Indestructible change

The Newer, Faster Face of Innovation

As technology continues to improve I am amazed at the new products and services that appear each day.   Seeing new products change their face so rapidly makes it difficult to keep up!  Innovation and creativity play a very important role in the success of products today.  It seems that everyone has some desire to have the latest, most efficient or “coolest” product on the market, putting pressure on product developers to keep up.

I have a love for taking pictures and though it is not as much of a hobby as it was freshman and sophomore years here at UT, I still love looking at the new digital cameras that are in stores.  Every time I go to Best Buy it seems there is a new camera with a new optical/digital level of zoom or larger LCD screen, it is hard to keep up! Most recently and probably the most innovative change I have seen in digital cameras is the touch screen LCD. 

In middle school, as I was packing for summer camp, one of the key items I had to have was my disposable camera to document all the memories.  I always tried to convince my mom to let me take her 35mm camera with an extra roll of film but her reply was, we’ll stop by the drug shop and get you a disposable”.  I eventually got my very own camera for my 12^th birthday and loved that heavy thing.  It got rather expensive developing film and then buying more film thus; I was not the avid user of my 35mm camera as I thought I would be.

            Thinking back to what cameras used to be like and where they are today is incredible to me.  In my lifetime, I have seen the transfer from using film in your everyday usage cameras to now more complex, digital file storage.

In the 1800s, Kodak cameras were sold with the film already loaded inside and users had to send the entire camera in to get the film developed.  It wasn’t until the 1900s that consumers were able to use 35 mm film and develop their own photos.  Now, in the 2009 camera users can take pictures and develop them themselves with new printer capabilities or simply upload and keep them on their computer. 

A simple little chip can hold hundreds of photos compared to a roll of film that withheld 24 exposures.  With this technology, it is easier to capture special moments in life.   The ability to take multiple pictures of one event with a digital camera is much easier to get a good picture compared to the cost of wasting multiple exposures on your 35mm camera.

Since the digital camera came out in the 1990s there have been incredible improvements in its performance.  Digital Camera manufacturers have made these cameras very small and increased the size of the LCD screen for more convenient usage.  Despite the size of these cameras they are still able to carry an incredible zoom power and shutter speed.  The industry continues to innovate and improve camera features to better serve the consumer. 

As mentioned in the article, “The New, Faster Face of Innovation” experiments are becoming more efficient and more pervasive as IT improves.  In using experiments to find out what kind of improvement to make next on the digital camera they have found it important to make this product unbreakable.  As digital cameras are often tossed around and thrown into backpacks or purses they don’t have a long lifespan.  In discovering this though experiments and customer experience producers have found a way to create a unbreakable and waterproof camera.  To me, this is the best invention yet in the digital camera era.  My camera has been through it all and is on its last leg, knowing there is a replacement camera out there that can go through it all and remain standing is great news to hear!

Predicting Expectations

Reading “Predictably Irrational – Effects of Expectations” by Dan Ariely really supported and clarified several traits I find true within my own life. I think the primary lesson from this chapter is recognizing the effect that expectations have over a person’s preference. Through many different examples and tests researchers found that people are influenced in multiple ways by what they know or expect of a product.

 

My favorite sentence from this chapter, “expectations can influence nearly every aspect of our life.” No matter what situation you are in, what you are expecting of the outcome can greatly increase the satisfaction found within the results or can have the opposite effect.  It is incredible to me how expectations can have such a profound impact on ones preference. By doing something as simple as creating a positive morale or image of a product the consumer too will expect that in their purchase. Take Starbucks for example, they have created a positive image of a relaxed experience when drinking their coffee.  As a consumer, you now expect the same results when that warm (or maybe cold) cup in your hand.  Though brewing coffee at home may take less time and most certainly be cheaper, the experience and expectations a person has of Starbucks brewed coffee may trump time and money in some instances thus affecting ones preference.

 

It is interesting to see that people like or dislike, quite possibly the same product, simply based upon its packaging or brand such as in the Pepsi/Coke example.  A blind taste test shows that Pepsi is the preferred soda, but once you slap that red Coca-Cola lettering on the bottle it immediately changes the consumer’s preference. This goes to show that brand image may have a higher effect than actual product quality.

