| BLOG 7: FREEBIE! |
QUEEN OF COUPONS
For years, I have prided myself on being a super saver shopper. I use coupons like crazy. Don’t believe me? I buy an entertainment book every year (a book that costs around $20-$30 that has over 500 coupons in the local Austin area), I snip and look for coupons in the weekly newspaper, I even look for coupons and promotion codes online when I buy clothes from my favorite websites. Yes, I get some good deals and save a whole lot of money by using promotions and coupons...but my boyfriend (Tim) recently pointed out that I actually end up spending more money than saving! Wait a second...this can’t be happening, right? I am using coupons to SAVE MONEY! How could the reverse be happening? I didn’t believe him so we decided to test his theory out in a couple of experiments. Turns out that I’m not the queen of coupons...but a SUCKER for coupons!
FLASHIER IS BETTER
First, we drove to Barton Square Mall, he told me to shop like I normally would, and told me to be prepared to answer some of his questions about my decisions before making a final purchasing decision. After hitting up three stores and seeing nothing worthy enough to pay for...I walked into the Bath & Body Works store. In case you are unfamiliar with Bath & Body works...it is a little shop that sells fragrant filled products such as lotions, candles, perfume, air fresheners, soaps, hand sanitizers, face washes, shampoo, etc.
So, I saw a sign with a great deal going on that I had to jump on! It was a big and BLOOD RED sign for hand soaps that read “Buy 5 for $15!”. I immediately put three hand soap containers in my little shopping bag. He asked me, “Why are you buying 5 hand soaps? You still have 3 of those exact ones at home. Why the number 5 instead of 1 or 2?” I responded back with, “It’s a good deal! 5 for $15 is really good. Why can’t I just get it?” He then said, “You’re not getting a deal at all! You’re getting ripped off! It’s 3 dollars each with or without the sign.”
Holy Toledo! He wasn’t lying! I turned the soap upside down and saw the hand soap was priced at $3 each. How could a huge sign in BLOOD RED make me think that I was getting a deal? The sign had me skipping over the price tags without a doubt in my mind that the deal was a for sure thing. This exercise had me thinking about the clip that Professor Walls showed us in class about how a woman shopper’s brain had more brain wave activity when she was exposed to in store promotions and big promotional saving signs. I obviously got a little too happy Jacky and was highly motivated by the big and flashy signs. I ended up putting down the soaps and left the store making ZERO purchases.
ODD-EVEN PRICING
Afterwards, we went into a clothing store called BCBG. I shopped around for a little bit and found a beautiful dress in the sale section. Learning from my mistakes from Bath & Body works...I made sure to look at the price tag. It was priced at $98.95! Yes, a dress under 100 bucks at BCBG...how much luckier could I get? I told Tim that I was buying the dress and that Debbie Downer tells me, “Wait a second...how much does that dress cost?” I happily tell him, “It’s only $98.95. It’s under $100! A dress under 100 bucks at BCBG is a big deal, Tim.” He then says, “Are you kidding? That’s almost 100 bucks. You’re not even thinking about that. It is literally $1.05 away from being $100. I can go out and find $1.05 on the streets right now. That is not enough of a difference for you to even say that it’s worth buying. You haven’t even thought about tax either!”
He was exactly right! The dress was pretty much $100! How could I not see that? I then remembered in my Marketing 337 Principles class that odd-even pricing gives this illusion that consumers are getting a deal for every dollar. It has been said that having a price a few cents lower than an even number is more physically attractive to a customer’s eye because he/she will perceive that they did not have to spend a greater amount for their products. It was completely true. I felt that something priced at such an “odd” number was justifiable enough for me to pay for it and argue my way into a purchase. It wasn’t until I stepped back and realized what I was doing that I saved myself $100!
THOSE DEVILS ONLINE!!!
