Posts tagged marketing
CU -R U an explanation “foe” or “fiend” when shopping?
Sep 19th
says new CU-Brown University study
The depth of explanation about novel products influences consumer preferences and willingness to pay, according to a study led by the University of Colorado Boulder and Brown University.
When it comes to descriptions about the functions of new and unusual goods — such as a self-watering plant system, special gloves for touchscreens or an eraser for wall scratches — some people prefer minimal details. Dubbed “explanation foes” in the study, they gain a strong sense of understanding and desire for products through shallow explanations.
In contrast, other people — dubbed “explanation fiends” in the study — derive desire for products from deep and detailed explanations.
“There are these two different types of consumers,” said lead author Phil Fernbach, assistant professor of marketing at CU-Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. “On these two sides, consumers differ in the amount of detail that makes them feel like they understand and — because of that feeling of understanding — the amount of detail that will make them prefer a product.”
A paper on the subject was published online today in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Researchers say the study results can help consumers make better decisions.
“We’re not making a value judgment on whether it’s better to be an ‘explanation foe’ or ‘fiend,’ ” said Fernbach. “You don’t have to want to know how stuff works, but make sure that your intuition about whether you understand a product is based on objective information and not just a feeling.”
In one part of the study, participants were given varying explanations of a new tinted food wrapper product. “Explanation foes” highly rated their understanding and preference for the item when they read a simple description of how its “white coloring protects food from light that causes it to spoil, thereby keeping food fresh for longer.”
“Explanation fiends” highly rated their understanding and preference for the food wrapper when they read a more detailed description of how “atoms in the tinting agent oscillate when hit by light waves causing them to absorb the energy and reflect it back rather than reaching food, where it would break the bonds holding amino acids together, thereby keeping food fresh for longer.”
The study also found that “explanation foes,” who are more common, tend to have an inflated sense of understanding about novel products. Their heightened perception disappears and their willingness to pay decreases when they attempt to explain how a product works.
Conversely, “explanation fiends” tend to have a more conservative sense of understanding about novel products. For them, attempting to explain how a product works does not have a negative effect on their sense of understanding and their opinion of the product stays the same or increases, according to the study.
Attitudes toward explanation were predicted by a cognitive reflection test that measures how much people naturally engage in deliberative thinking. Each test question elicits an intuitive but incorrect answer and participants who impulsively respond tend to err. These participants are the “explanation foes” who prefer less explanation.
In contrast, those who inhibit their initial responses to the cognitive reflection test and think more deeply tend to correctly answer. These participants are the “explanation fiends” who prefer more in-depth descriptions.
While the study can help consumers with better decision-making, it also yields advice for marketers.
“Marketers should target these different consumer groups with different types of explanations,” said Steven Sloman, a study co-author and professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences at Brown University.
Robert St. Louis and Julia Shube also were co-authors of the study. They were undergraduate students at Brown during the research. Unilever, a consumer goods company, supported the study.
Boulder’s Valmont bike park makes short list
Jan 11th
Boulder’s Valmont Bike Park has been selected as one of three finalists to host the 2014 and 2015 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships. The three potential host cities are Asheville, N.C. (Biltmore Estate), Austin, Texas (Zilker Park), and Boulder (Valmont Bike Park).
“The news that Valmont Bike Park is one of three finalists to host the 2014 and 2015 United States Cyclo-cross National Championships further establishes Valmont Bike Park as an industry leader in bike park construction for both event hosting and daily use,” said Kirk Kincannon, director of the Parks and Recreation Department. “Valmont Bike Park was specifically designed and built to accommodate world-class cycling events like the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships. We are honored to receive this consideration.”
The United States Cyclo-cross National Championships is expected to bring in at least 1,500 athletes and even more spectators.
