Imagine being in a clothing shop and hearing the salesperson tell another customer, “You have fantastic fashion sense”. The other customer can expect to feel flattered, but simply witnessing this exchange has an effect on the observer, too: it elicits complex and conflicting emotions and ultimately could influence their purchase decision. This was the ... Read More

Healthcare is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. It consumes more than 10 per cent of GDP in most developed countries, and in the US is expected to reach 19.6 per cent in 2016. How people perceive their health risks will influence consumer decisions, and also economic and public policy. Getting a better understanding of these perceptions ... Read More

A New York Times article some time ago reported that people who could not drive were nonetheless purchasing cars. A survey of more than 2,500 British women found 63 per cent intentionally bought clothes that were too small for them. Why would people buy things they are unable to use? Marketing wisdom and common sense suggests they are optimists. Elaine Chan ... Read More

Marketers often attempt to connect their brand with an aspect of consumer social identity such as gender, nationality, university, or ethnicity. For example, a campaign for the aftershave Old Spice attempted to connect its brand with male gender identity through the use of the tagline “Smell like a man, man,” whereas the deodorant Secret linked to female ... Read More

Is price a good indicator of quality? That's a question managers and consumers are keen to understand yet research to date has offered mixed views. In some cases consumers have been found to persistently rely on price as a quality cue, but in others the price impact was reduced or even nullified when presented alongside other product features. A new study ... Read More

The idea that sex sells is as old as the hills, but its use in advertising has become increasingly unsubtle and gratuitous. There is evidence that both men and women find such advertising unethical and manipulative, so why does it continue to be used? Perhaps men and even some women don't really mind this advertising after all, suggest Jaideep Sengupta and ... Read More

A salesperson's attempts blatantly flatter customers in order to make a sale - for example, by fulsomely complimenting their dress sense or taste - can annoy the recipients. But it turns out the sweet words may still have a desirable effect. Customers, in the long term, harbour more positive views of the flatterer. That was the finding in a study by Elaine ... Read More

The marketing cliche "Sex sells" has been embraced by advertisers trying to get their products noticed in an increasingly cluttered space. Yet while the use of explicit sexual imagery can grab attention, it does not always create a favourable impression of the brand. Earlier research has shown that men view such ads far more positively than women. But a new ... Read More