Why do Market Researchers Visit Different Cities?

The chart above is based on Richard Lewontin's famous study, as cited in Spencer Well's Deep Ancestry (2007).

The graph shows that the bulk of genetic differences is within a population of human individuals you may find, not between them. For instance, if we sample a population from an average city, not discriminating by race, we would account for at least 93% of the genetic differences.

In a country such as the United States, with a highly mobile workforce, national mass media, and national retail chains, even the population differences between areas are greatly diminishing.

This highlights one of the most perplexing inefficiencies in marketing research -- the ritual of conducting research events and focus groups in multiple cities. Rather expending resources on a larger sample size in a single location, money is spend on travel, multiple facilities and time.

Not only are are travel expenses and time away from the office greatly inflated by this practice, but the likelihood of inserting false or misleading results into the research process is increased -- not diminished. Expecting different results by geographic area can easily be the first step in getting them.

Certainly, environmental or marketplace factors do exist for some products. Marketers and researchers should carefully, and earnestly, identify these before they appropriate research funds.

Burial vs. Cremation: Changing Commitment Displays

The chart above plots year 2000 data from 48 states and the District of Columbia. The X axis shows the percentage of deaths resulting in cremation; the Y axis, the percentage of state residents identifying themselves as Baptist, minus the percent of state residents claiming no religious affiliation.

The choice to be buried or cremated appears to be heavily correlated with one's attitude towards religion. Comparing state-by-state cremation and religious affiliation rates, a pattern emerges that reasonably predicted cremation rates at that time.

Baptists were chosen as they were believed to represent a group with high social reinforcement for religiosity. Assuming states with high Baptist populations would be more traditional/conservative in social structure and traditions, it was expected that burial rates would be less likely to have been supplanted by the growing popularity of cremation. This appears to be the case.

With the growing popularity of cremation, a chart of current data would show increased levels of cremation in states with higher Baptist populations, shifting the trend line to the right.

The interesting question is this: Was it the traditions and rituals of active religious life that reinforced burial, or the cognitive biases in the brains of people drawn to active religious life that also biased towards burial? Perhaps time will tell as cremation grows in popularity and becomes the accepted norm, due to economic factors.


The data used in the chart can be found at these locations:

Cremation rates here

Religious Affiliation Data here

Thinking further about my question above, I've found additional data, from a survey by the National Cremation Association:

Cremation survey here

This survey, from 2005, corroborates the by state information linking religiosity to burial, and adds two more factors correlated to the choice of burial -- income levels, and self-identification as being "Black."

The picture that starts to emerge from these elements is one of the strength of group membership being a leading factor in burial choices. Factors -- economic, psychological, social, etc. -- which put a premium on group membership for well-being make it difficult for members to depart with deceased ones, and consequently, lead them to retain their bodies as both symbols of their commitment and touchstones of positive memories. The archetypal example being the policy of military groups to not leaving anyone behind -- alive or dead.

As acceptance of cremation becomes the dominant form of remains disposal over the next 10 years -- due to cost, land and "green" concerns -- it will be interesting to see what symbols and rituals arise in popularity to replace the practice of burial.

Brand Affinity in Addictive Products

The table above is from the 2003 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse report on cigarette brand preferences. Key findings from the report were:

• In 2001, Marlboro was the cigarette brand used most often by past month cigarette smokers, followed by Newport, Camel, Basic, and Doral.
  
• Approximately 85 percent of cigarette smokers aged 12 to 25 smoked one of the three most used brands, whereas smokers aged 26 or older reported more diversity in cigarette brand selection.
  
• White and Hispanic smokers were most likely to use Marlboro, while black smokers were most likely to use Newport.

read full article

As with alcohol, it appears that the neurological effects of tobacco work to create strong brand memories and affinity in their users. However, looking at the dramatic differences in market share based on their stated race/ethnicity, it appears that brand choice for these products is also strongly influenced by social affiliation pressure as well. The social/group pressures seem to be a bigger factor than geographic difference for this product category.

