Some complain that Legoland Florida is too expensive

This is the next title in my Kindle queue (after Three and Out, which just dropped yesterday):
http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/brandwashed.htm

Short version: You might think you aren't susceptible to marketing pressures and manipulation. You are wrong. Alternative interpretation: the market fills needs fast---but we don't always realize what we "need".

I buy my cereal at Costco in giant boxes, so it probably costs $10 or $20, like everything else there.

I'll say it again - I buy the brand of cereal because it tastes good. I don't care what the price ends in.

I understand there is a whole science behind why things end in 8 or 5 or 2 or why the box is a red square with pretty clouds on it.

If I like the taste of something I don't care what the box looks like as long as it is not oozing puss (becuase some study determined that oozing puss would increase sales) or what the price ends in as long as I feel I am getting a good value.

It seems like those studies are only applicable to get people to switch brands. "Look - our box is awesome and it is at eye level on the store shelf". Thats fine. Too bad all of that marketing research is wasted on me. If I want honey nut cheerios I will find them on the shelf no matter if I have to stoop down or stretch to get them and for all I care the price can end in 666. I am still going to buy them because I like them.

And I bet advertising doesn't affect you either.

Lord Gonchar said:
Although I think that, in fairness, cereal wasn't exactly the best example to start using.

I'm sure there's a certain level of psychology in pricing, but I'm not sure it readily applies to cereal. The psychology the cereal industry seems to use is to keep shrinking the box while leaving the price-per-box untouched.

I picked on cereal because it was mentioned in the summary of one of the books that someone linked to.

Ice cream is my biggest irritation when it comes to package shrinkage.

ApolloAndy said:
And I bet advertising doesn't affect you either.

I don't watch commercials and I flat out ignore all of the on-line ads (in fact the pop-up ads really annoy me to the point that I will not buy whatever they are selling). Maybe advertising does affect me;) If something works - why should I change to something else?

The only time I can think of in which I changed brands because of advertising was a long time ago when Porsche was in Indy cars. Those cars were sponsored by Quaker State. At the time I was in love with Porsches and figured if they used Quaker State so should I. I even payed extra at the oil change places to get their oil. That lasted a couple of years and then I woke up and realized that was stupid. Don't care whose oil I use it is all perfect for the cars I drive.

Learned that lesson a long time ago and don't veer from it. If it ain't broke dont fix it.

Ice cream is my biggest irritation when it comes to package shrinkage.

Ice cream is very cold. It's no wonder your package is suffering from shrinkage. ;)

+1 to Jason. Another Jason..Alexander, as George Costanza...would be proud.

I think its fair to say that everyone is subject to being manipulated by marketing to some degree. But some folks are more subject than others. And different people will be more/less susceptible to different types of marketing efforts. Marketing folks tend to overstate the impact of marketing efforts. But that is what allows them to have a job.

They don't need everyone to be susceptible to their efforts. They don't even need most people to be susceptible to them. Just enough to make their efforts worthwhile (or at least to be able to claim that their efforts are worthwhile).

The ice cream package shrinkage is particularly annoying. I need a half-gallon of ice cream. I do not need three pints. Trouble is, the stuff is so darned expensive that I can't afford to buy two cartons just because I need that extra pint, and besides, I don't have the space available in my freezer. So either everybody gets a shrunken serving and then gets mad at me because I didn't give them enough ice cream, or I end up buying the cheap brand that still uses half-gallon cartons. Except that then everybody gets mad at me for buying cheap ice cream.

Don't think we consumers haven't noticed. Give us back our half-gallon containers and have the intestinal fortitude to make us pay an extra buck for it.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Kinda like when orange juice companies decided that a half gallon is only 59 ounces. What next? Pie-makers declare pi to be equal to 3?

Brian Noble said:
This is the next title in my Kindle queue:
http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/brandwashed.htm

Short version: You might think you aren't susceptible to marketing pressures and manipulation. You are wrong.

So is the the fact that I bought this after reading your post merely kind of ironic or is it beautiful meta-poetry?

At the very least it made me smile and shake my head. You're not a paid shill are you, professor?

Who is your favorite advertising agency?

Mine's Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

The good one now is Hershey whipping air bubbles into the Kisses (and probably soon the bars) and charging the same amount for it. They're marketing it as "a new taste experience". Of course they have been progressively shrinking the size of a candy bar for years now.

GoBucks89 said:
I think its fair to say that everyone is subject to being manipulated ...

Your Jedi mind tricks won't work on me.

Hershey is already whipping air into the bars. I hate it. They fooled me once. I thought that it would be a new experience. It was. There was less chocolate and more air. That sucks.

But I did read a while back that Cocoa production is falling short as the worlds population grows. In a decade or so, chocolate may be to expensive for the normal person to buy on a regular basis.

These aren't the chocolates you're looking for.

Can I go off on a slight tangent please... I like Pepsi. Coke can spend all the money they want on advertising but I'm not going to switch. Other people like Coke, or 7Up, Dr. Pepper., Crush, Jagermeister, etc. We all like what we like. Is there anyone out there that has switched brands simply because of advertising?

Seriously. I would love to hear someone's story that starts "I switched from X to Y because of their ads and here's why ____ ..."

James Whitmore said:
We all like what we like. Is there anyone out there that has switched brands simply because of advertising?

Seriously. I would love to hear someone's story that starts "I switched from X to Y because of their ads and here's why ____ ..."

While I tend to agree, I also know you'd never get someone to say that because the idea is that the effect isn't a conscious one. The whole point is that you think you made the decision. As in, you think you're drinking Pepsi because you like it. But what if you're not.

:)

I think the big thing in terms of this discussion are the examples we're using - soda, cereal, etc.

What about your car or your clothes or your computer or your mp3 player or your phone - things like that. Suddenly the waters get murkier. How much of your taste or preference or what things about those products are important are really shaped for you? Or what about buying a rake or something equally utilitarian or mundane - how much of that decision is manipulated by pricing or location in the store.

That's the kind of mindfunk at play here.

I don't know a lot about what techniques are used or what is expected, but I'm hoping to learn a little reading Brian's recommended book.

Actually, the Hershey whipped candy bars are just about the same size as their regular bars (1.4 ounces, give or take). Coffee on the other hand, is being sold in 10-12 ounce cans or packages, although I still call it a pound.

James, to answer your question, I prefer Coke. But I buy Pepsi products if they're being sold for a better price. And if I go to a restaurant and want cola, it doesn't matter to me which brand they serve. What do you do when you go to establishments (or parks) that don't carry Pepsi?

I guess I think of myself as "value loyal" as opposed to brand loyal or price loyal. There are only a few products that I absolutely must have a certain brand no matter the price. But I also don't buy something that really is cheap just because it's the lowest price. Lowest price isn't always the best deal, and highest price doesn't necessarily guarantee quality.