Does Packing Sell?

As little as we think about it packing plays a huge role in how we as consumers make our choice. Whether it is for safety reasons or just catching our eye the packing of a product is what makes or breaks the final sale for a consumer. However it begs the question of what exactly are we missing?

For a perfect example we can look towards tylenol. While it seems relatively insignificant to most the brand has done a fantastic job with packaging. The obvious is the box is bright red assuring the catching of an individuals eye, but that is hardly the most important part. That is the little sealing on the top. The reassurance that the product is safe and will not hurt you is a strong selling point to a consumer. It creates a reliable connection with the company to ensure that the consumer keeps on coming back for the safe product they have grown to trust.

All you need is the perspective to see how important packaging has really become in society today. Once you have that perspective you can start to understand all the benefits that the innovation of it has brought as well. All it takes is a little looking.

The Power of Eight

While design thinking is a very powerful subject in the world of consumer behavior, when it comes to coming up with creative designs there is a magic number eight. The idea is,  you identify a problem you are trying to solve. Than fold your paper so a there is a total of eight squares. From there you set a timer for a minute a piece and draw a picture that would be a solution to said problem.

I think the largest benefit from this overall process is the individual route each cell can take. It opens the door to the most creative and abstract solutions to a problem and that is why I think it is the largest benefit to the overall process. So next time you find yourself in a stump with a creative way to solve a difficult problem. Give the great eight a try and maybe, just maybe you could come up with that million dollar solution. 

Pint Pass- Tapping a hard tapped market

College students rejoice, there is now a promotional way to get cheaper beer. If you thought people have thought of everything, well your wrong. Finally somebody got the memo and created the medium for people like you and me to get the cheap beer they deserve when they go out. At the same time this idea is revolutionizing the market as we know it. 

In today's society there is connectivity for pretty much anything, but some people are taking it to the next step. Pint pass is the next step in connecting the consumer world to promotions.  The idea is pay a small fee at the beginning of the year and then get discounted beer for a disclosed amount of time. In the long run the individual should save enough money that the card essentially pays for itself. In turn fulfilling every college students dream of finally paying for a membership they enjoy and that isn't known as a library. 

Pint Pass did something many find hard to do: charge a college student a membership fee. Their ability to find success was based off a college student's imense love for beer and even larger love for saving money and convinced us that our spending now will save us in the future. For that I say good job Pint Pass

Visit their site and check out what they are all about here

http://www.pintpass.com/

Have finally we stopped tolerating bad role models

In the past year there have been several major rumblings in the world of sports. Several key figures were ousted from their rosters in a move that the world of sports rarely sees. Everywhere from Michael Phelps' fall from grace with a DUI to the banishment of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson with domestic violence issues it seems as though America has finally woken up to the issues our roles models are presenting and we can tell cause companies have stopped paying them.

It is no news that Mayweather just walked away with an one hundred eighty million dollar pay off the other night, but the more interested part is about how he made that money. Believe it or not, Mayweather has actually not had a sponsor behind him since 2009. You can attribute this to a couple of reasons. First off he has had three domestic assault charges thrown against him as well as a lack of apology or even acknowledgement in regards to the matter. To add to the fat he has become one of the most cocky hated fighters around because of the way he acts, however not every athlete has faired as poorly. 

Michael Phelps on the other hand has been able to bounce back from his downfall. First he got caught smoking weed, than a DUI which was closely followed by some quality time in rehab, but after he bounced back and flourished. He started by proposing to his long time girlfriend and quickly moved to become an advocate of a clean life. While Phelps lost countless millions in the endorsements he lost along the way as well as once getting kicked off the US swimming he team he has been able to rally.Who knows we might even be seeing him in the pool again for team US soon, cause who really retires at like 30.

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao

If you haven't heard about the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight than clearly you have been living under a rock. Some are saying that this is one of the most anticipated fight since the times of the great Muhammad Ali and people are most certainly acting like it. You can tell due to the fact that every restaurant with a television is playing it and to top that they are charging you a cover fee for just coming in.

The low end estimates from business insider say this fight is going to rank in around three hundred million for a couple of reasons however there is one primary reason. Quite seemingly the largest and most unknown reason is this fight should have happened five years ago. In 2010 the fight was scheduled, the boxers ready to go, but Mayweather backed out of the fight moving the $60 (at the time) pay-per-view program off the map maybe never to be set up again. Now we are here with a program that people have been talking about for the last five years and instead of paying $60 for the view they are now paying closer to $100 a view. With increased anticipation for the fight of the past couple of decades it is clear that this is going to be one of the highest grossing events happening this year and that is without pushing in all the gambling that will be happening. 

America's Racism, is it really as dead as we thought?

