Marketing theory contains the idea of points of parity and points of difference. In some ways, these are very logical. A point of difference is where you have an attribute of the product that is different from the competition. A point of parity is when you match the competition. Balancing Points Of Parity And Points…
You Can Differentiate Anything
A classic idea in marketing is differentiation. Underpinning this is the thinking that you don’t want to be selling the same thing as someone else in the same place at the same time. If everything is the same, the only thing a firm can compete on is price. When this happens price will drop —…
The Cool Kids Love Marketing Metrics
I recently read an article from 2005 on marketing metrics. It was interesting to see what was being said nearly twenty years ago. Interestingly, one message I took was that the cool kids love marketing metrics. Apparently, in 2005 everyone was experimenting with marketing metrics. The Cool Kids Love Marketing Metrics 2005 was when the…
Demonstrating Value From Sponsorships
A major challenge exists in sponsorships. They are typically long-term and don’t lead to immediate sales, so how can a marketer demonstrate value from sponsorships? MASB, the Marketing Accountability Standards Board, tackles this problem in their new book — Sponsorship Accountability. Demonstrating Value From Sponsorships One of the challenges with sponsorship accountability is that there…
People Are Generally Reasonable Decision-Makers
An interesting discussion in behavioral science is the nature of humans as decision-makers. There often seems to be an assumption in the literature that people are terrible decision-makers. Consumers, members of the public, and voters are seen as battered by a host of errors and biases. This is partly because papers showing people making a…
Bias And Public Policy Discussions
Reading Zeke Hernandez’s excellent book, The Truth About Immigration, makes clear some challenges we experience given bias in public policy discussions. All of us have — to a greater or lesser extent — a skewed view of the world. This can impact public policy when enough of us have the same skewed views. We might…
A Positive Case For Immigration
Zeke Hernandez’s book The Truth About Immigration tackles one of the most contentious topics in modern politics. He examines the impact of immigration on society. Critically, he advocates for a view based upon a better understanding of the impact of immigration on the societies that receive people. In doing so he makes a positive case…
Negative Externalities Reduce Public Welfare
Christoper Marquis has a follow-up to his book on the B Corp movement, see here. This has many of the same qualities I admired in the earlier book. The best bits explain how business can be better. He has some excellent examples where businesses are making a positive contribution to the world. That said, the…
Choosing Between Spending Points And Cash
Our recent paper in Psychology and Marketing looked at whether people prefer to use loyalty points or cash for various types of purchases. How does what the consumers are buying influence them when choosing between spending points and cash? The central questions answered in this research are, “For what, and when, do consumers prefer to…
The UN SDGS And Consumer Research
The UN SDGs (sustainable development goals) are 17 goals members of the United Nations suggest that we need to achieve to deliver a better planet. These goals are not just environmental; they reflect the fact that to have a sustainable planet we need to make it better for all people. We need peace and prosperity…
