Sweeten Shoppers with Baby Talk

The way in which a brand name is pronounced influences the brand’s personality. In a study at University of Dundee and Nanyang Technological University, a toilet bowl cleaner given the name Goz was rated by study participants as stronger than one given the name Pas. A skin conditioner named Pota was rated as gentler than one named Vig.
     More generally, brand names containing solely consonant sounds produced with vocal cord vibration—b, d, g, v, or z—tend to be perceived as harsh, and those containing consonant sounds produced without vocal cord vibration—p, t, k, f, or s—tend to be perceived as mild. The finding holds true across languages and cultures, so is especially useful when marketers are choosing a name for a new product which will be sold internationally.
     Parallel findings hold true for how syllables in a brand name are pronounced. See if you can guess results from a related study, this one at The University of Tokyo, Chukyo University, and University of Dundee. The experimental question: For consumers seeking a sweet treat they’ve not heard about before, which brand name from each of these three pairs is more likely to be preferred and why? 

• Fipefipe or Fipeseti 
• Tepikipi or Tepitepi 
• Zopivuke or Zopizopi

     Want a hint? Look again at the title of this post and the image at the top.
     Ready to check which name from each pair was found to be more strongly associated with sweetness?
     Fipefipe, Tepitepi, and Zopizopi. Those are the alternatives in which the syllable sound repeats. The explanation was found to be that such repetition reminds consumers of baby talk, and consumers’ brains associate the cuteness of babies with sensations of sweetness. For example, across cultures internationally, some version of “I could just gobble you up” is often a response to something adorable.
     Two significant characteristics of these studies to notice as you think about applying the results: First, the brand names were not read aloud to participants, nor were participants instructed to read the names aloud. The effect depends on how the brand names are pronounced, but does not depend on consumers having heard the brand names pronounced, such as in a radio ad.
     Second, in all of the studies, the products were described as new to the marketplace. Existing products will have already established associations. Changing that name might have quite limited impact in selling more sweets.

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Cue Indulgence with Cute 

Throw Shoppers a Curve with Cursive 

Cue Adult Caring with Baby Cuteness 

Sweeten Treat Sales by Being a Sweet Thing

Align PWYW Cost Structure with Value

To broaden availability for financially constrained consumers of offerings like museum visits, dance workshops, and online courses, the provider could feature a “Pay What You Want” (PWYW) policy. Then to maintain financial viability of the offering, the provider would want purchasers to pay as much as they could. Findings by a set of researchers at University of Surrey, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, and University of Zurich point to a method for doing this.
     In presenting the method, the researchers distinguish between what they call alignable and non-alignable costs. A provider’s alignable costs are those which align with value to the consumer. With a museum, this might be the fees for mounting an exhibit of famous works. With an online course, it might be the fees paid to skilled teachers. On the other hand, a provider’s non-alignable costs are understood as necessary, but as not by themselves providing consumer value. Examples include advertising, rent, and utility bills.
     The researchers recommend describing alignable costs as part of a PWYW offer. This requires the provider to carefully determine what the consumer will value and to ensure that this is an integral part of what’s offered. To help the consumer decide on a fair price, the researchers recommend also including a reference price—how much is usually charged for the offering.
     A provider disclosing information about themselves, such as about their costs, establishes a sense of trust and fairness which can increase PWYW amounts. But the researchers recommend listing the types of costs, not the actual monetary numbers. The numbers can be hard to estimate because they depend on usage volume, and for an expensive offering of superb quality, the actual high money figure could alienate an economically challenged consumer rather than persuade them to maximize their voluntary toll.
     In one of the studies, participants were offered PWYW enrollment in a workshop by ImPulsTanz, Europe’s largest contemporary dance festival sponsor. Prospects given alignable cost structure information (“…pay the renowned workshop teachers from all over the world”) paid about 46% more than those not given cost structure information or those given only non-alignable cost structure information (“…renting the venue… as well as the costs for the workshop office and staff …”).
     In another of the studies, the alignable cost structure appeal proved especially effective with low-pay customers--those who would have paid less than half the reference price amount otherwise.

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Serve the Underserved 

Encourage Customers to Pay What’s Right 

Disclose Yourself to Radiate Authenticity

Pay Mind to Seniors’ Theory of Mind

When persuading others or when others are attempting to persuade you, a valuable skill is you accurately perceiving the beliefs, emotions, desires, and intentions of the others. Findings from researchers at University of Turin and University of Udine suggest that this skill—called Theory of Mind (TOM)—fades as we enter our senior years.
     In the studies, participants completed tasks such as reporting what one character in a story believes another character is thinking and inferring the emotions a person is experiencing based on seeing a photograph of their eyes. Accuracy was significantly lower among the participants age 65 years and above than among participants ages 20 to 40 years.
     These findings modify impressions from anecdotal evidence that older adults can lack performance speed, but bring greater wisdom than younger people do. In fact, seniors may be deficient in real-time social wisdom and emotional intelligence.
     From a marketing perspective, this means you could benefit seniors by verbalizing your intentions and emotional reactions while selling to them.
     From a public policy perspective, a concern is that seniors are especially susceptible to scams because of inabilities to accurately determine the intentions and truthfulness of salespeople. Advanced age brings with it an increased trust in people. The elderly may not realize they’re being cheated, instead attributing their losses to miscommunication or the good intentions of the marketer having gone wrong. Rigidity in thinking—which could be experienced as feeling that changing your mind shows weakness—contributes to the problem.
     From a preventive health perspective, techniques for improving TOM skills in seniors might head off the social isolation and increased dementia risk associated with another perceptual deficit—hearing loss. An additional study finding indicates what such techniques might be: Elderly study participants who reported a history of cognitively demanding occupations showed less deterioration in TOM abilities. Continuing engagement in complex social interactions and problem-solving tasks, whether through a job, volunteering, or structured activities, should be helpful.
     From still another perspective, beyond what happens to mindreading abilities as one ages, there’s the matter of how much the elderly really care about other people’s thinking. Older adults place less importance on accumulating power or demonstrating expertise than do their younger counterparts. We could say that seniors become relatively less sensitive to peer pressure. It’s probably most true for the oldest among us. When you’re 100 years old, let’s say, there aren’t so many peers around.

