Alix Morrow is a brand planning leader who specializes in consumer market research. She brings over 15 years of advertising and marketing experience to each client. Her experience runs the A to Z spectrum from American Airlines to ZICO coconut water. Her bookcase includes an Effie, ADDY, and Adjunct Strategic Planning professorial ID from City College of New York.
In her free time she enjoys hot yoga and the wilderness. She hopes one day to get back into barrel racing.
Before Christmas I was shopping for some special boxes at The Container Store when I stumbled upon the evercare Fabric Shaver. I was immediately interested because recently I noticed that a few of my sweaters were sort of worn-looking and ‘bally’ in some places. It is quite the amazing little tool designed to remove unsightly pilling and fuzz balls from sweaters, shirt collars, wool, flannel jackets and any knit fabrics.
So, the evercare Fabric Shaver is like good strategic planning because:
1) one has to experience it to believe it
2) once you have experienced it you will not believe that you ever lived without it
Furthermore, the evercare Fabric Shaver is like a good strategic planner because:
3) it understands the context (sweater is ‘bally’) given situation (usage over time)
4) it makes a distinction between good and bad parts
5) in doesn’t leave holes
6) it leaves the situation better than it found it
7) it enables continued usage over time
8) it puts the bad stuff in a savable yet disposable place
9) it’s pleasant to be around
10) it pays attention to (and is largely about) details
POSTED BY Alix Morrow AT 12:15 pm
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Consumer Benefit
I recently had a visit with a local planning director. He offered me tea from their cabinet of boxed tea selections and I selected ‘green tea’. He shared with me that the green tea and another were the most popular and that the other varieties were hardly ever selected. I recall wondering, perhaps out loud, why that was…
I do believe it all ladders back to the benefit. The benefit should be connected to a consumer belief and all should be grounded by drivers. The following construct I use to tie the three together:
Consumer Belief – leverage or change existing
Benefit- provides the answer to the question… why should the consumer care?
Drivers– supports the benefit and connects back to the consumer belief
Folks don’t select Chai tea because they don’t know why they should. Others may know Chai too well, and want something different. As a good ‘got it right’ example, Tazo Tea does a nice job of announcing the benefit- the cup in front of me is tagged with ‘Calm’. However, if we look closer at Tazo we might see that this naming theme is not consistent. Some variations are closer to the leaf, while others are connected to the benefit.
People don’t pick certain teas when faced with a nice selection because they don’t know why they should, or because they know what they like (or, don’t like). Selection processes can be further dimensionalized by understanding frame of mind. Is the current mindspace: personal, communal, and/or altruistic? Can consuming tea be communal? Can consuming tea be altruistic?
POSTED BY Alix Morrow AT 12:18 pm
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Membership/Interaction/& Behavioral Economics
On Tuesday, I sent an email to inquire about registration difficulty for a 4A’s webinar on the topic of “Behavioral Economics: Small Change, Big Difference: Learn how to apply the principles of behavioral economics, allow small changes to make a big difference to consumer behavior”.
It’s a fantastic topic that I’ve had on my radar given a recent Alix Co. contract and just because I’m generally curious. I was quite thrilled to read about the webinar in an email sent to my attention. However, when I tried to register I was unable to do so. I sent the contact listed an email only to learn that the webinar is only for 4As members. Pooh!
I understand the value of member only shares for effective organization. However, my itty bitty interaction with the organization creates an interesting thought space given ‘membership’ and ‘interaction’ these days. Perhaps it’s just a simple database mistake where removing my name from ‘members only’ content emails is an easy fix-
Here are two links re: Behavioral Economics for all from Alix Co.:
Sharing is such a lovely thing, but why do we share?
PSFK posted sharables on sharing today:
From Social Times: 7 Factors That Drive People To Share Content With Their Social Networks “When you see content online, be it a video, an image, a game or a blog post, what is it that entices you to share that content with your friends online? Here are seven main factors that drive people to share content with their friends on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.”
Also, Seth Godin’s blog says I spread your idea because…
1.I spread your idea because it makes me feel generous.
2….because I feel smart alerting others to what I discovered.
3….because I care about the outcome and want you (the creator of the idea) to succeed.
4….because I have no choice. Every time I use your product, I spread the idea (Hotmail, iPad, a tattoo).
5….because there’s a financial benefit directly to me (Amazon affiliates, mlm).
6….because it’s funny and laughing alone is no fun.
7….because I’m lonely and sharing an idea solves that problem, at least for a while.
8….because I’m angry and I want to enlist others in my outrage (or in shutting you down).
9….because both my friend and I will benefit if I share the idea (Groupon).
10….because you asked me to, and it’s hard to say no to you.
11….because I can use the idea to introduce people to one another, and making a match is both fun in the short run and community-building.
12….because your service works better if all my friends use it (email, Facebook).
13….because if everyone knew this idea, I’d be happier.
14….because your idea says something that I have trouble saying directly (AA, a blog post, a book).
15….because I care about someone and this idea will make them happier or healthier.
16….because it’s fun to make another teen snicker about prurient stuff we’re not supposed to see.
17….because the tribe needs to know about this if we’re going to avoid an external threat.
18….because the tribe needs to know about this if we’re going to maintain internal order.
19….because it’s my job.
20.I spread your idea because I’m in awe of your art and the only way I can repay you is to share that art with others.
