world. This imaginative trash can evokes amusement, laughter, and childhood memories of Saturday morning cartoons. The idea is great because on a subconscious level, it reminds people how they (hopefully) were taught from infancy to throw their trash away and to be a good person by throwing other people’s litter away. I see how this experiment takes a page out of a parenting book. Parents try to make tasks and chores fun for their children to convince them to do it. As it turns out, even adults’ minds need to be tricked that way. This fun theory idea can spread to recycling programs. Many restaurants now have three or more separate bins for different recyclables, but that is too much thinking time for me to decipher what items on my tray go in what bin. I tend to dump everything in the trash can in the end. If there is a fun reward for discarding my variety of trash, I would certainly do so. I can spare 30 seconds if it will make me chuckle.
In the other video, “Piano Stairs,” a set of stairs in a subway next to an escalator was manipulated to become large piano keys. The video reports that 66% more people than normal opted to take the piano stairs than the standard stairs. People not only walk up or down the stairs in a regular fashion, but they spend some time making melodies or jumping around in a rhythmic pattern. Playing around on the music steps is an obvious joyful experience for them before a mundane subway ride traveling to work, to grocery shop, to meet friends, etc. After all, music is universally enjoyed across cultures, ages, genders, etc. This inventive manipulation of the stairs literally puts a bounce in people’s day. While they are having fun on the piano stairs, they are active without having to wake up at six a.m. for a two mile jog. It starts to solve a need people have- to overcome laziness and exercise. The experiment aims to change people’s behavior by encouraging them to stay energetic and keep their bodies moving. I fully encourage my apartment complex to line our stairs with piano keys playing different melodies so that when I take the stairs, I am happy upon reaching my floor instead of irritated by the “lengthy” one and a half flights.
Obviously, throwing trash away and taking the stairs are not new processes, but this campaign looked for new creative applications. I see how these “fun” experiences relate to Jeff Mulhausen’s idea of design for impact. Public trash cans and stairs in a subway are everyday items that do not receive special attention. With redesign, the impact is delivered by understanding human behavior and knowing how to bring out the best in people by using fun. With “The Fun Theory’s” approach to design for impact, people’s lives improve because there is a social benefit to the fun experiences (i.e. greener world, healthier people, and happier world). These experiences are designed to empower people, helping them change for the better.
As these ads do not even appear on television, the Internet plays the major role. The viral videos, originally posted on YouTube, have been seen by millions because of its position as a top video and social networking. As “The New, Faster Face of Innovation” article notes, a company can change its website and observe results in a timely fashion such as tracking online traffic and reading customer comments. This sheds insight into the human thought process. Based on how well the viral ads are faring, the VW initiative is successful. Only in the Internet sphere can creative and innovative ideas spread so quickly and cheaply. With this campaign, VW can test idea after idea and video document experiment after experiment to observe people’s behavior without months of planning or large budgets. Personally, I was so intrigued by the YouTube video, I went to the official website. The website merely contains a short summary of VW’s initiative and the few video ads. On the side bar, there seems to be a competition for the “Fun Theory Award” in which regular people can submit their own entries to change behavior. Involving regular people in the campaign is a great way for the company to establish a connection with its potential customers. Unfortunately, the links are not clickable and perhaps are inactive. The article states that Internet technology is revolutionizing the research-and-development process. “The Fun Theory” applies this by forming a theory about how people can improve their lives, test the theory and catch people’s behavior on film, create a video for world exposure, and gauge the Internet response. These theories and test reactions can lead to new creative strategies for products. For instance, people often overlook safety precautions in the car. An automobile company like VW can use their knowledge about the human behavior and infuse fun with safety. For example, in buckling the seat belt, the car can emit a fun noise – a creative approach to preventing injuries by raising the percentage of Americans that wear seats belts from the current 80%.
To me, the creative ads are metaphoric for how insights into human behavior- that people like to have fun- can translate to fun and innovative ideas for VW to serve its customers. At the very least, VW is making the world greener and helping people stay healthy. The “Fun Theory” experience (or vicarious experience if the ads are viewed through the Internet) forms a positive association with the VW brand, even influencing people to buy eco-friendly VW cars. Creativity and innovation are obviously necessary because the reason these activities are fun because of the novelty. A third ad video called “Bottle Bank Arcade Machine” is on its way.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Predictably Irrational
This chapter from Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely explores the paradox of anticipating people’s erratic responses as a result of different expectations. As the chapter title suggests, people’s expectations shape how their minds experience feelings, events, products, tastes, etc. The primary lesson is that providing certain specific information to form people’s expectations can influence their experience entirely. Developing and managing a brand or product partly depends on conveying knowledge that will amplify a customer’s “anticipated and real pleasure.”