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Sandbag Senior Swindles 

Slice Open the Minds of the Elderly 

Skewer Status Appeals to Seniors

Vibrate Shoppers into Purchase Excitement

When seeking desire fulfillment, a gently vibrating massage often brings bonus pleasure.
     A set of University of St. Gallen studies applies that truth to ecommerce. A medium-duration vibration on a shopper’s mobile phone while the shopper is looking at attractive alternatives leads to more item purchases and higher shopping basket totals. In the studies, addition of a vibration signal increased item adds by 3% to 18%. The researchers explain this effect as the result of a learned association between vibrations on a mobile phone and a rewarding event, such as arrival of a message or completion of a step count goal.
     In one of the studies, the impact of vibration on positive consumer response was stronger than the impact of a visual signal or a sound. Regarding this finding, the researchers note that shoppers usually receive a multitude of sights and sounds moment-to-moment, while the haptic stimulation of vibration is distinctive.
     Because the mobile phone vibrations signaling positive events are generally of medium duration, the best purchase motivation vibration might be of medium duration. Indeed, a vibration of about 400 milliseconds produced a greater reward response among study participants than did a notably shorter or notably longer duration.
     The researchers caution that the effect they’ve described could be put to unethical use. They recommend that marketers inform consumers about the effect and limit use of vibration signals in marketing of potentially addictive behaviors—such as online gambling—and with especially persuadable audiences—such as children.
     These studies fit with other research showing how sensory stimulation of a consumer in association with a product leads to positive results. Researchers at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Université Laval, and University of Massachusetts find sensations experienced on or in the body can convince the consumer of product effectiveness.
     In one of their studies, participants read an ad which stated, “Introducing HerbLife Balm. Our yellow balm is made from herbs such as turmeric and prai. To use the product, rub and massage a small amount on the affected area. This balm improves your physical performance.”
     The participants were then instructed to apply the balm to their arm. For some of the participants, the balm had been formulated to produce a tingling sensation shortly after application. For the other participants, the balm formulation was identical except that the ingredient producing tingling was omitted.
     Those experiencing tingles were more likely to buy the balm.

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Reach Out for What Will Touch Your Shoppers 

Rough Up Customers a Bit 

Fizz Fizz to Generate Effectiveness Perception

Dig Into Best Digital Display Practices

Digital signage—electronic screens showing video ads to shoppers in a retail store—increased likelihood of purchasing the advertised items by an average of about 8% in a study by researchers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Babson College.
     The study covered 237 advertising campaigns and 30 million shoppers. Because of the size of the sample and use of techniques to separate the effects of digital signage from the effects of other influences on purchasing, the researchers were able to specify circumstances in which digital signage was most effective. The researchers cite prior study findings in explaining why each of these matters.
     Among the best circumstances for use of digital signage are: 

• Display close to the shelved product. When the digital signage is placed close to the product being advertised, the impact on the shopper is at a crucial moment in the purchase decision process, with an increased probability of a motivating impulse. 
• For hedonic products with emotional appeal. Impulse buying is more likely with products purchased for the joy during use than for products purchased for the outcome after use. 
• For popular brands and low-priced items. Shoppers are more comfortable assuming the risk of buying on impulse when the item carries a well-recognized brand name or is offered at an especially low price. 
• For store visits later in the day. Another shopping motivation is variety seeking, and variety seeking increases when the shopper is fatigued, as happens later in the day.

     The researchers also point to characteristics of the specific use of digital signage in their field studies which might be expected to enhance the effectiveness: The display screens were in highly-frequented aisles, the video began playing as a shopper approached the screen, and the screens emitted sound to accompany the elements moving on the screen.
     Relevant to this last characteristic, researchers at King's College London, University of Bath, and Babson College explored the usefulness of stimulating multiple senses with digital displays, including an example of McCain Foods arranging for the display device to emit a baked potatoes odor. The study results indicated moderate stimulation works best. We don’t want to overwhelm the shopper to the point of disrupting the item selection process.
     Other research also points to the value of attending to characteristics of item movement in the display. For example, it’s best to show luxury products by zooming out and to show any product as being rotated.

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Display Interpersonal Warmth Above Digital Ads 

Reduce Risk Fears by Introducing Choices 

Slip Variety into Sleepy Shopper Selling 

Zoom In on Using Zoom Out for Luxury 

Turn It Around for the Sale

Femvertise for Brand Empowerment

Femvertising is advertising perceived as promoting gender equality and as challenging stereotypical portrayals of women as primarily caregivers, decorative objects, or passive observers. According to researchers at Macquarie University and The University of Newcastle, femvertising helps a brand build stronger loyalty and advocacy among female consumers. When reinforcing the power a woman has or wants to have, femvertising messages evoke positive responses.
     Examples of femvertising include the Dove “Real Beauty”, Under Armour “I Will What I Want”, Pantene “Not Sorry”, and Nike “Inner Thoughts” campaigns.
     The researchers developed and statistically validated a scale which they propose marketers use to assess the quality of a brand’s femvertising. Items on the brief version of the scale, along with the themes being measured, are: 

• [Brand name]’s ads present women as empowered in their choices (Empowerment: Portrays women as confident, ambitious, and self-reliant) 
• [Brand name]’s ads feature diverse women from different backgrounds (Representation: Portrays women of diverse identities, backgrounds, and appearances in meaningful roles) 
• [Brand name]’s ads challenge traditional views on women’s roles (Transformation: Challenges outdated gender norms and promotes long-term social change) 
• [Brand name]’s ads highlight real actions for women’s rights (Commitment: Actively engages in advocacy and activism to promote women’s rights, roles, progress, and inclusion) 
• [Brand name]’s ads portray women in an honest way (Authenticity: Portrays women and girls as authentic, believable, and credible) 
• I feel [Brand name]’s ads reflect fair gender standards in advertising (Compliance: Complies with advertising rules, industry guidelines, policies, and ethical standards to promote gender equity)