After two of my potential purchases turned out to be a bad reality check...I decided to just leave the mall and call it a day. I went home and felt like I wasted the whole day and my gas money going to the mall. Feeling extremely frugal at this point...I decided to just shop online and use internet coupon codes to ensure that I would be getting a GREAT deal. I went onto urbanoutfitters.com and shopped around for an hour or so. After searching the whole site and finding a couple of items I liked I decided to pay and confirm my “shopping basket.” The grand total equaled $88.06. I then checked a couple of internet websites to search for coupons. I found two coupons that tickled my fancy. One that said, “Save 10% on your whole order” and “spend $125 and get free shipping.” I used the 10% off coupon first and saved a couple of bucks, but wait a tick...I could save an addition amount of money from shipping if I just spent a couple more dollars to reach the $125 minimum mark. This was no problem, right? All I had to do was look online for one more item that I liked to reach my goal.
After spending another hour online searching for one more item...Tim walked into the room. He looks over at me and asks, “You’re still shopping online? What’s taking you so long?” I respond back with, “I can get free shipping if I just spend like....30 more dollars.” I’m just trying to find one item that I like that equals that amount.” He then starts laughing hysterically and tells me, “Look at the money you’re wasting! You could just pay the $7 for shipping instead of paying $30 more dollars for another item! You’re obviously struggling to even find another item! Why pay and spend $30 on something that you don’t even really truly like when you could just spend the $7 bucks? AND ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST! He was right on the money on this...how could I be sucked into these marketing tactics? I AM SUPPOSED TO BE A MARKETING MAJOR FOR GOD’S SAKES!
I’M A SUCKER
Obviously, I am a sucker for coupons. I study and hear about these tactics all the time in my classes. I think that I am above these tricks but I’m really not. These marketers are much cleverer than I thought. They have managed to fool me using flashy signs that try to get you to buy bulk, using odd pricing to make their merchandise appear cheaper, and online coupons to get you to add more to your shopping cart. I have experienced firsthand the clever marketing used by retail stores to get people to buy more and more products. Geez...I can’t wait to trick other people into spending massive amounts of their own money! |
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| Blog 6: The Persuaders |
I know that I disliked this movie when I first watched it, but after watching it again for the second time...I can honestly say that I sort of enjoy the movie now. Rapaille is an interesting character and really makes me interested in his tactics. However, now I’m regretting my choice of not majoring in psychology if it could potentially help me become a better marketer! I am totally kidding so all my classmates and Professor Walls...please don’t hate me!
RAPAILLE’S 3 STAGE TECHNIQUE
As I mentioned before, Rapaille is a very interesting fellow. He believes that many consumers don’t understand why they act the way that they do, so they try to rationalize their purchases with false explanations. The example he talked about in the movie was about how Manhattaners were buying huge SUVs called Hummers even though they were completely unnecessary. These people were unable to give a clear reasoning why they wanted the Hummer. Rapaille stated that there was a clear disconnect between the reasoning and the purchasing of the Hummer. However, Rapaille belies that there is a mental connection with the products, items, things, etc. that consumers come across. He works hard to find the secret code in our mental highways. Rapaille has developed a 3 stage technique to uncode our connection to brands and products.
STAGE 1: PAST REASON
Rapaille leads a focus group through his first step in breaking the code. This is a question and answer session in which he goes through asking the subjects what they think and how they feel about an idea or product. In this stage, Rapaille is trying to get the subjects to talk about whatever they want because he wants to give them a chance to try to analyze the marketing side of business. The result is that the subjects usually feel happy with themselves because they think they did a good job. Rapaille categorizes this as starting with the cortex. He says that the things the subjects say in this stage is actually irrelevant and that as marketers we should not care about their input. This is merely part of the code-breaking psychology.
STAGE 2: THROUGH EMOTION
The second step that Rapaille leads his group through is a story-telling session. He asks the subjects to tell a story as if their audience was a 5-year-old from another planet. The result is that the subjects completely change the way they think. They are no longer trying to be logical or intelligent; they just want to please a 5-year-old. Rapaille says that at this point most of them think that he is crazy and that they are getting paid to do practically nothing. He claims that this is the psychological breakdown that must happen for them to tap into their core.
