Blog #2

Blink

I found this article to be very interesting. The way it is written provides a unique way of presenting this information relating to consumer insights. I learned a lot from reading it and agreed with most of the items presented. The article explains how first impressions can be misleading and goes into detail about some insights about consumers and their reactions to various products, such as songs, food, etc.



I think it is astonishing how critical just the color of margarine is to consumers. Just changing the color from white to yellow would increase sales of the product! Also, when designing a product, you would never expect how big of an impact the exterior has on sales. Like in the example with E&J and Christian Brothers, consumers preferred the E&J bottle over the bottle for Christian Brothers, which was the primary reason their sales were down. A little consumer research can go a long way! It makes me wonder if people are even being honest about what they like and dislike. How is it that they prefer one brand over another just because of the packaging, and not because of the brand or taste? It starts to question my assumptions on what people value most: taste price, brand, or package design?



Another point I found interesting is how different expert's opinions are from normal people. I had no idea that mayonnaise or Oreo cookies could be analyzed on the depth that experts look at them. When I eat an Oreo, all I think about is if it tastes good and maybe how chocolaty it may be, but to look at them on the dimensions experts do is truly fascinating. This just goes to show that consumer research may be very different than research gathered on normal people who are not experts. It is important to get information from all sources and keep everything in perspective.



Ulwick

I think it makes sense to avoid asking customers to provide solutions to issues with products in order to come up with new ideas and innovations. Customers don't know what they want or pay much attention to what problems they have with the stuff they currently use. The reason is because people just don't pay attention to what is going on with their products. Like in class on Monday, there were so many examples of how consumers don't even think about what they were doing and just did them. I think it is called get-around or something similar to that, where consumers make the best out of what products they have and just get around using them. For example, our guest speaker mentioned how one lady used four different toothpastes in a day. If we were to ask her if there was anything wrong with that, she would probably not mention anything. However, being a company with an R&D department, a light bulb should go off and the invention of a new toothpaste utilizing all attributes of the four toothpaste tubes should be created.



I think the way this article lays out the steps in obtaining information in outcome-based studies is very clear and easy to understand. I like how the example of Cordis Corporation is explained in detail showing how each of the steps are performed for them. This outcome-based research proved to be successful for Cordis. Consumers are not experts in research and development and they are not going to be able to provide solutions to issues with products or suggest many innovative research ideas. They will, however, provide you with a good understanding of what they value.



Zaltman

This is probably the most interesting article out of the three. The approach to consumer insights described in this article connects science and art which results in a very unique way of gathering data. I think the reason why I found it so interesting is because it is a technique that I have never heard before, nor would ever think of creating. I do believe that people are able to express themselves better in a visual way. I mean a picture is worth a thousand words! There is much more to go off with a picture, rather than just some verbal information from consumers. Personally, I think this technique would prove to be most successful if I were to participate in a market research study. I am a visual person and I think it is much easier for me to get my point across with a picture, rather than through words.



The problem with just getting verbal information from consumers is the fact that they may not be able to successfully articulate all of their thoughts and feelings. However, a picture just may say it all. Another thing I was concerned about while reading the article was the fact that the participants were able to bring pictures from anywhere with an unlimited amount of possibilities. This lack of constraints could pose some problems when analyzing data. There might be too much to base your research off of! Also, I think this type of research can be very time consuming.



I think that overall this method can be very effective in consumer research. This scientific approach provides answers that can be deeply analyzed and provides sufficient support for any recommendations made.

Blog #1: Marketing Persona

The persona that best describes me is a female student that is around the age of 22, who is completely dependent on their parents for support, single, and still attending college.

Personality

She understands the importance of working hard and knows that it will definitely pay off in the future. School comes first before anything else, and even though at times she will have to miss out on things, the reward for her hard work is worth more than anything else. At the moment, she is very dependent on her parents for almost everything and hasn't fully experienced what it is like to be completely independent. Her parents and family are there for her no matter what and are just a phone call away. This persona loves being around her family and considers her sisters her best friends. Also, her family is huge, 15 in total, including all her nieces and nephews! It is important to be there for her family and make sure she is making them proud. This person is always happy and is extremely loud. Also, she values her relationships with her close friends and appreciates them very much. Instead of having many acquaintances, she chooses to have a small amount of very close friends in her life.

Due to her current level of income, which is nothing because she does not work and is completely supported by her parents, she is unable to shop as much as she would like. She knows that as time passes and she graduates, those things will be more available to her. This is something that is in her control. She knows that one day after she starts work in September, she will have enough money to buy all those things she wishes she had now. However, not having new clothes or freely being able to shop does not make her unhappy. If it were up to her, she would remain in the same phase of her life that she is in now for as long as possible. It is nice to have all expenses paid and not have a single thing to worry about except doing good in school!

At the moment, her biggest area of concern is passing the CPA exam which takes up most of her time. She is unable to think of anything else and believes that the more miserable you are while studying, the better chances you have at success. When her time is not occupied by studying for the exam, she enjoys watching various television series on Netflix, such as "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", or "Grey's Anatomy." Netflix allows her to escape from the stress of studying for the exam and helps relax her mind. Also, she enjoys running at the gym. This helps her maintain her physique and is another way to cool off some stress. Her current nutrition level is very good and she stays away from most junk food and all fast food chains. She loves cooking and hopes that one day she can become a chef after getting sick of working as an accountant. Additionally, she enjoys surfing the net and shops online occasionally. She is someone who cannot live without her cell phone and uses the computer quite frequently. Her technology usage is high on a daily basis.

Overall, she is a fun-loving happy person who wants to be a successful career woman in the future. She strives to be the best she can be and works her hardest each and every day! I would say she is most similar to the "Fit and Stylish Student" from Cohorts' list of personas.