     The degree to which a brand’s advertising exhibits these characteristics is the degree to which ad audiences will conclude, “This is a brand that supports women.” Using an online survey of women who had recently purchased a sportswear brand, the researchers demonstrated how such a conclusion enhances brand loyalty and brand advocacy.
     Attending to women’s empowerment also assists in public health and in the workplace. Campaigns to increase breast cancer screening rates work best when accompanying messages point out competencies of women. When job supervisors water down negative feedback to female employees, assuming women aren’t powerful enough to handle the truth, the employees are cheated of the constructive criticism they need to most quickly become superb performers.
     Do stay aware that strategies to empower women can face headwinds. For example, the Donald Trump presidential administration’s battle against DEI resulted in organizations hiding their woman-empowerment programs.
     Skilled femvertising holds strong against headwinds.

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Cancel Out Implications of Female Inferiority 

Criticize Women Strongly

Image at top of post based on photo by Donald Giannatti from Unsplash

Engineer Employee & Customer Satisfaction

Employee satisfaction (ES) and customer satisfaction (CS) levels have long been considered valuable indicators of—as well as analogous to a two-cylinder engine powering—the future financial health of a business. ES and CS measures are therefore of interest to prospective investors in the business.
     Now researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University, Singapore Management University, and University of Pittsburgh say that increases in social media usage and in ease of both publicly-held company stock purchasing and private-market investing by individual consumers are changing how businesses should optimally conduct their ES and CS initiatives and announce the results of those initiatives. The objective should be to demonstrate results which stimulate promise of greater shareholder wealth. Among the researchers’ observations is that firms with low CS ratings could accomplish this objective by increasing ES alongside broad social media visibility.
     The researchers propose, based on their inquiries, that individual investors are attracted to firms showing imbalance between ES and CS. The explanation is that the investors are particularly attracted by business prospects for explosive growth. Although high levels in ES and CS indicate healthy business operations, an imbalance signals prospects for improvement under skilled management. “Buy low, sell high” is the smart investor’s mantra.
     The researchers’ attention to social media visibility derives from how individual investors would assess a firm’s CS and ES levels. For CS, the individual could analyze product or service reviews. Those are abundantly available on social media sites. ES levels are more difficult to find in abundance, so it benefits the firm to post them prominently on their own.
     A team of researchers at Aston University, Technical University Munich, and University of Paderborn view the two cylinders—ES and CS—as firing off interdependently. The team’s model, resulting from a large-scale longitudinal study set in a multi-outlet retail chain, incorporates operational investments and operating profits as components.
     The model shows a lagged effect between operational investments and ES: It takes some time for the additional resources to produce an outcome. The researchers advise managers to exercise patience. There is also a lagged effect between CS and operating profits. A third lagged effect is in a reinforcing loop. That is, as operating profits change, operational investments are likely to change in the same direction in the future.
     Business firms can attract investors by properly managing the interdependencies, the prompt and lagged effects of the components, and the postings about CS and especially ES on social media.

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Serve People Just What They Expect 

Build Profits by Training to Serve 

Manage Employee & Customer Turnover

Cook Up Recipes for Reducing Food Waste

A recipe for meal preparation can reduce food waste.
     Reasons include what you might suspect, such as the cook being able to determine from the recipe the sufficient amount of each ingredient to purchase and prepare without excess. However, the waste reduction is also for a reason you might not suspect—cutting time and bother.
     My evidence comes from a series of University of Groningen studies primarily designed to explore the effects not of recipes, but rather of minimally processed ingredients such as washed and chopped vegetables versus vegetables requiring purchasers to wash and chop them. Note that in the studies, the researchers used semi-prepared ingredients, not fully prepared meals. If too much convenience is provided, the consumer might devalue the meal and show less hesitation in wasting some of the food.
     In one of the studies, consumers were asked to imagine they had in their refrigerator a set of items—pasta, parmesan cheese, olive oil, a leek, and so on. One group of participants were shown photos of the ingredients in a semi-prepared form. The rest were shown the ingredients in an unprepared form. Half the number of participants in each group were also given a recipe which listed steps for incorporating all the ingredients into a pasta entrée. Each participant was asked to indicate “How likely are you to not prepare the meal and therefore throw all products away?”
     For the participants who had not been provided a recipe, those considering the semi-prepared ingredients were less likely to say they’d waste the foods. But for those who had been provided the recipe, there was little difference between the two groups. Analyses of other data collected in this study and from other studies in the series indicated the explanation was degree of convenience.
     Either semi-preparation of the ingredients or availability of a recipe increased consumer convenience in a way which reduced the probability of food waste. Parallel findings came from another study of the set in which households collected their actual waste of edible food from packages the researchers had provided.
     Two implications for grocers are to post recipes for use of foods you’re selling and to offer semi-prepared ingredients. Along with reducing waste, these tactics might improve profitability: In one of their studies, the researchers concluded shoppers would be willing to pay a 13% price premium for semi-prepared foods when the waste reduction benefits are featured.