Humans are emotional creatures that do not come to conclusions based on just facts. Favoritism, especially in brands and products, stems from beliefs and associations. It is no accident that Coke sells better than Pepsi despite the Pepsi Challenge blind taste test. There is power behind the red trademark and swirling script that cannot be trumped by Pepsi’s sweeter taste. These kinds of biases are useful to marketers because experiments again and again prove that predispositions blur a person’s viewpoint. Marketers can either counter the biases people have for other products or use the biases to their advantage by honing in on what attributes consumers are inclined toward.
Stereotypes are inevitable expectations, but they aren’t necessarily a bad thing. People use prior knowledge to help make decisions because the brain cannot approach every situation with a clean slate. It builds on past lessons and experiences to reason through complicated new settings. This lends to the power of presentation. Enjoyment from use is certainly reinforced by judgments based on appearance. An example from Blink is one margarine company’s initiative to turn its margarine yellow to mimic butter, wrap the margarine in foil to convey class, and name the product Imperial Margarine to convey prestige. Instantly, people’s dislike toward margarine changed because Imperial Margarine gained insight about what consumers desired from butter and packaging, and they molded a presentation that fit likeable stereotypes about butter. Kate Canales spoke of mental models, such as how candles or lights are needed for birthday desserts. Mental models is why people needed butter substitutes to be yellow and why all margarines followed suit. Marketers should keep in mind what presentation styles consumers perceive to be of the most value. Without being able to use the actual product in a store, first impressions and appearances are the sources for decision-making.
Ariely’s example of the vinegar-laced beer experiments at a pub near MIT illustrates a clear component of the human condition- that people’s expectations influence their views of subsequent events. Patrons went through taste tests of a commercial beer and an MIT Brew of commercial beer with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. In the first experiment, people liked the beer with vinegar in a blind taste test. In the second experiment, people hated the MIT Brew when told upfront that the beer had vinegar. The difference in knowledge shows that expectations about a bad taste will transfer to experience. In the third experiment, people did the blind taste test but were told afterward that the MIT Brew had vinegar, and they still liked it. People liked the MIT Brew more than those told about the vinegar upfront and just as much as those who weren’t aware of the vinegar. Further, knowledge of the vinegar after the experiment doubled the amount of people who wanted to add vinegar themselves after experiencing the reality of the drink and found it honestly tasty. Knowledge placement is a key insight for markets to investigate and take advantage of because the beer experiments indicate that knowledge does reshape sensory perception to align with other knowledge. It will help determine what products will market best with pre-knowledge, post-knowledge or no knowledge.
On several occasions I have let my expectations due to visual cues negatively shape my experience. My friend introduced me to a drink called Thai basil seed drink but mistakenly forewarned me that she didn’t like it growing up. That pre-knowledge set in my mind something was unusual about the drink. She showed me a picture on the Internet, and I could not believe what I was seeing really weren’t tadpoles! The swirling mixture of water and honey would surely make the “tadpoles” look alive. (http://www.importfood.com/recipes/basil_seed_drink.html). For the past few years, my attitude has been to have an open mind about food, so I let her make me the drink. To my relief, she also added colorful Asian jelly cubes, lychee and longan- ingredients I was familiar with. The drink turned out to be fruity and dessert-like, but the seeds had the consistency of grains of sand, an assessment which really was an attempt to convince myself I was not gnawing at baby frogs. It was a good first experience, but I will probably not ask for seconds. In this case, ignorance would have been bliss. Knowledge shaped my sensory perception, and it’s best to catch me unawares.
Humans are emotional creatures that do not come to conclusions based on just facts. Favoritism, especially in brands and products, stems from beliefs and associations. It is no accident that Coke sells better than Pepsi despite the Pepsi Challenge blind taste test. There is power behind the red trademark and swirling script that cannot be trumped by Pepsi’s sweeter taste. These kinds of biases are useful to marketers because experiments again and again prove that predispositions blur a person’s viewpoint. Marketers can either counter the biases people have for other products or use the biases to their advantage by honing in on what attributes consumers are inclined toward.
