Archive for the Consumer Behavior category
4 Tips On Haggling: A Craigslist Cautionary Tale
by Jared on July 12th, 2007
Yesterday, I had someone come by my apartment to view a desk that I had put up for sale on CraigsList. The desk was in fairly decent condition and I was selling it at a price meant to make it move quickly amongst the 120 other computer desks listed that day.
The buyer arrived at my apartment, knowing full well what I was asking for the desk, and proceeded to haggle with me over the price. She first claimed that I posted it for less than I was asking for in person. She then proceeded to list off every scratch on the desk (which there were very few of) and why they entitled her to a lower price. More
Op Ed: 20-Something Predictions on the iPhone
by Jared on June 22nd, 2007
With a week to go before the official consumer release of the iPhone, I would like to make a couple of predictions about its initial launch success as well as its long-term viability.
Though I am certainly not a wireless industry expert; based on my experiences as a marketing blogger, a self-confessed Mac-head and most importantly a 20-something, I believe that these predictions are fairly solid. More
Bose to Customers: You Don’t Know Headphones, Jack
by Jared on April 2nd, 2007
A fundamental challenge in marketing is trying to get your customers to understand how cool your product really is - if they only use it right.
Four months ago, the audio geek in me just had to have the new Bose Tri-Port in-ear headphones. They are low-profile, the audio quality is astounding and, at $90, I assumed that they would hold together under normal wear and tear.
It appears, however, that the silicone eartips that come with the headphones tend to come off. 
That’s why the nice people at bose sent me a shiny new set of eartips that are designed to stay on a bit better. With them, they also sent along documentation about how to use the headphones, how to fit the silicone eartips and how to install the new ones, if the old ones fall off.
Amazingly, I followed these instructions and a product I thought was cool to begin with became even more so because I figured out how to get more sound with a better-fitting earpiece.
It’s not that they didn’t include these instructions when I bought the headphones, it’s just that I was silly enough to think I didn’t need to the read directions in order to work a pair of headphones.
This instance would have been a great opportunity for Bose to play up how these weren’t regular headphones. Instead of hiding the directions and assuming I’ll find them - put it on the box or use part of your website to show me how to optimize the fit of these things!
Don’t dumb it down! 20-somethings take pride in educating themselves, especially about tech toys like this - give us the opportunity and you’ll gain that much more respect and trust from your customers.
March Madness - or is it?
by Jared on March 29th, 2007
I watched intently, yesterday as the local-Washington news covered the Georgetown Hoyas departing on their bus to the final four tournament in Atlanta.
Granted, I was on the treadmill at the time so I was unable to shout random obscenities at the team who beat the Vanderbilt Commodores, who in turn beat my very own George Washington Colonials.
Despite the strange lineage that seems to have connected those three teams, the funnier thing is that as I was contemplating what four-lettered word would describe the outrage I felt, I stopped and realized - I don’t even like basketball!
Around this time of year, it appears that not even I am immune to the pomp, circumstance and down-right insanity that grips 20-somethings and forces them to spend countless hours obsessing over the brackets.
Beyond the obvious school pride associated with rooting your team on (Go ‘Dores!)…let’s hear what you think makes this madness happen, even for us that have no interest whatsoever in the sport?
Op Ed: Double Tall/Half-Caf Yellow Submarine, Anyone?
by Jared on March 22nd, 2007
Yes people, the downfall of music has begun. AdAge.com reports that Starbucks’ Hear Music Label has signed record producer Paul McCartney after 43 years at Capitol Records as its inaugural artist.
Despite Chairman Howard Schultz’s promises to keep it “about the coffeeâ€, this move seems to confirm what most of us already know for some time now; Starbucks is trying to leverage its massive 9,400 store network into a media distribution network.
With McCartney on board, look for artists of all shapes and colors to undoubtedly sign on to this new venture, doing to decent music what Starbucks has previously done to decent coffee.
You’ll recall Starbucks’ success with that Ray Charles album emboldened them to tap into an apparently undersold adult yuppie music lover too lazy to go to a music store or download iTunes.
Now, I don’t fear this because McCartney’s music sub-par. In fact, I fear it for the exact opposite reason.
We’ve seen how a massive distribution network like Wal-Mart can force suppliers to tailor their products, including shaping media like CD’s & DVD’s. I fear that this new move by Starbucks will only further mar the cultural diversity in this country and zap its creative personality until we are all a bunch of mindless, caffeine-addicted, soft pop-listening sycophants!
That being said, watch this particular blog posting come back to bite me in the {explicative deleted} when I am just getting out of business school, attempting to get a job with them.
20SMF Episode #60 - Suppa-Happi-Chibi-Fun Anime Marketing Expedition
by Jared on February 28th, 2007
The 20SM team heads out to an anime convention to better understand the marketing opportunity in the half-billion dollar US Japanese anime market.
Amanda conducts her first interview with the APPLEGEEKS guys and we discover why anime-fangirls love a certian type of manga.
Referenced Links:
- APPLEGEEKS - Amanda’s Favorite Web Comic
- Vidcast: Behind the Scenes - The Making of This 20SM Episode
- Boys’ Love Books - Check Out Their Interesting Titles (I smell bookclub!!!)
Listen To Episode:
Download Episode:
Subscribe Via iTunes| Subscribe Via Yahoo! | Send Us E-Mail
20SMF Episode #49 - 20-Something Roundtable: Giz-Maniacs
by Jared on September 21st, 2006
Our 20SMF roundtable takes up digital lifestyles and the impact of 20-something media consumption.
Jared, Mikey, Mick, Ryan and Logan contemplate what Generations X and Y really want to see next from media marketing and the impact of growing entertainment empires like Apple, Netflix and XM.
 |
Show Notes:
- Introducing The Roundtable - Apple vs. The World - What 20-Somethings Really Want From Media Referenced Links: |
Podcast:
Right Click And ‘Save As’ To Download Full Show
Subscribe Via iTunes | Subscribe Via Yahoo! | Send Us E-Mail
Are MySpace & Facebook Ready For Prime-Time Marketing?
by Jared on September 7th, 2006
The last few months have seen no less than potentially seismic shifts in the world of social-networking sites. First, a new cell phone comes out offering continual access to your MySpace account. Today, the feature headline for the Marketplace section of the Wall Street Journal is about Facebook’s problems balancing new options with member privacy.
It seems like these two events, however unrelated, are the manifestation serious issues that will define how social networking can mature into an appealing medium for mainstream marketing. The proof of this is that even though the entertainment industry has found plenty of marketing opportunities with sites like MySpace, mainstream marketers have largely stayed away with a “wait and see approach.â€
The reasons behind this might be many but it looks like for the most part, marketers have been waiting for proof that these sites can balance member privacy with advanced features and that they have the appeal and reach to become reliable marketing channels.
If this is true, and these sites can indeed overcome issues associated with privacy and reliability, you might just see these two events as the beginning of the prime-time appeal for marketing with social networking sites.