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Consumer.ology - The Market Research Myth, The Truth About Consumers And The Psychology Of Shopping (2000)

by Philip Graves(Favorite Author)

3.43 of 5 Votes: 5

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English

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review 1: During the Christmas season in 2011, Coca-Cola changed their regular Coke cans from red to white, to promote saving the polar bear. An uproar ensued. Diet Coke drinkers confused their silver cans with the Coke cans, and you do NOT want to mess with a Diet Coke addicts drink. People claimed that the Coke in white cans tasted different than the red. There were even youtube videos of a woman doing a blind taste-test proving it.Rationally, it wouldn't seem that the color on the outside of a can could change the taste, but our tastebuds and food-gathering still has deep roots in prehistoric times, when if we had eating a berry of a certain color and shape before, we could be assured it wasn't poisonous and not have to look so closely at it.Graves devotes most of the book to... more taking down market research as telling businesses what they want to know. If you ask someone why they just bought that washing machine, he is sure to give you a good reason, one that might not have anything to do with the real reason, which is that its the brand his mother always used. The best way to find out why consumers do what they do is not to ask, but to observe them in action.
review 2: Don't be fooled by thinking that Philip Graves' Consumerology is basically about “shopping til' I'm dropping”, because it is not. This is a fascinating book on consumer psychology and marketing research, which allows you a whole new perspective on what exactly makes your “inner shopper” tick.Let's put it this way – you may say you'll buy one thing, but in the end you'll buy something else entirely. Welcome to the unconscious which decides for us, whether we want it to, or not. From reading consumers to understanding the crowd, from the unconscious mind to consumer futurology, Graves is certainly debunking the market research industry. Introducing the reader not only to stories of how, quite often, extensive marketing research led to major flops when launching a new product (remember the “New Coke” fiasco?), he also shares how some predicted failures became a huge success. Last but not least, he also presents his unique AFECT approach, a set of five criteria to evaluate the reliability of any consumer insight.Though the book is, in my opinion, more aimed at people who have a background in Marketing, it's an accessible and well written guide, with just the right dosage of ironic humor, thus definitely recommendable to everyone who's interested in the topic.In short: A comprehensive and refreshing glimpse into the behavior of consumers and their usually not easily discernible buying decisions! less

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