Stereotypes are inevitable expectations, but they aren’t necessarily a bad thing. People use prior knowledge to help make decisions because the brain cannot approach every situation with a clean slate. It builds on past lessons and experiences to reason through complicated new settings. This lends to the power of presentation. Enjoyment from use is certainly reinforced by judgments based on appearance. An example from Blink is one margarine company’s initiative to turn its margarine yellow to mimic butter, wrap the margarine in foil to convey class, and name the product Imperial Margarine to convey prestige. Instantly, people’s dislike toward margarine changed because Imperial Margarine gained insight about what consumers desired from butter and packaging, and they molded a presentation that fit likeable stereotypes about butter. Kate Canales spoke of mental models, such as how candles or lights are needed for birthday desserts. Mental models is why people needed butter substitutes to be yellow and why all margarines followed suit. Marketers should keep in mind what presentation styles consumers perceive to be of the most value. Without being able to use the actual product in a store, first impressions and appearances are the sources for decision-making.
Ariely’s example of the vinegar-laced beer experiments at a pub near MIT illustrates a clear component of the human condition- that people’s expectations influence their views of subsequent events. Patrons went through taste tests of a commercial beer and an MIT Brew of commercial beer with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. In the first experiment, people liked the beer with vinegar in a blind taste test. In the second experiment, people hated the MIT Brew when told upfront that the beer had vinegar. The difference in knowledge shows that expectations about a bad taste will transfer to experience. In the third experiment, people did the blind taste test but were told afterward that the MIT Brew had vinegar, and they still liked it. People liked the MIT Brew more than those told about the vinegar upfront and just as much as those who weren’t aware of the vinegar. Further, knowledge of the vinegar after the experiment doubled the amount of people who wanted to add vinegar themselves after experiencing the reality of the drink and found it honestly tasty. Knowledge placement is a key insight for markets to investigate and take advantage of because the beer experiments indicate that knowledge does reshape sensory perception to align with other knowledge. It will help determine what products will market best with pre-knowledge, post-knowledge or no knowledge.
On several occasions I have let my expectations due to visual cues negatively shape my experience. My friend introduced me to a drink called Thai basil seed drink but mistakenly forewarned me that she didn’t like it growing up. That pre-knowledge set in my mind something was unusual about the drink. She showed me a picture on the Internet, and I could not believe what I was seeing really weren’t tadpoles! The swirling mixture of water and honey would surely make the “tadpoles” look alive. (http://www.importfood.com/recipes/basil_seed_drink.html). For the past few years, my attitude has been to have an open mind about food, so I let her make me the drink. To my relief, she also added colorful Asian jelly cubes, lychee and longan- ingredients I was familiar with. The drink turned out to be fruity and dessert-like, but the seeds had the consistency of grains of sand, an assessment which really was an attempt to convince myself I was not gnawing at baby frogs. It was a good first experience, but I will probably not ask for seconds. In this case, ignorance would have been bliss. Knowledge shaped my sensory perception, and it’s best to catch me unawares.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Characteristics of my persona - Blog #1
If marketers searching the web happen to find our class blog, it’s going to be a good day at work. People are amazingly truthful in blogs even though millions of people can potentially see the posts. These 10 descriptions only begin to build my persona and will be valuable to marketers interested in understanding or targeting people like me.
1) I get all my information from the Internet. I learn about news, reviews, driving directions, entertainment, how-to guidelines, celebrity news, etc. from the Internet. It is not a stretch to say I would trust a Google search or Wikipedia entry before a friend’s word. When gmail was down last week, I performed a Google search to see what the matter was and logged onto Facebook to see if others’ status updates indicated the gmail problem was widespread. I’m sure our human skills (social interaction, problem solving skills, etc.) are at risk because we are so dependent on the Internet. Would I want to go back to 10 years ago? No.
2) I love free things. Who doesn’t? In class, we discussed people’s natural draw to anything that’s free when talking about the music industry’s decline/shift. There are songs people would not have downloaded otherwise if they weren’t free. Free things are low commitment. I don’t have to spend money, and I don’t have to weigh the pros and cons of what product I should get. If I don’t like it in the end, it’s not a loss. Even further, free things for selective people make me feel special and smart. I’ve gotten coupons by being fans of certain products on Facebook and pre-screenings of movies by signing up on websites.
