Ever been shopping online, typed a search into Google, and been overwhelmed by the flood of information you received? You’re not alone. When we surveyed consumers recently, they said they were happy with the amount of information and choice they had, but their behavior reveals the opposite: they spend 12% more time researching purchases today than two years ago and 20% of consumers continue to conduct research post-purchase to make sure they bought the right thing. Effectively, consumers are stuck on a “research treadmill”: once consumers begin to research more, they assign more importance to the purchase, increasing their research expectations. This ends with less confident and less loyal consumers.

One industry particularly vulnerable to the research treadmill is online fashion where a seemingly infinite array of choices can leave the consumer struggling to choose. But a group of e-retailer sites seems to have grasped the problem; they are helping consumers reduce the number of choices they must make and the time they spend researching purchases. Sites like ShoeDazzle, Send the Trend, and JewelMint are combining advanced technology with old-fashioned techniques to help consumers navigate a bewildering array of options. They do this in two ways: Read More »

The first Saturday in May is the date for the famed Kentucky Derby, a grade 1 stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, first held in 1875. Sure, the event looks fun and festive, although it probably won’t drive many of us to follow Thoroughbred racing.

But there is something more here than simply horses and well-dressed people. The event does a brilliant job of playing on traditions. A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Traditions can be both public and private but they often convey significant meaning to those involved and provide satisfaction by strengthening social bonds.

Why is this so important for brands? MLC research points to traditions as a critical driver of consumer “tunnel” behavior that is, consumers who never consider more than one brand during the purchase process. Read More »

Consider all the screens you interact with on a daily basis: smart phone, tablet, desktop, laptop, in-store video, big-screen TV, screens at sports events, screens in automobiles/ airplanes, and many others.  Total adult daily viewing devoted to watching all of these screens: 8.5 hours (for those age 45-54, its 9.5 hours). That’s a lot of time spent peering at a screen and a great place for marketers to reach consumers. But what about all the marketing communication we receive on these screens every day? Do we absorb them all the same way? Do they stick with us equally, regardless of the format? Read More »

Did you ever hear the story about how Americans came to drink (and love) orange juice? Maybe its ancient business lore, but until last year, when it was recounted in the Washington Post, I had no idea.

In 1904, the California Fruit Growers Exchange hired legendary ad agency Lord & Thomas to – er – juice demand for oranges. Before the existence of refrigerated rail cars, oranges and other citrus fruits were not well known throughout the country – a trend that continued even after it was possible to ship the fruits far from places like California and Florida. The account team included Albert Lasker, often regarded as the founder of modern advertising.

In addition to creating a unified brand (Sunkist) for the disparate Growers’ Exchange and indulging in some giveaways and promotions, Lord & Thomas did something much more powerful – they invented a new use for the then-unfamiliar fruit: orange juice. They taught consumers how to squeeze orange for juices, and sold juicers so they could do so. In the process, they increased per-capita orange consumption 4-6 times.

What Lasker did was simple, but outlandishly effective: he created a new routine around oranges, one that consumers took to immediately – and that’s still possible today. We’ve recently been investigating the impact of routines on how people buy. Experts agree that about 45% of people’s behavior is repeated almost daily and usually in the same context – and these routines become even more important when consumer face time pressure and distractions, which they increasingly do in a mobile-enable world.

Here are a few other ways experts recommend harnessing routines: Read More »

Our B2C research on the consumer purchase process is suggesting that consumer habits and routines are a large driver of repurchase and recommendation. Habits are behaviors that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously. The repeated behavior actually develops neural pathways in the brain, making the behavior easier to complete as its repetition increases. Essentially, our brain creates habits for efficiency and to free up space for more conscious decision-making.

The power of habits is undeniable and brands have long recognized the need to understand them. Read More »

Reading Corey’s post on the power of social communities in brand building, I began wondering about the nature of these communities and what we could learn from them.

Consumers have gathered from the beginning of consumption. Auto enthusiasts, quilting bees, and Tupperware parties are early examples of the impulse. Many consumer groups share an affiliation that is based upon enthusiasm and knowledge of a specific consumption activity.

In fact, academics and consultants have recognized these groups and dubbed them “consumer tribes” – a term borrowed from anthropology, describing groups of people who are brought together not around something rational, such as a job, but around deeper, more profound needs, such as kinship, passion, and identity. Read More »

In our recent research on consumer marketing about the changing consumer purchase process, we’ve had the opportunity to speak with NeuroFocus, a neuromarketing research firm, to learn more about how they measure the brain’s response to brands, advertisements, products, packaging, and in-store stimuli.

While their research and methodology are fascinating, I found their work on advertising particularly interesting. Neurofocus has identified what they call “Neurological Iconic Signatures” (NIS); these are the unique moments in the consumption experience that generate the highest levels of brain engagement. They are critical to enjoyment of the product/ brand/ ad and to its retention in memory. Read More »

The week after Super Bowl Sunday is often the time for a fun debate on the best and worst commercials that aired – some of the most expensive television advertising we’re likely to see all year. What makes a memorable ad? Cute babies, a catchy soundtrack? New developments in neuroscience are shedding light on how the brain responds to ads and stores memories. Scientists believe different parts of the brain store different types of memories. For example, our prefrontal cortex supports cognitive memory while our amygdala houses behavioral memory. In fact, our implicit memory can influence attitudes and decisions without entering our conscious thought. Read More »

New research in neuroscience is shedding light on how and why consumers buy. Consider: our senses are taking in about 11 million bits of information every second but our conscious brain can only process 40 bits per second – a small fraction of all that information. So how do marketers get into that tiny bit of consciously considered information? Read More »

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Coca-Cola is holding its annual marketing meeting at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. While this may sound surprising at first, it makes more sense when you consider some powerful statistics: 71 million Americans use a mobile device to access the internet every month and, in a recent study, 38% of US shoppers said they used their mobile devices to help make a final decision for an in-store purchase.

This helps explain the recent explosion of mobile marketing: According to eMarketer, mobile advertising spending is expected to top $1 billion in 2011, with the spending being equally distributed across messaging, search and display. Read More »