Consumer Behavior on The Findings Report

Smile Policies and Other Ways to Trash a Brand

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 15:24:00 -0800

Last week, Target Corporation issued a new directive to its store employees. As reported by Bloomberg News, the new store policy instructs employees, “if a shopper comes within 10 feet of you, then make sure you smile, make eye contact and greet or wave. If they come closer–within four feet–ask whether they need help or how their day is going.” Common courtesy? Perhaps. Good strategy. Negative. Why not give them something to smile about rather than admonish them to fix their face?

The Market for Human Connection Is More Complicated Than We Think

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 04:30:00 -0700

I am nearing the end of another semester of teaching, and my courses are fast approaching the moment when students submit group projects they have been working towards for months. A familiar theme usually emerges. Without fail, a few groups present ideas for dating apps or products designed to help people be more social. Often, these ideas are genuinely well-crafted and creative. Sometimes, they are even technically impressive. They’re all built around the same premise: people are lonely, and the tools we have for connecting just aren’t working. Let us introduce you to the better solution for your problem.

Positioning a Vision

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 13:16:00 -0700

By now, you’re probably well aware of Apple’s launch Monday of Vision Pro, its much-anticipated entry into the AR/VR category. It was covered by every major media outlet and all of the best technology blogs. In his excellent blog, Stratechery, Ben Thompson provided an optimistic perspective.

I had the good fortune of using an Apple Vision in the context of a controlled demo—which is an important grain of salt, to be sure—and I found the experience extraordinary.

Timing

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 00:00:00 -0700

It is often said that timing is everything. Yet, there’s very little insight on how to improve your timing. In the season two opener, we explore the nuances of time and how our brains are wired to think differently at different times of day. The implications are astonishing. From being better at work to choosing what you buy at the grocery store, timing matters.

Bestelling author Daniel Pink joins us to discuss his latest book, When: The Scientifc Secrets of Perfect Timing, while researchers Jonah Berger and Kelly Gullo share findings from their latest study on time of day and variety seeking.

Label Me This

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0800

We encounter labels every day, in products and across categories. Gluten free, organic, local, craft, artisanal … these simple words contain a lot of hidden power. In the season one finale of The Findings Report Podcast we explore the case of Red Bull and vodka, and we follow the story of a research team that had a hunch there was more to its power than “wings.”

Guests Aradhna Krishna and Yann Cornil share insights and the details of their recently published study. And beer industry expert Christina Perozzi discusses the finer points and suggestive power of the labels behind your favorite craft brew.

Do-Gooders

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 00:00:00 -0800

Cause-related marketing has been around for a long time. It happens when a business or brand goes to market with a product or service and a promise to support a worthwhile cause. These tactics can include promotional offers linked to charitable giving or more integrated approaches such as the one-for-one model made popular by Tom’s and Warby Parker. The question is: how successful are these programs at driving sales for the marketer and for driving good deeds for the public.

Slacktivism

Sun, 18 Feb 2018 13:57:00 -0800

I debated whether or not to report this week. Like much of the nation, I have been troubled and saddened by Wednesday’s mass shooting in Parkland, Florida that claimed the lives of 14 students and three adults who attempted to save them. I get into a funk every time we re-live this nightmare, and I usually force myself into a social media blackout for a few days because the rhetoric pulls me apart.

When Consumers Delegate

Sun, 11 Feb 2018 16:53:00 -0800

When we lived in the same city, my best friend Hap and I made a habit of having breakfast together every Friday. The venue was usually the same, but as we both considered breakfast the most important and underrated meal of the day, we enjoyed trying new restaurants as often as we could. It is in this context that I recall a pet peeve, and also a hook to some new research on consumer behavior.

Choice Without Preference

Sun, 07 Jan 2018 18:47:00 -0800

As marketers, we hold certain truths to be self-evident. We believe that lower prices lead to higher sales, satisfaction leads to loyalty, and choice is driven by preference. In fact, there are many cases when every single one of these “truths” can be decisively refuted. They persist as axioms because they are generally true in ordinary circumstances.

Yet, the third of these simple truths—the belief that preference drives choice—is perhaps the most blindly accepted. In my experience working with brands, I have sat through presentation after presentation where this belief was re-asserted without so much as a fidget from the most discerning of participants. Indeed, I myself have written many a slide that demonstrates the importance of driving preference in order to drive performance for the brand. Unfortunately, this assertion neglects a powerful quality of human life: self-control.

Sense and Psychology

Sun, 10 Dec 2017 13:03:00 -0800

Out of nowhere, I started singing it.

My baloney has a first name. It’s O-S-C-A-R.

My son looked up over his glasses.

My baloney has a second name. It’s M-A-Y-E-R.

Then my wife joined me.

Oh, I love to eat it every day,
and if you ask me why I’ll say…
(We speed up for childish effect)
‘Cuz Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A

Both kids were staring at us now. While they had certainly heard this ancient jingle somewhere, somehow before, it wasn’t ingrained in them the same way as it was for Jeanette and me. That probably explains why we were laughing, and the kids were shaking their heads.