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Limit Healthy Food Purchases 

Hand Off Intended Hands-Off Items 

Cook Up Recipes for Patrons

Ascertain Certainty to Assess Offer Variety

The ways in which you best present purchase alternatives to a shopper are determined in part by the degree of confidence the shopper has in choosing among those alternatives. This conclusion from a team of Northeastern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Arizona State University researchers follows their study of item reviews from almost 100,000 consumers spanning nearly 30 years. Product categories used in the studies included wines, beers, and cosmetics.
     Based on their findings, the researchers suggest that for shoppers who express notable uncertainty, frame your subsequent purchase suggestions as quite different from what they just tried, such as by highlighting distinguishing item characteristics. Correspondingly, if you’ve evidence that the shopper has high confidence, frame your next best offer as similar to what the shopper just selected.
     A challenge with taking this advice is correctly detecting the shopper’s degree of confidence. If you’ve access to a history of item reviews from the shopper, use the same method the researchers did: Analyze recent reviews with attention to tones of certainty and doubt. You could also do the same sort of thing by conversing with the shopper. For the researchers, phrasing such as “Beyond any doubt” indicated high confidence and “I really don’t know” indicated low confidence.
     The researchers’ findings highlight the value of an additional tool: Consider the degree of experience of the particular shopper with the particular item category. This can work because, in general, as a consumer gains more experience, their confidence regarding decisions for that item category will initially decrease as the consumer becomes acutely aware there’s much more to learn than they initially assumed. But as the consumer masters this learning and accumulates their own direct experience, confidence rebounds and grows.
     I’ll add my thought that if you can observe the shopper, maybe you should also notice how tightly they’re crossing their fingers while making the choice, signaling degree of hope good luck shines down to supplement low confidence.
     Research at University of Cincinnati, University of Florida, and University of Mississippi provides another perspective on the interplay of expertise with novelty. When the researchers offered choices of music samples to study participants, those who considered themselves music novices accepted a few new songs in a multitude of genres. The experts accepted a greater number of songs solely from one or a limited number of genres in which they considered themselves to have expertise. Certainty builds selectivity.

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Make Your Next Best Offer 

Present High-Level Benefits to the Confident 

Scope New Horizons as Expanding Expertise

Make It Right Without Government Orders

Political conservatives are irritated when told by the government they should be tested for sexually transmitted infections. The guidance is better received if coming from a nongovernment source.
     Liberals also could take umbrage at being told out of the blue they might have an STI. But this stigma is the reason conservatives tend to be more irritated than liberals at any recommendations, regardless of the source, about sexual and reproductive health practices. A politically conservative ideology is associated with stronger aversion to stigma. In a set of studies, researchers at University of Bologna and University of Leeds found evidence of this with recommendations to self-test for sexually transmitted infections, be vaccinated to protect from the Human Papillomavirus Virus, and use condoms, contraceptive pills, and menstrual cups.
     An additional study considered whether the source of the health recommendation might make a difference. Along with completing an inventory to assess political orientation, a group of U.S. participants was offered a choice between a box of toothpaste and a box of condoms. The offer was identified as being sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control; by Durex condoms and Oral-B toothbrushes; or by a collaboration between the government agency and private companies.
     For liberals, the group told the sponsor was the CDC was most likely to choose the condoms over the toothpaste. For conservatives, the nature of the sponsor had no discernable effect on the choice. This suggests that government agencies should clearly identify themselves as the sponsors of health recommendations. It will help persuade liberals and have negligible effect on conservatives.
     However, results from a study at University of Miami, Utah Valley University, and University of Notre Dame indicates that a government warning makes adherence by conservatives less likely. After consumers were told there were laws that restrict mobile phone use, purchase of junk foods, and smoking e-cigarettes, the political conservatives, compared to the liberals, indicated greater intentions to use their mobile phones, purchase unhealthy foods, and smoke e-cigarettes. This rebellion reflects the many research findings that conservatives tend to view governmental directives as inspired by liberal propaganda.
     The implication of this is that public health campaigns will be more effective if the source of recommendations or mandates includes non-governmental entities. Other research advises to soften mandates by adding appreciation and apologies using messages like, “Thank you for your cooperation. We appreciate it,” and, “Sorry for any inconvenience. Our apologies.”

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Discuss Disgust Conservatively & Liberally 

Embody Right-Left in Body Selling 

Mandate Masks with Appreciation

Limit Layering in Makeup Marketing

The financial success of e.l.f. Beauty and The Body Shop—vendors that offer only vegan cosmetics and skincare products—is evidence of consumer interest in makeup free of animal products, byproducts, and derivatives. Other companies such as Ulta Beauty offer a selection of vegan items along with conventionally formulated items.
     Researchers at Sungkyunkwan University and COSMAX BTI Inc. employed the full portfolio of Ulta to explore what product attributes are associated with the most positive user reactions and how this differs between vegan and conventional products. The dataset comprised 255,023 user reviews collected from the Ulta Beauty website.
     The researchers’ inquiry was guided by past studies showing how consumers are attracted to vegan beauty products via perceptions of them containing fewer harmful chemicals, being manufactured with less environmental harm, and being unlikely to have been tested on animals.
     One finding from the current study relates to sustainability labels. While conventional products can benefit from highlighting sustainability claims such as safety or environmental friendliness, doing so provides little additional benefit for vegan products. Sustainability cues are already common in vegan marketing, so repeating them does little to further differentiate the product. Such repetition carries the sort of risk associated with a consumer putting on too many makeup layers. Instead, brands may benefit from emphasizing other product features and benefits.
     The study also found that vegan skincare products tend to receive slightly higher ratings than conventional ones. An explanation is expectations—many consumers believe vegan products are healthier, safer, or more ethical, and these beliefs can influence how satisfied they feel after using them.
     This pattern was especially clear for moisturizers and creams. These products mainly provide hydration, and consumers can usually feel the results quickly. As a result, positive expectations about vegan products often translate into higher ratings.
     Serums, however, showed the opposite pattern. Conventional serums received higher ratings than vegan ones. Because serums promise long-term benefits such as anti-aging or wrinkle reduction, their effectiveness is harder to judge immediately. When expectations are very high but visible results take time to appear, consumers may feel disappointed.
     For mists and oils, there were no meaningful rating differences, likely because these products are judged mainly by immediate sensory experiences such as texture and absorption.
     Overall, the findings suggest that evaluating consumer satisfaction across a product line can be complex because evidence of effectiveness emerges at different speeds and with different levels of certainty.