This points towards several opportunities for improved marketing campaigns:

1. When marketers think about brand affinity and strength, it is common for products with high emotional/neurological components -- automobiles (movement/speed), beer (alcohol), food (taste), etc. -- to dominate the ideation and examples they use between themselves and clients. This is true even when the category in question offers little direct stimulation to the brain. It would seem that marketers who disciplined themselves to focus on products that have similar nervous system interaction patterns should be more likely to product effective campaigns -- versus referring to the campaigns that have the most salience to themselves and others.
2. Despite -- or perhaps because of -- the strong impact that tobacco has on the brain, social expectations still appear to play a big role in preference. This probably contributes to the tendency more expensive alcohol to be perceived as tasting better. This same phenomenon may not be as strong in products without the same emotional charge.
3. For product without a direct or continuous stimulation of the brain, messaging and position campaigns may have to be based on the incidents -- however infrequent -- when the brain is stimulated by feelings of intense satisfaction or frustration with the product. For instance, when the product fails, or is associated with positive situations -- like the care of baby or loved one.
4. All too often, marketers worry more about geographic preferences when doing positioning or research. As this example points out, the groups people believe they belong to are better predictors of segmentation and behavior than are the physical location in which they live.

Have others experienced similar problems in researching products and services?

Consumer Perceptions of Volume -- Sight vs. Touch

Which Holds More: A Tall, Thin Glass Or A Short, Fat One?

ScienceDaily (2006-02-13) -- A fascinating new study from the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research explores how our senses interact to gauge volume, with important implications for perception of consumer products and consumption patterns. Specifically, the article argues that "elongation effect" -- the common tendency to think that a tall, thin glass holds more than a short, stout glass of equal volume -- is reversed when touch is used instead of sight to evaluate how much a container holds....
read full article

This study contrasts the differences in perceived size, based on whether an item is looked at, or touched. For items that can't be touched before purchase, height seems a little more important in imparting a feeling of volume; for items that are handled, thickness conveys larger volume. What implications should this have on product and product display designs, if being perceived larger creates a positive sense of value?

Appreciating style -- Is it the Appearance, or Perceived Effort?

Recipe For Ad Success: Just Add Art

ScienceDaily (2008-02-15) -- Advertisers looking to add appeal to their products need to look no farther than their nearest art museum, according to a new study that finds that even a fleeting exposure to art makes consumers evaluate products more positively. The study represents a pioneering attempt to systematically demonstrate how visual art influences consumer perceptions....
read full article

This article summarizes a paper to be published in the Journal of Marketing Research, which shows that the addition of perceived artwork to a product -- a box, a soap dispenser, plumbing fixtures, etc. -- improves the likelihood the product is perceived more favorably or luxuriously. The nature of the artwork -- recognizable, aesthetically pleasing etc. -- appears secondary to the very presence of the artwork -- the impression someone made an effort to change the appearance of the package.

Returning to the question of style preferences -- how much is a preference based on aesthetics alone, and how much is it based on the perceived effort and value added to the item in question?

Brand Extensions versus Brand Birthing

Old Dogs Don't Notice New Tricks: Prior Knowledge Affects How Consumers Accept New Information

ScienceDaily (2008-02-16) -- Over time, consumers develop a set of cues that we then use to make inferences about products, such as "all French restaurants have great service" or "more expensive candles smell better." However, this set of predictable beliefs can make it difficult for us to learn and recognize other real, positive qualities that are indicated by the same cues, reveals a new study....
read full article

The article above points to an interesting problem with brands and brand extensions. Often the accumated memories / brand experiences make it difficult for new advertising and products to change the experience that consumers expect, and consequently, enjoy.

Shouldn't we expect more literature and growth in the area of how endorsed brands can be used to give birth to new brands, in situations where paradigm changing products or services are developed that would best prosper if unconstrained by the "baggage" of the well-known brand?

Conservatism and Early Adopters

The chart above is from the paper "Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition", by Jost, Glaser, Kruglanski and Sulloway.

Link to paper here

The paper summarizes several studies linking the psychological traits of individuals to their political views, focusing on which traits are positively and correlated with conservatism.

As the diagram above illustrates, fear & uncertainty are underlying contributors for the expression for political conservatism.

From a marketing standpoint, this presents an interesting challenge: if political conservatism is positively correlated to wealth and disposable income, how do get these consumers -- the ones who can afford to take risks -- to try new and innovative products (as innovation has been negatively correlated to conservatism in some studies)?

For this group, should innovative products be positioned as extensions of existing products -- downplaying their innovative features -- and emphasizing their performance attributed vis-a-vis peers? This would shift the consumer's mindset from a sense of risk of experimenting with unproven technology, to a fear that a competitor would be gaining an advantage.

Building further on this notion, it would seem that products that mitigated fears and anxiety of unseen contagions -- disease and crime -- would also be well positioned for the politically conservative segment, and a means for innovative ideas to gain access to the financial power of these consumers.