Don't Call Them Pets

Sun, 19 Nov 2017 08:41:00 -0800

It was about 60 degrees in Santa Monica on the morning when I met Sugar and her owner, Dan. Sugar is a sweet, caramel-brown dachshund who has clearly not missed many meals. Her legs wobble with her belly when she walks. As Sugar and my pug Gracie checked each other’s canine credentials, Dan and I swapped stories about how we spoil our pets. But what I remember most about this encounter was Sugar’s coat—a tufted down parka strapped over her plump little frame. It had a fur-lined hood. You may recall that I said it was 60 degrees in Santa Monica that morning. Dan was wearing shorts.

From Social to Sales

Sun, 12 Nov 2017 12:07:00 -0800

If you want to start a fight in a bar full of marketers, ask the question: how much does social media really drive sales? Not that you are likely to happen into a bar full of marketers. It actually sounds like a dreadful place, but let’s imagine it together for my argument’s sake. Why is the above question so controversial?

While few would argue that social media is worthless to marketers, there’s been a growing divide on the best role for it in the marketing mix. As more and more marketers shift funds from traditional advertising channels to digital, there’s no question that social networks have enjoyed tremendous growth. Facebook reported revenue of $9.16 billion in the second quarter of 2017, which represents a 45% growth rate, year-over-year. Yet, while advertisers are herding to where the eyeballs and attention spans roam, the return on investment is a bone of contention. The lingering question is how much likes and shares convert to purchases and profits.

When We Throw Caution To The Wind

Sun, 05 Nov 2017 07:31:00 -0800

Did you buy the new iPhone X?

Despite a lot of consumer jawboning about the oddly placed top notch, the loss of the home button, and the hefty price tag, the Internet was abuzz on Friday with mostly favorable reviews and complaints of short supply.

For someone who came of age with the personal computer, I have a love/hate relationship with product upgrades. In the 80s and 90s, technology was too expensive to upgrade with every product cycle. Yet, the tech nerd in me obsessed with rapt desire over the new features and innovations. I was the guy friends mocked for being too much of an early adopter. Today, most of the technologies we carry are designed to be fleeting companions. In fact, Apple (along with many other product manufacturers) has faced minor backlash over allegations of planned obsolescence—a practice of designing products to have a shelf life that guarantees purchase of new models.

When Brands Betray Us

Sun, 15 Oct 2017 11:11:00 -0700

Harvey Weinstein dominated the news this week. The revelations of his abusive, predatory behavior set off a firestorm that drove a who’s who list of celebrities and politicians to speak out against him and create distance. Meanwhile, women all over the country shared harrowing stories of their own experiences with men who assume that their advances are always welcome, and that the quid pro quo of access for sex is equitable and part of doing business.

Where Has the Time Gone?

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 08:58:00 -0700

Cocooning is a word that entered popular lexicon in 1981, coined by trend guru Faith Popcorn. While a novel concept at the time, four decades later it is a fact of life. Nowhere is this fact more apparent than in the leisure habits of Americans.

Executives in the media industry often talk about digital cocooning and shifts in viewing patterns, but a lot of that talk is anecdotal and relayed through hunches and personal observations. A good source of hard data can be found in the American Time Use Survey that is published each year by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. ATUS is a comprehensive breakdown of the ways in which Americans spend their time, with adjustments for weekdays, weekends and holidays. The data is used by economists, policy makers, social scientists and many others to understand everything from how much time we spend working at home to how much time we spend sleeping. One fascinating and often overlooked dimension of the study is the ways in which we spend our leisure time.

Focused and Fit

Sun, 24 Sep 2017 07:52:00 -0700

Is the glass half full or half empty?

You’ve undoubtedly heard or used this expression many times. It is usually used to declare whether you are an optimist or a pessimist. While this metaphor has become trite, it is an important dimension of consumer behavior. Academics refer to it as regulatory focus, and understanding it can have a big impact on your sales and marketing strategies.

I’ll illustrate with an example. I have been working on a new client project that focuses on physical fitness. In a brainstorming session, a member of the team gave an impassioned argument about positioning this new brand around the buzz and excitement that people feel toward exercise. It was a pretty good case. But I had to ask the question: Does that mean you’re excluding the 50% of the market that exercises against their will? The 50% of the market that goes to the gym solely because they worry that if they don’t something bad will happen—like gaining weight, or getting heart disease, or feeling down because they didn’t do something that everyone tells them is essential?

From Badging to Hacking

Sun, 25 Jun 2017 16:06:00 -0700

Last week the marketing elite gathered in Cannes for the annual pilgrimage sometimes called “ad agency spring break.” Meanwhile, Publicis announced that all of its agencies would take a year off from awards events like the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to focus its investment on new artificial intelligence named “Marcel,” sparking considerable angst within its ranks. Meanwhile, Amazon purchased Whole Foods and Walmart purchased Bonobos. It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world.

Do Brands Do Better by Going Green?