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Visualize Beyond Three Claims 

Post Dramatic Tales for Post-Experience Goods 

Beware Open Sell 

Earn Trust by Supporting Sustainability

Compound Interest in Financial Self-Confidence

Among heterosexual couples, the woman is twenty-five times more likely to leave the pair’s financial management to the man than is the man to leave it to the woman.
     This difference might be largely attributed to gender norms regarding abilities and control. Financial self-confidence also matters. Many women avoid situations like car shopping, financial planning, and tax preparation because the women fear salespeople will try to cheat them under the assumption that the women have limited money skills.
     Sharing duties of daily life makes sense. Yet it becomes problematic when the one managing the finances is impaired. Women with dementia were generally agreeable to their husband’s assumption of the household financial decision-making, while men with dementia generally resisted relinquishing their financial authority.
     Researchers at University of Edinburgh and University of Central Florida note the prior research characterizing females as exhibiting lower financial self-confidence than their male counterparts. Based on such findings, the researchers propose that increasing the financial self-confidence of high school girls will serve them well throughout their lives. The researchers’ study provides evidence that a promising technique for increasing this self-confidence is financial education by teachers who themselves have solid financial self-confidence.
     The one-day training program for teachers responsible for providing financial education was designed by Young Money in the United Kingdom. The training was geared to teaching 16–18-year-olds about financial planning and budgeting; financial implications of work; seeking financial advice; choosing financial products; and fraud and identity theft. Students received their training from these teachers over the duration of a school term.
     Enhancing teachers’ financial self-confidence narrowed the financial self-confidence gap between the female and male students. The additional financial self-confidence was associated with economically meaningful actions by the students, such as increased savings of available funds.
     The researchers interpret the findings in the context of social learning: Teacher self-confidence has previously been shown to shape teaching practice and improve student engagement, especially for female students. When a teacher gains self-confidence, not only is the course content likely to be better, but the students also gain self-confidence from imitation of the solid financial self-confidence of their teachers.
     In presenting this interpretation, the researchers say a common concern expressed by financial literacy educators is that they feel unprepared to competently teach the material. I’d say this implies parents—who constitute another major resource for mentoring financial literacy—would benefit from building their self-confidence in the task.

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Stem the Tide of Female Shopper Discomfort 

Sandbag Senior Swindles 

Include the Kids in Financial Literacy Talk 

Invest in Financial Literacy Overconfidence

Think Peanuts for Probabilistic Promotions

Shoppers are attracted by uncertainty about what they’ll pay for an item if the risk isn’t a big deal.
     That’s a description of findings from researchers now at University of California at Berkeley and University of Pennsylvania regarding what are called probabilistic price discounts—where shoppers are offered a specified percentage chance of getting a specified price reduction: “Present this coupon when buying the set and there’s a 25% chance you’ll get an additional 25% off on the purchase price.”
     Every smart shopper who can easily locate the coupon will present it. It makes no sense to pass up the offer. But a question more relevant to marketers is whether shoppers are more likely to buy when offered, let’s say, either a sure 20% discount on the one hand or, on the other hand, a 40% chance to get a 50% discount.
     The answer from the studies is that it depends on the amount of money involved. When the sure discount feels quite small to shoppers, they’ll tend to opt for the probabilistic deal. This pattern is related to what researchers call the peanuts effect. “The money amounts I’m considering are just peanuts” In one of the studies, consumers were more likely to select a probabilistic discount on a hotel stay when the price for the hotel stay was $48 than when it was $480.
     Other studies in the set verified how it is a feeling of relatively low size of the sure discount—not only an objectively low size—which matters. Presenting the same sure discount in the context of large discounts made the same sure discount feel smaller. Also, presenting the same sure discount in the form of a percentage rather than a dollar amount was found to make the sure discount seem smaller and to therefore increase the attractiveness of the probabilistic option.
     Prior studies concluded that compared to when the probability of winning the discount is low, when the probability of winning the discount is high, shoppers are more likely to prefer a sure discount. However, this current research indicates that the most important consideration is the shopper’s perceived size of the sure discount, not the size of the chance of receiving the discount or the perceived size of the discount with the probabilistic option. When the sure discount you’d be offering is likely to be perceived as just peanuts, offer a probabilistic discount.

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Relieve the Pain with Probabilistic Discounts 

Gambol with Gambled Price Discounts 

Convert Shoppers with Lucky Discounts

Summon Sisyphus Influence

After reviewing the large body of past research on how people choose which charities to contribute to, researchers at University of Leeds, Singapore Management University, University of British Columbia, and Virginia Tech report a criterion which at first glance is counterintuitive: Everything else being equal, donors prefer recipient charities to be less than fully capable of meeting the charity’s objectives.
     This charity capacity curse seems strange until you recognize how prospective donors perceive charities with abundant financial, human resources, and organizational capacity as needing less help. Most people depend on their perceptions of need in choosing among charities, even though this strategy often ends up compromising the effectiveness of their contributions.
     An implication of the finding is for charities to downplay their existing capabilities when appealing for help. But a danger in doing this is that people consulting online guides to develop their giving strategy will see how ratings of a charity are based largely on the quality of the charity’s capabilities.
     Results from follow-on studies by the researchers argue for using two other strategies to break the charity capacity curse’s effect on prospective donors when the charity is considered as having high capacities: 

• Make the current needs of the charity highly salient. In the studies, this was achieved by describing an unexpected natural disaster to which the charity is responding. 
• Shift the donors’ focus from the need of the charity to the impact of the decision to contribute. In the studies, this was achieved by using phrases like “help the most people,” “make a greater impact on the community,” and “create the most benefits.”