In a time before I was born inequality and persecution plagued certain religions and races in the United States. However, in my raising and education the idea of racism in the United States is frequently dismissed as being part of the dark past of this country. Recently, the opening of technology has put this question of racism back on the chopping block.

In this past week cities have joined in protest over the outrage of a senseless killing by police officers much like they did on several occasions last year except this time the outcome was different. Just days ago six police officers were charged in the death of Freddie Gray. The reason why this is such a stepping stone is because it is finally an acknowledgment of part of the racism that we really are facing today. The real statement of what does this have to do with consumer behavior?

The national bureau of economic research states that "Job applicants with white names needed to send about 10 resumes to get one callback; those with African-American names needed to send around 15 resumes to get one callback." What this essentially means is that discrimination is very much still alive and present in the United States. Whether it be sub conscious or completely obvious in regards to choice the U.S. has got some work to do in changing its' mind set.  

Design Thinking to meet people

When coming to the aspect of design theory we incorporate empathy, creativity and rationality to solve human centered problems, but it begs the question where to start. So, we thought what is a major issue in today's digital society that has escaped us. We came to the conclusion that it would be a friend that shares specific interests as you do.

One such example would be kayaking. It is not every day in Bozeman, Montana you run into an individual who kayaks so essentially the idea would be to create the medium to do so. The major issue we faced in the matter is how do you create a product that does not hold the individual by looks much like tinder is built.

While I am a slightly good looking individual my looks can still force individuals to not want to talk to me. So, when one checks their interests they are matched with other individuals who also have their interests as opposed to waiting for individuals to vary through all profiles and shoo out the ones they do not like the look of. The hope is that this medium would allow individuals to meet who would never have the opportunity in the start. 

Clever move Mr. President

This past weekend was host to the annual White House Correspondents dinner. In case you live under a rock that dinner is held by and for the journalists that cover the white house and presidents news. While presidents have been known to joke around during the dinner, Obama took things to the next level for reasons that are not all that obvious.

While this video has been blowing up all over social media because of its comedic value some really meaningful things are mixed in. The idea behind this is flawless, take something funny that can be shared amongst a variety of people and make it moving enough that it gets shared. In turn the message is displayed to a way larger audience. In reality products do this all the time, just think...

When you are sharing with people the message is definitely greater expressed and more people are going to talk about it. The hope that conversation will lead to action is the exact reason this occurred. So I say to you, well played Mr. President. Well Played.

Have we finally hit turbulence with EDM

In the past ten years a music known as EDM has all but taken over the main stream of every major music festival out there. It leaves us asking the question why do we keep paying all these folks enormous amounts of money to just press play. In fact, it is starting to be seen as such a joke even SNL picked up the opportunity to drop a jab.

As unfortunate as it is EDM and maybe just the way people are these days have led us to a new sort of problem with the whole industry, drug use. While drug use has always been a problem with any sort of real music application the real problem has been arising from individuals trying to cut the cost of the production of those drugs. In fact it has been making people rather sick.

One major example of that would be Electric Zoo a couple of years back which actually had to cancel its last day due to the 'health issues' that were arising during the festival. Some of those 'health risks' included the death of two individuals in their early twenties from corrupted drugs. The EDM area definitely needs to start steering away from the WoodStock days and more towards the classic ones, you know where people do not get hospitalized for trying to have a good time. 

The Paradox of Choice

Autonomy and Freedom of choice are critical to our well being, and choice is critical to freedom and autonomy. Nonetheless, though modern Americans have more choice than any group of people ever has before, and thus, presumably, more freedom and autonomy, we don't seem to be benefiting from it psychologically.

—quoted from Ch.5, The Paradox of Choice, 2004

With more choices than ever, we have come to the realization that we still aren't all that happy. The reason behind it is simple, there is such a variety in choice that with one decision comes a trade-off that leaves us not as satisfied. The perfect example is an individual in a ice cream shop.

 Places like Coldstone creamery have so many flavors that unless the individual has a distinct favorite they are going to be leaving dissatisfied in some sort of way. So, how do we fix the problems of too many choice? How do we reduce the clutter in our life.

Well there is a couple of ways. Reduce the clutter, take the 50,000 choices of cereal we have and narrow down the selection. Not in terms of the consumers choice, but in terms of the consumers ability to be happy with the decision they made. Another thing we can do is offer returns on larger variety items. Obviously this does not settle the issues of clutter, but it offers the individual a chance to make up what they think they have lost. 

  

The Sharing Economy, How our world has changed.

The world's new leading companies have one thing in common, the consumer is the real player. All that these entities have really done is creat the medium where all this business is done. So, what does it mean for the consumer in the future?