3) I don’t watch TV on TV. It is much more practical to catch shows online when it is convenient for me. In high school, I had to choose which of the three shows airing at the same time I would watch. In college, there is no guarantee I will be home to watch T.V. at 7 p.m. Now I wait for shows to be uploaded on the network websites or free streaming websites like hulu.com or fancast.com. I love how I waste less time waiting for advertisements to pass because there are only 15-30 second commercials a few times an episode. The whole time, I watch the clock counting down how many seconds until my show comes back. Even though the same commercial repeats itself each break, the product never sticks with me. Not once have I bought a product because of a commercial played during a TV show streaming online.
4) Experience matters. Getting treated badly one time is all it takes for me to have a permanent negative perception about a store, restaurant, group of people, etc. On the other hand, a good impression and exceptional treatment are lasting to me. When the Chick-fil-A opened near my neighborhood in high school, I noticed every worker responded to “thank you” by saying “my pleasure.” I can’t think of any restaurant or store I have been to where workers respond that way. It caught my attention and made me think more highly of Chick-fil-A. They were unique and always pleasant. It could very well have been that specific restaurant manager’s request. Even so, my good feeling toward that Chick-fil-A passed onto all Chick-fil-A’s.
5) The moments I spend with my family now are more valuable than they were when I lived at home. While in college for the last four years, I found out more about my family members and realized how much each person means to me. I relate to my parents about life experiences like how the work atmosphere at my internship was, and I recount “do you remember when” stories with my sister and brother. Although I spent less time with my family, the time I do spend with them matters more and I get more out of our bonding time. To me, this feeling is a sign that I am “growing up.”
6) I buy private labels if they look unique and not like knockoffs of name brands. I buy private labels now for multiple reasons. As a college student without a steady income, I need to save where I can, and store brands work as well as name brands for the most part. I root for private labels to succeed as long as they create a brand and/or product that look like they invested research and development. That way, I can become a fan of a unique brand and not settle for an imitation of a name brand. Target’s store brand, Archer Farms, is one example of a food product that exudes quality in design, packaging, and taste. The design colors are simple and bold, the packaging is thick and durable plastic, the flavors are unique, and the contents image is professional and mouth-watering. Most importantly, Archer Farms tastes amazing.
7) Too many choices stress me out. Making decisions is hard enough without having to choose between multiple products. Mentally keeping track of the benefits of each product is such a difficult process, I sometimes put all the items back and rationalize I didn’t need them in the first place or I’ll get them next time. The ideal scenario for me is to choose between one to three items.
8) I judge how good an unfamiliar product is by how much space was allocated to it on the shelf and how much is missing (already purchased). This was a behavior my dad recommended to me when I was younger. This suggestion often helps me make final decisions. If other people deem that the product is worthy, I should give it a chance.
9) I remember products well if they are infused into the dialogue of a TV show or movie. It can be witty or blatant and ridiculous, but my recall is high. In one episode of Chuck, there was obvious product placement with Subway’s Five Dollar Footlong subs. An employee handed over the sub while presenting the logo clearly to the camera. Then another person took a bite and described the experience in his mouth. Although this blatant advertising is on the annoying side, it gets people talking. A Youtube search for “Chuck subway” immediately pulled up titles such as “blatant advertising.”
10) Girls will follow a trend if it is simple and cheap. Actresses and models I see on current TV shows and movies try too hard to make several trends occur in one look. The actress wearing the headband, turtleneck, vest, three necklaces, watch over the sleeve, knee-length skirt, turquoise stockings and flats is trying to enforce too many trends. When I, a regular girl, put a look together like that, it never looks quite right. I think that is how Lauren Conrad of The Hills easily inspired the side-bangs braid look. It was successful because it was one idea that was simple and anyone could do it. That, and because it costs you nothing to braid some hair.
1) I get all my information from the Internet. I learn about news, reviews, driving directions, entertainment, how-to guidelines, celebrity news, etc. from the Internet. It is not a stretch to say I would trust a Google search or Wikipedia entry before a friend’s word. When gmail was down last week, I performed a Google search to see what the matter was and logged onto Facebook to see if others’ status updates indicated the gmail problem was widespread. I’m sure our human skills (social interaction, problem solving skills, etc.) are at risk because we are so dependent on the Internet. Would I want to go back to 10 years ago? No.