 

Learning how to use the influence of consumers’ expectations to the advantage of a marketer seems to be the underlying lesson from this chapter. As a marketer for a company such as Pepsi, it is difficult to overcome the strong brand image portrayed by Coca-Cola.  In what ways can a marketer show a consumer that by taste Pepsi is the preferred choice and in that way affect their buying behavior? How does the beer example mentioned in the chapter plan to market to those who do not like the idea of an uncommon added substance to their beverage?

 

For years I have been apprehensive about going to see movies that all my friends exclaim to be “great” or “best movie they have ever seen”.  Hearing peer reviews can potential ruin the greatness that may have been of the movie.  I seem to anticipate the movies quality based on what they tell me.  When I hear that 500 Days of Summer is, “such a cute movie”, and “soooooo good!”  I can’t help but go into the theatre with high expectations.  Far too often than not I find myself checking my phone for texts or trying to figure out how much longer this movie will last, obviously not engaged.  I have recently learned not to ask for any details about a movie.   This way I can watch the movie with a clean slate and form my own opinion of the film!

Blog One

10 characteristics, behaviors, predispositions, etc. about you that you think would be really valuable for marketers to know:

Being a college student, and just recently turning 21, I am easily attracted to nightlife and well, having an occasional drink. Because I don’t have a huge spending budget happy hour and drink specials are the ways to go when selecting a restaurant for dinner. 

1.     Gender has a huge impact on purchase behaviors.  As a woman there are definitely certain items that appeal to me that guys never even notice. I don’t often find myself wandering in the sports section unless I am searching for a Father’s Day gift or brothers birthday (and I don’t even have a brother…)

3.     I love running.  It is a great way for me to enjoy what God created, especially here in Austin, and talk with friends.  Running magazines, clothing, shoes, etc are all appealing to me and I often like to think I am becoming a better runner just by making these purchases!

4.     Lots of choices stress me out.  Yes, I like to compare products but too many choices is overwhelming and makes me not want to make a decision at all.  There is a store in Dallas called Sam Moon’s that has just oodles and oodles of jewelry and various other accessories, as well as crazed mothers trying to find a good deal. When I was younger I thought I loved this store.  Now, however, I would be fine if I never set foot back in that mad house!

5.     I hate being watched in stores. Sometimes you walk into a store and you may be the only customer as several employees are occupying the store.  As you browse you can constantly feel the eyes and possible feet of the hopeful sellers follow you just in case you need assistance.  I hate this feeling. It makes me feel awkward and as if I cannot shop in freedom and as if they are analyzing my every move.  It’s important that employees know how to serve a customer without being too forceful.

6.     Waiting in a line is boring, thus I browse what is surrounding me and more often than not make a fun purchase under $5.  Gum, chap stick, mini bottles of lotion, magazines as well as more creative things such as tide-to-to, iTunes gift cards can all be found surrounding me as I wait to check out.

7.     I am a sucker for bargains.  If there is a deal such as buy one get one free or  any discounts I heavily consider making the purchase.  Often times I find myself buying 2 or something with no real need for the product just because it was 2 for the price of 1 or I had a coupon for it.  Though coupons can sometimes be a hassle, I pride myself in the money I save using them!

8.     I am a fan of simple.  This has been a more recent development in my life but I find that the more simple descriptions and labels are the more appealing to my eye they are.  There is so much information out there that it is hard to keep up and quite frankly no one has time anymore to make the attempt.  I like products that tell what they are/do and are done.  Lots of words and pictures just seem like a waste to me and can lead to stressful headaches.

9.     Even more important to me than the labels found on a product is the placement within a store.  I am not necessarily a clean person, BUT I love seeing items that are organized or presented in a simplified manner.  I love going into certain stores simply because the presentation of items is incredible and somewhat relaxing.  Stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Old Navy, etc cannot really be included in this category of places I like to visit.  I am more attracted to stores such as The Container Store, J.Crew, Gap. Apple, White House Black Market, etc. The presentation of the item is what catches my attention the most.

10. TV is not a part of my daily activities, therefore advertisements never reach me in that area.  If I am watching television the LAST thing I pay attention to are the commercials.  To reach me through media advertising the radio and definitely the internet are better channels.

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