“This is exciting news for Boulder—and for all of the organizations who have helped make Valmont Bike Park an exceptional facility,” said Mary Ann Mahoney, executive director of the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We would be honored and thrilled to host this amazing event. With the metro area’s concentration of cycling fans, this world-class facility and Boulder’s amazing array of bike shops, restaurants, hiking, biking and running trails, I believe we could deliver a phenomenal experience for both riders and spectators.”
USA Cycling evaluated six potential host cities using various criteria, including: accessibility, community support, course options, technical expertise and the organization’s commitment to volunteer recruitment, marketing and lodging. USA Cycling will conduct site visits in early 2012 before making their final selection.
“We are extremely excited about the quality and depth of the bids we received for this event,” USA Cycling National Events Director Kelli Lusk said. “All of the cities offered spectacular presentations. We’re confident that any of these three cities would make a great host for these two championship events in 2014 and in 2015.”
CU Boulder trains new generation of “greenies”
Nov 9th
IN GROWING FIELD OF SUSTAINABILITY
The Sustainable Practices Program at the University of Colorado Boulder offers individual courses and a sustainability management certificate to help workers and job seekers meet the growing need for green knowledge and credentials in the workplace.
“This is a megatrend, similar to electrification or manufacturing,” said program manager Kelly Simmons. “The public and private sectors are realizing that sustainability-driven practices make constituents happier and save money, in addition to the obvious boon of helping to protect the environment.”
About 290 people have enrolled in CU’s Sustainable Practices Program since its 2007 inception, including a journalist who now covers the “smart grid” energy system, and professionals updating their credentials in LEED standards — a U.S. benchmark for “green” building design, construction and operation. The program is open to the public.
Chris Berry, a former mayor of Lafayette, Colo., earned a professional certificate from the program last year and now works for Trane, an international energy services company.
“The Sustainable Practices Program gave me a boost on my resume that helped me move into the kind of work that I wanted to do, where there’s a lot of opportunity,” said Berry. “I use what I learned in class to talk with public, private and nonprofit groups about sustainability — making assessments, planning and how to get things done. The groups are very interested in energy and water conservation to reduce their carbon footprint and save money.
“I think there are success stories throughout the Sustainable Practices Program in terms of participants and how they’ve been able to use the training to further their careers,” he said. “Mine is definitely one of them.”
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment this fall selected the CU-Boulder program as an official provider of green jobs training for Coloradans.
Among an array of statewide sustainability training opportunities, CU-Boulder’s program is the only public university offering for which participants may receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding. Some scholarships remain for Coloradans interested in the statewide programs, which can be applied for through state workforce centers.
Fifty-year-old Nikki Jackson of Denver, who hasn’t held a full-time position in three years, is in the process of applying for the Sustainable Practices Program. She thinks it would put her ahead professionally and have a domino effect on the Colorado job market.
“As somebody who’s in the position of many people — middle-aged and having to recreate themselves in this economy — enhancing my sustainability expertise at CU would give me more than an edge. It would make me credible,” said Jackson. “The program would help me to not only create my own job, but to create many jobs for others.”
Jackson is launching a communications firm called Sustainable Storytelling. The move comes after years of work in television news, public relations, marketing and political campaign management, as well as a period of caring for her husband, who now is in cancer remission.
The Sustainable Practices Program’s interdisciplinary courses, taught by industry experts, range from “Understanding the U.S. Energy Landscape” to “Creative Financing of Sustainability Initiatives.” Participants need not be registered at CU-Boulder and may apply for and begin the program at any time.
Classes, which are not for university credit, can be taken individually, or as part of a professional certificate track. Most courses are one day and held on campus on various dates throughout the school year.
Most courses are worth 10 program credit hours. To earn the professional certificate, 100 program credit hours are required including the completion of three core classes: “Organizational Change for Sustainability,” “Communication Strategies for Sustainability” and “Tools and Techniques for Sustainability.” The average cost of each course is $265.
For more information on CU-Boulder’s Sustainable Practices Program visit http://sustainable.colorado.edu/.