Empowerment. The make-up of major business is more in our hands than ever. Companies are building platforms around us. Using our feedback to forever better them, but this also leads us to a major problem of where do we go from here. When the consumer already controls the market at hand how is any individual supposed to really get ahead of each other. Our lust for a better capitalistic society has ushered us to a stale mate of business because at this point even the things we own are making other companies money.

Marijuana, how do we change a stigma?

Recently marijuana has become legal in two states. Consequently it has opened the market for a whole new field to market in. However it strikes a new combination of issues that markets have not really had to tackle at the same time before. Currently there are two main problems, the stigma that is surrounding marijuana and responsible consumption.

Quite simply our largest issue is the stigma that is surrounding Marijuana. The 'drug' is often seen as creating a mind dumbing, munchy eating, lazy individual, but the effects it has on an individual is just the beginning. The real starting point is to stop using slang like pot and grass in order to start the destigmatizing process (making it more official). The second moving point is to promote that marijuana won't actually melt you into a couch, completely changing the overall view that marijuana is this 'drug' that can destroy your life. 

Recently there has been a spike in the amount of individuals admitted to hospitals because the individuals thought they were overdosing. The second major changing point individuals needs is education on safe use. If people think they can safely use the substance much like alcohol the negative idea surrounding it can hopefully diminish. 

What we think about food

Recently there has been a lot of talk amongst stores and restaurants a like about selling certain meats. The meats they are selling are often conceived as being, less than for one reason or another, but recently there has been a change of heart in america. While the movement might not be so old in restaurants major companies are starting to pick up to meet a consumers demand.

Whole foods is one major chain that has started selling a meat that is seen as 'different'. To be exact, you can now purchase delicious rabbit meat there for approximately $13.00/pound depending on location. In turn this has led to an uprising of individuals arguing against the food simply because it is seen as a pet. If you were to ask me I would say your ridiculous rabbit is amazing, but that is just one such meat.

Another that is gaining minor popularity in restaurants, not so much grocery stores is pigeon or better known as squab. While this trend has started to pick up in the recent years, it still seems extremely strange to me, but that is exactly what our current problem is. There is a stigma around these meats that only the great United States see's as less than, so how do we change it? 

We assimilate to the world like we have been doing in the past couple of years. Recently the internet has opened up this ability to discover cultures and traditions that 30 years ago could only seen in a book or in person. Change the stigma on the food and you can change your idea on what is actually tasty.

How does the design of a building influence us?

When you think of the space you work in the last factor you believe to effect the quality is the building you are in. There are two specific factors when it comes to measuring the potential output; through a Q score (a measure of familiarity with the team) and the notion of proximity (how close individuals who are working together are). Where there have been several instances of success through a good combination of these factors there is one building that stands from the crowd. It is MIT's building 20.

Building 20 was 250,000 square feet across three floors and was initially created with Asbestos panels on the outdoors. Despite its' disgusting view the individuals who frequented there referred to it '...as one of the most creative spaces of all time...'. Sadly in 1998 the building was demolished, but the secret that building 20 had offered us remained. During the time of use building 20 had a remarkable way of forcing students/faculty of one study to run into students/faculty of another. Due to these remarkable run ins many great ideas were sparked and in turn building 20 earned the reputation it did.

One such invention one might recognize that came out of building 20 was a pair of Bose headphones. Amar Bose had his start in the early days of building 20 and proceeded to actually design the first Bose speaker model in the building. This in turn led him to an international corporation that now does business practically all over the world. Other such products building 20 can be responsible for: video games, high-speed photography, and even the physics in the waves of a microwave. Building 20 took the sub conscious design and perfectly placed it for the ultimate success. 

How much do our perceptions change our taste

Naturally you would assume that an orange tastes like and orange and an apple of an apple, but exactly what makes us associate these tastes with these objects?  In a recent study done by psychologist a bunch of individuals were told they were trying strawberry yogurt. However, during the process of the yogurt distribution, the contestants site was obstructed and they were given chocolate instead.

During this study 19 of the 32 contestants said they loved the strawberry and one went as far as asking for the brand name so she could switch. Simply because these individuals saw a strawberry logo and were told the yogurt would be that certain flavor their perception changed. Their mind led them to believe the flavor that had been hardwired into their brains to take over the dominant one at the time. SO, why does this matter? It shows us that our perception of how we want something to be or anticipate it to be can be led on enough so that it can change the taste. With all of this applied it opens a new door for the consumer with the challenge being challenge the status quo because your perception might not always be dead on.

Are the traditional media outlets still equally as powerful?

In the times of early marketing there were four main media outlets. They were Television, Newspaper, Magazine, and Radio. Over those times things have changed. Newspaper sales are the lowest they have been since the 50's while ad costs for the super bowl were the highest ever. It used to be thought that each medium had their benefits, but that seems to be quickly changing. 