     Other research finds parallels to the charity capacity curse with charity recipients. Generally, the positive reaction to an attractive solicitor increases contributions. But a University of Alberta study found an exception to that rule. Researchers set up a set of fictitious websites on which visitors were asked to financially sponsor a child from a developing country.
     When the children were portrayed as having severe needs, facial attractiveness made no difference in the willingness to help. But when the level of need was not severe, people demonstrated less compassion for attractive than for unattractive children. The researchers attribute this effect to people assuming that attractive children would be better able to recruit help on their own.
     Similarly, showing typical child beneficiaries as a group makes them seem more powerful than showing them as solitary individuals.

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Donate Positive & Negative Right for Charity 

Collapse to Soles When Asking for Money

Stand By Your School of Thought

In these times of geopolitical conflicts, should a marketer take a stand on issues affecting their community and then boldly support the position with the strength of standing by your school? As the Boston Latin Academy defines it, “Stand by her gallantly and fight for her valiantly. In all times and places, her greatness proclaim.”
     Or should you instead stand by your school of thought in the sense of watching from the sidelines, on guard for developments?
     Study results from researchers now at Tel-Aviv University and University of Pennsylvania find that even small solidarity messages, such as a, “We stand with you,” can improve consumer attitudes toward a brand. However, to fully realize the gains, a local brand would need to do more than would a global brand to demonstrate support. An explanation for the difference, supported by the studies, is that actions from a global brand are perceived as riskier for the brand, so in themselves enhance consumer evaluations.
     For the local brand, sustained communication, strategic partnerships, or community initiatives, may be necessary to foster goodwill. The researchers admit that it’s a balancing act, though. Bold support of a controversial opinion can mobilize backlash from consumers who disagree.
     Still, a set of studies at California Polytechnic State University and Georgetown University also makes a case for local brands using a strong megaphone to advocate for stands on geopolitical conflicts affecting their community. Yes, pipsqueak-size enterprises can’t afford to lose bunches of customers. They lack the revenue cushion and market momentum enjoyed by the major players. So stay away from advocating the political equivalent of the torture of puppies.
     Instead, pick your argument area from those where people could recognize legitimate points on both sides. Then, the research indicates, the chief benefit becomes the attention to your business your strong advocacy garners. The net effect proves to be an influx of potential customers which more than compensates for the exit of angry current customers.
     These studies also showed how for selecting an argument where support pays off, your audiences must consider your advocacy to be authentic. Genuinely believe what you’re saying.
     Some of your employees may agree with your stand and others may not. Another important element for success, then, is that you prepare them to handle the flack.
     Lastly, recognize that truly hot controversies can draw attention away from a brand’s selling points. Blazing heat usually distracts people.

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Equip Employees to Field Your Fallout 

Pick an Argument, Pipsqueak 

Salute Sales to Concerned Patriots 

Buoy Your Business Against Boycotts

Debunk Unrealities Using Virtual Reality

Researchers at Yeditepe University, University of Twente, and Ludwig-Maximillian Universität München were inspired to conduct their set of studies by a recognition that promoting accurate scientific information about climate change is crucial for a sustainable future. The study objective was to assess the value of immersive virtual reality simulations of climate scenarios in debunking falsehoods which could impede support for mitigation measures.
     The simulations visually depicted impacts of rising temperatures and sea level on communities and ecosystems. Accompanying the visual stimuli was either narration or text including phrasing like, “People are directly affected by the impacts of climate change. We should correct the misinformation that denies its human-made nature. We witness the rising sea levels encroaching on coastal communities, homes destroyed by stronger hurricanes, more frequent fires, and prolonged droughts devastating farmlands.”
     The VR methodology produced higher climate change belief and less skepticism that climate change is caused by human actions than when the same information was presented on a flat screen, as would be done using non-VR social media.
     Consideration of past research studies and data analyses from their own set of studies led the researchers to explain the superiority of the VR technique as due to the 360-degree environments where distracting physical reality is blocked out and the active engagement fostered by the participant exploring the environments themselves.
     The researchers note that the effectiveness of debunking unrealities via VR will depend on the content of the VR simulations, the VR equipment used, and the receptivity of participants to use of VR. They also admit to lack of purity in their methodology because different participants no doubt explored the VR scenarios in different ways so did not have identical experiences.
     Other research indicates this opportunity for participants to discover for themselves actually adds to the effectiveness. For example, researchers at University of Miami and University of Pennsylvania found that customers are substantially more likely to pass information on to others when they have found at least some of that information on their own. In addition to the thrill of discovery, a major reason for this is that we associate discovered information with our self-image. We’re less likely to criticize the information as unfounded or uninteresting. If the information is in written form, we’re less likely to be put off by spelling and grammatical errors when we believe we came across it through our own initiative.

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Control Conspiratorial Thinking 

Worm Your Way into WOM with Self-Discovery 

Expose Seniors’ Values Through Virtual Reality

Accentuate the Positive Item Characteristics

People purchasing food are more influenced by what will make them healthier than by what would make them unhealthier. This was seen in how study participants expressed greater interest in corn flakes claiming to be high in protein, fiber, and vitamins than in the same cereal claiming to be low in fat, sodium, and carbs.
     The University of Groningen and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam researchers who conducted the study attribute the difference in preference to shopper assignment of value. Consumers usually associate “higher” and “more” with increased benefits. This is usually less true for “lower” and “less.” Advertising the gain in healthful characteristics adds greater perceived value to a product than does advertising the reduction of unhealthful ingredients.
     The generalizability of this addition-subtraction difference was shown in another of the researchers’ studies: An item featured as “now enriched with alanine”—with alanine described to these participants as beneficial for health—received higher favorability ratings than did an item featured as “now reduced in alanine”—with alanine described to those participants as harmful to health.
     The implication for marketers is to emphasize what’s added over what’s subtracted. Similarly, people rate the same merchandise as better when a description is framed positively than when framed negatively. Researchers at Seattle University and University of San Diego cited past studies showing that consumers are more likely to say they’ll buy a cut of beef described as 75% lean compared to 25% fat, and then, in their own studies, found that people told a chewing gum had more than 95% natural flavors ended up giving higher ratings than those told it had less than 5% artificial flavors.
     Actually, there’s a risk in bringing up the negative at all. When Coca-Cola announced, “Our Bonaqua lightweight mineral water bottles are specially engineered to use 34% less plastic,” we might have expected the purchase likelihood of the product to grow. But studies at City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong showed the opposite can happen. Consumers could respond, “Gee, I wasn’t even thinking about how my mineral water comes entombed in a slug of plastic. I’ll stop buying bottled mineral water.”
     These researchers found that you can minimize the negative response by nudging shoppers to pay more attention to the decrease in the bad than to the presence of the bad. Accomplish this by discussing the upsides of change.