2) I love free things. Who doesn’t? In class, we discussed people’s natural draw to anything that’s free when talking about the music industry’s decline/shift. There are songs people would not have downloaded otherwise if they weren’t free. Free things are low commitment. I don’t have to spend money, and I don’t have to weigh the pros and cons of what product I should get. If I don’t like it in the end, it’s not a loss. Even further, free things for selective people make me feel special and smart. I’ve gotten coupons by being fans of certain products on Facebook and pre-screenings of movies by signing up on websites.
3) I don’t watch TV on TV. It is much more practical to catch shows online when it is convenient for me. In high school, I had to choose which of the three shows airing at the same time I would watch. In college, there is no guarantee I will be home to watch T.V. at 7 p.m. Now I wait for shows to be uploaded on the network websites or free streaming websites like hulu.com or fancast.com. I love how I waste less time waiting for advertisements to pass because there are only 15-30 second commercials a few times an episode. The whole time, I watch the clock counting down how many seconds until my show comes back. Even though the same commercial repeats itself each break, the product never sticks with me. Not once have I bought a product because of a commercial played during a TV show streaming online.
4) Experience matters. Getting treated badly one time is all it takes for me to have a permanent negative perception about a store, restaurant, group of people, etc. On the other hand, a good impression and exceptional treatment are lasting to me. When the Chick-fil-A opened near my neighborhood in high school, I noticed every worker responded to “thank you” by saying “my pleasure.” I can’t think of any restaurant or store I have been to where workers respond that way. It caught my attention and made me think more highly of Chick-fil-A. They were unique and always pleasant. It could very well have been that specific restaurant manager’s request. Even so, my good feeling toward that Chick-fil-A passed onto all Chick-fil-A’s.
5) The moments I spend with my family now are more valuable than they were when I lived at home. While in college for the last four years, I found out more about my family members and realized how much each person means to me. I relate to my parents about life experiences like how the work atmosphere at my internship was, and I recount “do you remember when” stories with my sister and brother. Although I spent less time with my family, the time I do spend with them matters more and I get more out of our bonding time. To me, this feeling is a sign that I am “growing up.”
6) I buy private labels if they look unique and not like knockoffs of name brands. I buy private labels now for multiple reasons. As a college student without a steady income, I need to save where I can, and store brands work as well as name brands for the most part. I root for private labels to succeed as long as they create a brand and/or product that look like they invested research and development. That way, I can become a fan of a unique brand and not settle for an imitation of a name brand. Target’s store brand, Archer Farms, is one example of a food product that exudes quality in design, packaging, and taste. The design colors are simple and bold, the packaging is thick and durable plastic, the flavors are unique, and the contents image is professional and mouth-watering. Most importantly, Archer Farms tastes amazing.
7) Too many choices stress me out. Making decisions is hard enough without having to choose between multiple products. Mentally keeping track of the benefits of each product is such a difficult process, I sometimes put all the items back and rationalize I didn’t need them in the first place or I’ll get them next time. The ideal scenario for me is to choose between one to three items.
8) I judge how good an unfamiliar product is by how much space was allocated to it on the shelf and how much is missing (already purchased). This was a behavior my dad recommended to me when I was younger. This suggestion often helps me make final decisions. If other people deem that the product is worthy, I should give it a chance.
9) I remember products well if they are infused into the dialogue of a TV show or movie. It can be witty or blatant and ridiculous, but my recall is high. In one episode of Chuck, there was obvious product placement with Subway’s Five Dollar Footlong subs. An employee handed over the sub while presenting the logo clearly to the camera. Then another person took a bite and described the experience in his mouth. Although this blatant advertising is on the annoying side, it gets people talking. A Youtube search for “Chuck subway” immediately pulled up titles such as “blatant advertising.”
10) Girls will follow a trend if it is simple and cheap. Actresses and models I see on current TV shows and movies try too hard to make several trends occur in one look. The actress wearing the headband, turtleneck, vest, three necklaces, watch over the sleeve, knee-length skirt, turquoise stockings and flats is trying to enforce too many trends. When I, a regular girl, put a look together like that, it never looks quite right. I think that is how Lauren Conrad of The Hills easily inspired the side-bangs braid look. It was successful because it was one idea that was simple and anyone could do it. That, and because it costs you nothing to braid some hair.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)