As sad as it is, the time of the newspaper is behind us. With sales and ad revenue at their all time low in seventy years this medium is been increasingly losing its' touch. With the adaptation to free online news major companies are losing the golden revenue they once had hurting the industry all over. Not all bad is coming from this though.

In the recent years a push for more humor thrilled advertisements have drawn the attention of a younger audience as well as more people seeking out said adverts. With this more word of mouth is being conducted hence helping a company get the message to the consumer. If you were to as me, if the fall of newspapers will equal humor filled adverts than let them fall. 

New Age Technology, The Issues it brings us.

These days it is more common to be connected to the to grid than it is to be off it. Touch phones, tablets, super light weight computers, if you can think of it chances are it is either out there or being created. With all these devices we are going farther than we ever have before. Seeking out not only knowledge, but products with the best deals. With all these new doors being opened many problems are coming up. The largest that seems to be is the social.

With all the connectivity comes large social consequences. Walking around in todays society is like watching zombies. Everybody has their head down, just pacing at a good enough screen that they can seen the ground in front of them and shoot a quick text to their BFF jenny. To top that during actually social meetings people tend to sit on their phone surfing through the variety of social networks as opposed to interacting. Essentially society has become far less personal as a result. Now with the next age of technology coming to stores new questions are arising.

This is an Apple watch. It can do everything from notify you when you have meeting to direct you around the grocery store to get the proper food. Keeping this in mind you are staring at your wrist whilst doing all these things. This is all pretty neat stuff, but it leaves us wondering how are we to solve the largest problem of this technology boom. It leaves us asking, how can we as consumers influence this push to a more positive?

How Useful (or hurtful) is a Products/Companies Lineage

While having a strong past can be useful to a products future with success, sometimes the past can actually hurt you. One such instance was brought to light after Fanta, a product of the Coca Cola company had some rather unexpected advertising consequences.

While it may seem like unknown knowledge, Fanta was actually created during 40's in Nazi Germany. During a recent celebration of 75 years in existence Fantas' advertisement referred to the time of their creation as "bringing back the feeling of the good old times". While many experts frequently debate the amount of casualties during World War II, they unanimously agree that it was most definitely not a "good old time". While it is hard to think of times that the past have hurt companies it is quite easy to see companies it has helped.

Prudential Insurance is one of those companies it has helped. Granted they have recently pulled their age from their logo, but they frequently mention the fact that they have been around since the early 1900's which reinforces the fact of security in the harsh finical world. At the same time they are not specifically mentioning the fact that the the company unethically charged workers leg and arm for the insurance they needed to work when the company began. 

What is a Nudge and Why it is Important

What is a nudge?
A nudge is influencing a consumer's behavior by several factors that specifically have to do with external intervention. To break it down Nudges are:
iNcentives
Understand mappings
Defaults
Give feedback
Expect Error
Structure complex ideas

Why is it important?
To the average individual these are things that go over your head on a day to day basis. One does not necessarily obviously face a nudge because they are seen as just a part of the make-up of things. Such as this super market.

In your day to day action this seems just like a basic set up of a grocery store, however when you look at the data it is far from it. Although it is hard to tell a majority of fresh/healthy goods are positioned right at the entrance of the store. Data says the inherently you will choose products that are actually better for you. Therefore the individual can actually become to understand why the deserts and frozen food is actually as far away as possible from the entrance. Nudges are important cause it helps us explain why we make the decisions we do when shopping or enacting in an activity. 

Another such example of a perfect nudge would be the fly on the toilet. A company called Unirnal Fly created a product on the basis of a nudge. The idea was if you give an individuals a target they would be more likely to 'shoot' at it.

When studies were conducted they actually discovered that bathrooms with the fake fly sticker in the toilet actually were around 80-85% cleaner than ones that did not. An individuals intuition to aim for the fly actually reduced spill, but in reality it was just a nudge to get them to aim.

The Importance of Qualitative Research/Data in Marketing

What sets marketing/business apart from a majority of other fields?
If you were to ask me I would tell you that the answer is that there is no real 'correct' answer when solving problems. With this concept in mind it is easy to grasp the fact that it will in deed take a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data to truly have success. Marketers have the responsibility of not only portraying a message effectively, but do it economically at the same time.

Most Individuals will look at this picture and just see a simple jeep advertisement, but when you look deeper this simple picture means so much more. It means: adventure, experience, opportunity, change of scenery, maybe even an escape from work. A marketer must take all these subtle meanings and hide them in a simple picture. In turn that is what really makes this sort of job so interpretive. Here is another advertisement, but this time it is a video. Take a look at it from the viewpoint of quality now. The marketer tugs at the heart strings to get us to pay attention and discover a softer message, that maybe life is quite beautiful.