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Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me 

Lessen Emphasis on Less Bad Sometimes 

Fancy How to Sell More Features

Cover Cost Per Wear with Fashion Shoppers

High fashion inevitably clashes with high sustainability. Fashion is, by definition, fleeting, not sustainable. From this perspective, the term “fast fashion” seems comfortable. But with consumer behavior researchers using the term to mean inexpensive clothing produced rapidly to fit current trends, the practice of fast fashion is, by that definition, uncomfortable for many people. Compared to sustainable merchandise, fast fashion items are discarded quickly, producing offensive waste both in the inputs and especially the outputs.
     To nudge fashion shopper preferences and purchase intentions toward the less wasteful, highlight the comparison, say a pair of researchers from University of Bath and University of Cambridge. To avoid the clash of high fashion with high sustainability, make the basis of comparison what pays off directly for the individual consumer—cost per wear (CPW), which divides the estimated price of a garment by the estimated number of potential wears the garment provides, thus quantifying its economic value.
     In a set of studies, the researchers demonstrate how communicating CPW shifts preference away from cheaper, low-quality options and toward more expensive, high-quality options if the fast fashion and slow fashion alternatives are presented together, the slow fashion alternative does have a lower CPW, and the shopper is interested in greater economic value for money spent. Citing CPW numbers is more effective than citing non-numeric durability claims. The effect is stronger when the CPW figures are accompanied with certification by a respected organization. Perhaps this is because the prices of the garments and the number of wears are necessarily rough estimates.
     The value of discussing usage frequency extends beyond high fashion clothing. How often a shopper would use a purchased item influences how satisfied they’ll end up being with the item if purchased. Yet researchers at IE University, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, and Fundação Getúlio Vargas observed how infrequently retailers discuss probable durable item usage frequency with shoppers. In the studies, shoppers also brought up only rarely the predicted frequency of use as among their reasons for purchasing something.
     To improve well-informed shopping and reduce regrets among customers, discuss the likely frequency of use. With multifunction or multifeatured products, discuss the different ones, to the degree that your time and the shopper’s patience allow.
     But the research produces a caution: When covering usage frequency, talk to the shopper as an individual. Avoid averages and comparisons to others, especially when dealing with shoppers who are likely to compete with others.

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Weigh Disposal Over Depletion for Less Waste 

Serve Up Benefits Per Serving 

Mention Usage Frequency Frequently

Badge Frontline Employees to Curb Badgering

The studies by researchers at Queensland University of Technology and Tecnológico de Monterrey address the problem of store shoppers verbally abusing frontline employees who carry responsibility for selling to the shoppers and resolving their complaints. The researchers cite prior studies which show how the yelling, insults, threats, and demeaning language undermine job performance and increase employee intention to quit their job.
     The simple technique validated by the current studies to ease the problem is to have each frontline employee wear a badge announcing brief information about the individual. In the studies, this information, which appeared on a label positioned below the badge with the employee’s first name, included text such as “I’m a Daughter,” “I’m a Dad,” and “I’m also a local.”
     The researchers’ explanation for the effect is that the self-disclosure humanizes the employee, which leads customers to treat the employee more respectfully. The employee becomes less likely to be seen by the customer as an inferior status object whose job is confined to fulfilling the customer’s whims and absorbing the customer’s frustrations.
     In some cases, you might want the under-badge message to read, “This is my first week on the job.” Your shoppers should know that your frontline staff are experts. Yet a trio of researchers at University of Bordeaux and KEDGE Business School find a payoff in boldly proclaiming that an inexperienced frontline staff member is, in fact, not yet an expert and will consult with others. If there’s a service failure during the subsequent sales transaction, the customer is more forgiving of both the employee and the retailer and, if the customer has already built an attachment to the retailer, is more likely to return in the future than if the warning of inexperience had not been provided.
     Even with the under-badge technique, we can expect some verbal abuse of frontliners will continue. Studies at University of Edinburgh, University of Sydney, and UNSW Business School indicate that a helpful technique in response to this is to encourage the employee to step away from the workplace after being verbally abused.
     Positive results were for brief breaks. The researchers point out how prolonged absences from the service setting decrease employee performance. There are more uncompleted tasks to be made up, and irritation of other staff disrupts teamwork. However, a short retreat after incivility is different. A little snack can ease exhaustion. Chatting with colleagues can restore perspective.

