Tuesday in Japan: Just One Step Closer is All You Need

Just found this video and couldn't not share with you.

It's from Japan, it's christmasy and it's beautiful.

Love the way KDDI, a Japanese telecom operator, connected this distance couple. Even if they're actors.


 

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

Tuesday in India: Johnny-Come-Lately Making a Dramatic Entry

Only an ad can make this dirty car look so attractive. Or is it the driver?

Mahindra & Mahindra presented the New Generation Scorpio and the video is not your casual car ad.

Need I say more?

Watch it.

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

Friday Research: Your Customer Wants It The Hard Way

When Will You Use This?  

Developing your products and creating consumers experience.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

Traffic jams make me feel helpless. Then I think, how important is it to be in control as a consumer?

Current research* explored how feelings of control influence selection of products that require either high or low effort.

For example, in one study, basketball players who had either just won or lost a game were asked their opinions about a new basketball shoe. Players saw a photo of a shoe with either the tagline “Work less, Jump higher” or “Work harder, Jump higher.” The players who had just lost the game were more likely to purchase the shoe with the “Work harder, Jump higher” tagline. Players who had just won did not favor one shoe over the other.

Results revealed that when a person’s sense of control is threatened, they are more likely to seek out products that require hard work to restore their belief that they can drive their own positive outcomes. However, when progress feels too slow for someone already in a low-control situation, they are likely to switch their product preferences toward lowering effort— succumbing to things like “get rich quick” schemes and “lose weight without trying” campaigns.

"Did They Just Say I am a Looser? I'll Show Them in a Year!"

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

As authors suggest, "with the plethora of low-effort products on the market today, a brand’s intuition might be to provide consumers with the easiest, most high-tech routes to achieve their goals. However, our research reveals that the more consumers experience threats to their sense of control with respect to health or fitness goals, the more desirable a structured, high-effort program where consumers drive their own outcomes."

*Cutright K.M., Samper A. “Doing It the Hard Way: How Low Control Drives Preferences for High-Effort Products and Services.” Journal of Consumer Research: October 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with increasing customer's self control? 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 Bet You Want to Avoid but #DontLookAway

Stand up for your children!

This two-minute film, directed by Jaydeep Sarkar, aims to increase awareness on child sex trafficking.

Not easy on heart.

 

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

Friday Research: Desire for Product vs Non-indulgence

When Will You Use This?  

Developing tactics in order to maximize customer behavior.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

We all have gone through this while studying or simply being on a diet. Gathering strong determination, setting goals and exercising strong self-control. But temptations are never too far..

Current studies* investigated the possibility that individuals may distort memories of past behavior in order to allow for indulgence in the present. In authors words, "people may trick themselves into thinking something like, ‘I’ve been good on my diet lately, so I can have this piece of cake."

Results revealed that people who distort past memories of their indulgences are more likely to indulge in the future. Across four studies involving eating, spending, and studying, the authors found that people distort their memories of past indulgences when faced with an opportunity to indulge. This, in turn, leads to greater levels of indulgence.

'I deserve this piece. I've been following a strict diet for past two days!'

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

As authors suggest, "this information can help banks, health clubs, and companies looking to maximize customer behavior and the choices people make on a day-to-day basis. For example, gym managers might send out emails reminding people how long it has been since their last workout—encouraging impulsive people to come in to exercise and ultimately increase their satisfaction with their gym membership. "

*May F., Irmak C. “Licensing Indulgence in the Present by Distorting Memories of Past Behavior.” Journal of Consumer Research: October 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with customer indulgencies? 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: Many Things Make the Complete Man. Letting Go is Just One of Them?

Sometimes you don't need a reason.

Some things just leave a good taste in your mouth.

Like this new video campaign from Raymond, one of India's largest branded fabric and fashion retailers.

Oh, I want to wake up tomorrow feeling a child again..

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

Friday Research: Breath Fire into Your Retail Pricing Strategies

When Will You Use This?  

Creating retail pricing and discount strategies.

What’s The Red-Letter Bite Today? 

We all love good deals and low price. So can one retail pricing strategy be better than the other?

Current research* looked at the impact different pricing strategies have on the stores people shop at when they do not know the product prices unless they visit the store. Results revealed that when trying to maximize savings, consumers will choose retailers they believe offer the lowest prices the majority of the time.

 As authors explain, “to simulate 100 weekly purchases from a retail store, study participants were asked to purchase products from one of two competing retailers 100 different times. Participants were given a monetary incentive to minimize their total spending and were instructed to base their selections strictly on price. On each shopping trip, participants first selected a retailer before they were shown the store prices for that week. The authors manipulated the pricing strategies, but in most cases, one retailer used deep-discount pricing while the competing retailer used everyday low pricing or frequent (but small) discounts. While the average price of the two retailers was the same for most experiments, results showed that people consistently tend to choose the retailer they believe is less expensive more often than the retailer they believe is cheapest on average. This pattern held whether or not the retailer used frequent discounts or an everyday low price guarantee."

Discount rule: many little ones are better than banging one!

Addition To Your Bag of Tricks    

Authors suggest that this research offers great insight "for companies regularly using deep discounts or pricing their products lower than their competitors’ average prices. The authors suggest a more effective strategy is to simply offer prices that are generally always lower than their competitors’ prices. <..>One reason consumers find these retailers so attractive is that their product prices tend to be cheaper than those of their competitors on the majority of shopping trips. Consumers seem to prefer many small discounts to a few large ones."

*Danziger S., Hadar L., Morwitz V.G. “Retailer Pricing Strategy and Consumer Choice under Price Uncertainty.” Journal of Consumer Research: October 2014 {Thanks for the material}

P.S. When you’re done reading, I’d love for you to share your experience with discount strategies? 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.