Sun, 11 Jun 2017 16:08:00 -0700

I am often asked by clients how much consumers really care about eco-friendly brands? Does going green create a real brand halo?

Environmental concerns are highly prevalent in media today, particularly in the context of climate change. In recent weeks, coverage of these concerns has dramatically increased as the Trump administration withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement. Many big brands responded immediately to the President’s action, stating their intent to follow-through with standards established by the Paris accord and to aggressively reduce their environmental footprint. So, one would guess that making such public stands has a brand benefit.

Give The Gift of Experience

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 17:55:00 -0700

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a piece calling for brands to create rituals. I think I have received more comments and positive feedback on that piece than any I’ve previously published. I would love to chalk it up to my uncanny sense of prose, but the truth is that marketers and consumers alike are starving for more meaningful interactions. Brands with a purely transactional mindset are crass to consumers (especially Millennials) while disloyal consumers are the bane of the modern marketer. The ritual dimension of consumption eases both pain points.

From Habits to Rituals

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 15:36:00 -0700

I celebrated my 48th birthday this week. I’m generally not one of those people who makes a big deal about laps around the sun. Too much fuss makes me feel more awkward than gratified. But ever since I marched past the midlife median I have become more reflective about the ritual we celebrate on the anniversary of our entrance onto the stage of life.

As marketers, we don’t spend enough time thinking about rituals. One of my marketing mentors, Dennis Rook, wrote a seminal piece on the power of consumer ritual. I was lucky enough to hear him lecture on this topic in person. I remember the class vividly because I wrote a note on the margin of the syllabus: “study this!” Rook’s piece explored the powerful and profitable connection to ritualized consumption experiences such as birthdays. He noted the prescribed behaviors such as giving gifts, eating cake, blowing out candles, singing songs, etc.

Seduce Me Today. Love Me Tomorrow.

Sun, 22 Jan 2017 07:00:00 -0800

I confess. I am a SoulCycle addict. After being cajoled on a dare to give the cult indoor cycling brand a spin in February, 2015 I quickly evolved into a zealot who “taps it back” five times a week. Interestingly, the friend who shamed me into trying SoulCycle did so by telling me I had to “do it for the brand experience.” She was right. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a brand that executes on every touch point more consistently than SoulCycle.

The Hidden Life of Sharing

Sun, 11 Dec 2016 06:20:00 -0800

Much has been written about “the sharing economy” but, respectfully, I think a lot of the writing has got it all wrong. Or, maybe those writers haven’t gotten it wrong as much as they’ve ignored an important aspect of sharing.

Sharing is more than forwarding something along, more than shouting “hey, look at me”, more than liking.

Sharing was the cornerstone of Web 2.0. I realize that I’m going way back into ancient history—to the year 2007—but it was sharing that caused the great transformation in digital media. Web 2.0 made it easier for us to share what we found on our web journeys. Web 2.0 heroes like Twitter and Facebook enabled us to interact with our digital brethren. They gave us the power to say, “Hey, bro. Check out this video.”

When Your TV Binge Doesn't Flow

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 05:12:00 -0800

Here’s a multimillion dollar question: how do you predict a binge-worthy show?

The question is not as trivial as you might think. Binge viewers are a growing audience, and some research suggests that the behavior might be addictive—meaning there will be even more of them in the future because addictions spread.

For creators, a binge-worthy program presents two sizable challenges. Some binge-worthy content is released in a traditional, episodic format on traditional networks like CBS and HBO, while others are delivered in lump sum through streaming providers like Netflix and Amazon. The challenge revolves around the growing audience of consumers who prefer to watch the content in one big binge, with some going so far as to delay their viewing of the content until it has been released in its entirety. That’s right. They record every episode or download it from Hulu or Netflix once the season is over in order to step through it in a big binge batch. Granted, this audience is not anywhere near a majority, but it is growing. For a content-creator, this can create a big disadvantage. Namely, if you’re trying to convince your network to renew your show for another season, you’re losing viewers in the traditional Nielsen cycle of ratings and feeling less power than you might if the bingers tuned in in real-time.

Questioning the Decoy

Tue, 05 Aug 2014 05:40:12 +0000

Let’s take a trip together. Imagine that we’re vacationing on a luxurious tropical island. It is our last night and we want to reward ourselves with a great feast. The concierge at our hotel recommends two restaurant options. Option #1 is known for its gorgeous views. It’s on the pricey side, and the food gets an average rating, but it has a reputation for being the postcard-perfect end to our getaway.

Brand Preference, Experience and Memory

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:58:59 +0000

Brand marketers often fall prey to a massively faulty assumption. They assume that consumers are rational. I’ve sat through many detailed client presentations, replete with volumes of data, wherein a brand platform is justified on the basis of a logical argument that will convince consumers the client’s brand is better than a competitor’s. They believe that touting the virtues of their brand attributes will persuade a consumer to try, switch or buy more. It makes logical sense, they say. When the consumer weighs the choice, we’ll come out ahead.