STAGE 3: TO THE PRIMAL CORE
The third and final stage that Rapaille leads the focus group in is having them return to their primal, subconscious instincts. To do so, he removes all the chairs in the room, has them lay down, and dims the lights. He wants them to go back to the very first time that they experienced idea or product at hand. Rapaille claims that in order to get the marketing code, he needs to push their reptilian hot buttons. He says that in the semi darkness, the subjects will remember things that they have forgotten for 20 years as they proceed to write about their first experience with the idea or product.
ONE WORD CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
One of the most interesting topics that Rapaille brought up was about how every single word has the power to make a connection to something else in a person’s mind. Rapaille explains that the first time you understand a word...you imprint this word and make a mental connection in the brain. This unconscious connection forces feelings towards a product eventually causing a purchasing decision to take place.
A great example of this in my own life is the original Nintendo game system. When I hear the word “Nintendo” I think of family, hominess, togetherness, and fun. Because I have such positive associations to Nintendo and family lifestyles...I have always been more inclined to buy only Nintendo products. I trust this brand because I feel like I will be getting the whole family togetherness feeling that I look for in a product.
SONG AIRLINES
Song Airlines comes from the parent company Delta Airlines. Song differed greatly in Delta’s services and products in that they had very distinct bright colors, TVs in front of every airplane seat, had very enthusiastic workers trained and hired, offered organic flight foods, and the workers even sang the flight instructions on every flight instead of just talking about the instructions. Although the services seem very promising, I looked up the status of Song Airlines currently and I found that Song Airlines is no longer in existence and actually flew its last flight in mid 2006.
The biggest thing about Song Airlines was that they tried to push and sell a lifestyle/experience. The commercial that they worked on for most of the movie was about how they showed people having a good time, being happy, and running through an open field. At the end of the commercial, brief attributes about Song Airlines are mentioned such as: organic meals, everyday low fares, and dish network satellite TV. Even the advertising in magazines and billboards were hard for people to understand. Sure, they showed happy and smiling faces but it was difficult for consumers to understand that Song was actually an airline service. It was even mentioned in the movie that consumers were responding to the advertisings but they didn’t understand what they were being drawn in for. As you can see, there was a huge problem that consumers couldn’t find and see the point of Song Airlines. By only pushing for an experience, Song suffered greatly and that’s why I believe that Song’s positioning was poorly put together. They should’ve emphasized more of the products and services instead of just a feeling.
Even though Song did not necessarily push for the right things to ensure profits, I thought that Song did very unique things such as hiring workers that were “Song.” They wanted to hire employees that could fit the image and have their consumers feel excited about the product. I also really liked that Song chose such fun colors that resembled air travel such as green, white, and blue. This was smart on their part. |
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| Blog 5: Kenna's Dilemma |
THE ARTICLE HITS HOME FOR ME
After reading Kenna’s Dillema I feel a little surprised but extremely amazed at how the results of all the experiments panned out. However, after sitting there and really taking into account why the results were turning out the way they were...everything just made sense to me! I mean, of course the packaging makes a big deal to the consumer! Also, it makes complete and utter sense that people should always test out a product over time instead of just briefly being exposed to it. I bring these two points up because I feel that these two particular subjects are the ones that would be the most instructive/helpful to a marketer trying to gain insight from current or potential customers. If marketers can master the arts for these two ideas...great success will be sure to come.
PACKAGING MATTERS
The packaging of an item is the only thing we have to base our decisions on when we are physically in the store and cannot open the package to test out the product itself. With so many selections to choose from...the packaging is going to be the thing that drives me to make a decision. Look at the trouble I have when I’m in the store searching for toothpaste:
I purchase Crest Toothpaste regularly and, as you can see, the all the packages for the different types of Crest seem pretty similar. Let me just point out that the words on the boxes don’t matter a great deal for me because I know that I will be able to find a “whitening/tartar control” for almost any box that I select. So, this is when the packaging and color matter the most to me! The article delves into the idea that the packaging of a product can create what is called “sensation transference.” This concept is the idea that “when people give an assessment of something they might buy in a supermarket or a department store, without realizing it, they transfer sensations or impressions that they have about the packaging of the product to the product itself”. Going back to the Crest Toothpaste, when I make a final decision, I automatically go for the boxes that have a blue color or green on the box. The more blue/green on the box, the better for me! The blue color for me denotes cleanliness like the water. The green makes me think of really fresh products and a minty feeling for my mouth.