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Proceed to Protect Your Staff from Insults  

Declare Inexperience to Experience Forgiveness

Retreat Briefly After Incivility 

Anticipate Black Friday Syndrome 

Announce Commonalities with Shoppers

Prepare for Pickiness to Pale

People who consider themselves socially advantaged are more picky consumers than are people who consider themselves socially disadvantaged. The University of Iowa researchers who conducted the studies supporting this finding defined pickiness as a willingness to acquire a product only if the product is at or close to ideal.
     Are those study findings telling you something you didn’t know already? My guess is no, the findings do not.
     Okay, since the findings appear to be common sense, is there anything to be learned to assist in improving your marketing profitability? My argument is yes, the findings can, but only if you dig deeper than the what to ask about the why.
     Based on their hypotheses and study results, the researchers say the effect of social advantage on pickiness cannot be completely explained as being due only to the advantaged having greater resources with which to access and possess items. Entitlement also matters. Even when the other factors are accounted for, the socially advantaged feel more entitled to be picky than do the socially disadvantaged. Entitlement is the feeling that you are more important and more deserving than inferior others.
     This sense of entitlement is related to what the researchers refer to as Social Dominance Orientation. In my email exchange with Prof. Bryce Pyrah, the primary researcher, he writes, “People who endorse inequalities (those high in SDO) demonstrate the differences that those who are advantaged are pickier than those who are disadvantaged because of entitlement. Those who challenge existing inequalities do not show these differences on entitlement or subsequent pickiness.
     “This sense of entitlement arises due to people's general motivation to justify the current hierarchy and their place in it. That is why those who are advantaged tend to feel more entitled, as they believe that their standing in their hierarchy is justified, and thus feel like they deserve more. And so, those who are low in SDO (or those who challenge the hierarchy) don't show this pattern.”
     I contend that your understanding of this why will be helpful by giving you a heads-up to prepare for pickiness to fade somewhat in the future. At present, there are deeply-entrenched wealth, racial, and ethnic inequalities in society. However, rumblings of a drive to moderate these inequalities can be seen in public polling. I anticipate reductions in entitlement deriving from our culture’s Social Dominance Orientation in the foreseeable future.

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Offer Poor Items to Low Self-Esteem Shoppers 

Box In Gift Shoppers for the Picky 

Hover Within the Shopper’s Power Level 

Insulate Perfectionists from Unwise Risk

Hew to Humility when Highly Handsome

Abundant attractiveness in a persuasion agent can alienate consumers. Shoppers who perceive themselves as being less attractive might respond negatively. For instance, women browsing through cosmetics in a store compare themselves to how others in the store look. If the comparison comes across with the shopper thinking they end up on the short end, the chance of a sale drops.
     Researchers at University of Dayton, University of Oregon, and TEKsystems saw this beauty backfire effect with fitfluencers—social media content creators specializing in workout, nutrition, and lifestyle guidance. This is a realm where we’d expect physical attractiveness to be appealing, but, at the same time, expect physical attractiveness to jeopardize relatability and produce unpleasant self-other comparisons. In the study, those expectations were met. Fitfluencers rated as highly attractive received lower consumer engagement than did those rated as moderately attractive.
     But the researchers then found a way around the effect: Show humility. For some participants in that study, the caption below a photo of the influencer read, “Just so you know… I haven't always looked like this. It's taken a lot of hard work, but true greatness takes time,” while for the other participants, the caption read, “Just so you know… I've always looked like this. I work harder than the rest, and true greatness is reserved for champions.”
     When the photo was of a moderately attractive fitfluencer, there were no differences in the participants’ ratings of relatability based on the humble versus proud caption. But with the highly attractive fitfluencer, the first caption produced greater participant ratings of relatability than did the second one. Further analyses showed that this greater relatability resulted in greater viewer engagement.
     Curbing the negative responses allows fitfluencers and the many other sorts of persuasion agents to realize documented gains from handsomeness. People are generally more likely to be persuaded when the face-to-face influence agent is good-looking. Pretty solicitors for charitable contributions collect more money. Beautiful store salespeople produce bigger market basket totals. Political candidates whose facial features are symmetrical are more likely to garner votes for themselves and for their causes.
     Humility helps in other retailing areas, too. A decade ago, Starbucks was said to be bragging too much about their ability to be an authentic coffee experience. Customers gave up on Starbucks and aimed for other shops which showed humility. Brands perceived as arrogant might attract through exclusivity, but often repel via intimidation.

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Beautify Persuasion Transactions 

Stay Humble When It Comes to Handcrafted 

Look Out for Where They’re Gazing

Understand Abortion Stand as Insurance Strand

“A conservative is a liberal who has been mugged. A liberal is a conservative who has been arrested.”
     This epigram reflects evidence of how life experiences can uncoil even deeply-wound political orientations. A finding by Yale University and University of Southern California researchers expresses the spirit of the saying from a different time perspective. Also, the researchers’ evidence indicates the complete explanation for the finding is different from what easily comes to mind.
     The research finding is that opposition to abortion among U.S. political conservatives and practicing Christians, both men and women, grows significantly stronger, overall, among those individuals who have had a child. Absence of a particular life experience—having had a child—uncoils a deeply-held conviction—opposition to abortion.
     The easy explanation for the finding is that having a child strengthens appreciation for the preciousness of human life. The researchers’ complete explanation differs in that it encompasses insurance: Political conservatives and practicing Christians are more likely than others to oppose abortion consistent with their moral and religious beliefs. But this opposition is tempered among those without children because accessible abortion offers insurance against an unplanned pregnancy. Once these individuals have a child, their fear of childbearing eases. Now antiabortion convictions can comfortably harden.
     Yes, every additional child is an additional burden, but the one-time cost of adjustment to parenthood has been paid. The researchers point out how this train of reasoning is supported by their analysis of Guttmacher Institute statistics showing non-mothers across the political spectrum are more likely to terminate a pregnancy than are women who have had a first child. The statistic that most women who receive abortions are mothers simply reflects the fact that most pregnant people are already mothers. The effect of parenthood on abortion policy preferences is concentrated among unmarried respondents, who would be especially sensitive to the disruptive effects of a pregnancy.
     Abortion access is among topics about which voters often hold strong views. Valuable for the political longevity of elected officials is the ability to assess their voters’ sentiments about issues important to the voters. This research shows how what determines these views might not be what we’d expect and that information about those determinants might be relatively easy to ascertain. These insights provide tools not just for tracking, but also for influencing voters’ views. Regarding opinions of abortion access, initiatives to ease burdens of parenting could have an effect.

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Deep Canvass to Uncoil Voters’ Rigidity 

Verbalize Victimization to Reduce Censorship 

Augment Political Projection with Introjection