So what colors are turnoffs for me as far as my purchases are concerned? I will never go for the boxes that have the red color on them. The red just makes me think that the toothpaste will be too fiery or powerful for my teeth.  Also, I’ll never ever choose the boxes that have gold/yellow on them because I think of cavities/dirtiness when I see the boxes. Finally, I will never go for the orange colored boxes because I automatically think of sweetness and candy.  All these associations that I have for the colors are feelings that I don’t want to be felt while I’m trying to brush and CLEAN my teeth.
In the end, with so many products to choose from, marketers are going to have to have their products’ packaging stand out for a consumer. In order for a packaging to stand out, the colors need to be the perfect fit for the service that the product promises to deliver in order for positive associations to occur. The more a consumer can feel a benefit and connection with the product, the more likely they’ll be willing to shell out the money to make the purchase. If the colors or pictures on the packaging denote an unfavorable idea...you can bet that the consumer will not be inclined to buy the product. As you can see, having the perfect coloring/picture on a product equals the perfect ingredients for a profit earning package!
SLOW YOUR ROLL AND TAKE YOUR TIME!
The second important thing that I think marketers need to understand is that testing products over time and not just giving a small glimpse/sample of an item will yield more accurate results. The article talks about the Pepsi vs. Coke taste test challenge. Since only sips were given at the challenges, the Pepsi cola overwhelmingly beat Coke. Pepsi is a sweeter drink so when you take small sips of something, the sweeter product will always be the more appealing one. However, when marketers prolonged the experiment making test subjects drink a whole can of both...Coke won hands down. You see, the sweetness of Pepsi got to be way too sweet for many of the subjects.
So, let me tell you a story about a time that a long term experiment would’ve been beneficial for me. I have tried many face creams before in my time but before I try a product, I usually will just pick up a sample from retailers. So, one time I was at the mall and they were passing out free samples of face cream for Estee Lauder and Olay. They wanted to see if the inexpensive Olay cream could compete with the expensive Estee Lauder cream. I picked up both and put a little on my hands and face. The two were so similar in texture but the Estee Lauder product smelt better and sweeter than the Olay cream. It probably didn’t help that I thought the cheaper Olay product wouldn’t have been able to provide the same promising results as Estee Lauder. I ended up buying a whole case of the Estee Lauder product. That same night, I went home and applied the Estee Lauder cream to my face. You know what happened? I BROKE OUT IN HIVES! I went to the doctor and he told me that the sweeter product meant that there were more chemicals included and I was having an allergic reaction to it. I ended up giving the face cream to my mother and I went out and bought the Olay face cream instead. I was very satisfied with the Olay product and it’s the only face cream I use to this day.
The important lesson I learned here is that I needed more time to test the actual products out. By only taking a small amount of the face creams at the mall...there was no real way to see if I would be allergic to the product. Also, something like a face cream should be tested for longer periods of time because the results won’t show up instantly overnight. The wrinkles on my face won’t just disappear. It's evident that testing small amounts from little samples containers in a controlled setting, such as the mall, will not give realistic results. I need to be able to take home a whole jar and test it out on my face. I might put on more cream than the sample container permits. Just a glimpse of a product is not enough for consumers to base their whole purchasing decision around. With this mentality, marketers will need to understand this and be willing to run experiments with greater amounts of samples for longer periods of time.
Not only did I learn the importance of product testing, but I also noticed a smaller lesson in this as well. If you are going to sample products...you probably shouldn’t have the brand names showing because it can alter your judgment. I thought that the more expensive product would be the better product, but in the end...not only did I pay more for the face cream...but I also had to pay for a doctor’s visit too! |
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Name: Tina Bui
Major: Marketing
and Communication Studies
Email: tina.u.bui@gmail.com
Birthday: January 29th, 1988
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posted by
TunabeREAL at 