I read an article on the weekend that really irked me. It wasn’t the content of the article that shocked me (though it should have – it was regarding the sexualisation of girls), or the massive generalisations it espoused (to the tune of practically blaming feminism for the rise in violent female behaviours), it was that the article almost entirely rode on the back of a tired, unsubstantiated cliché – advertising is to blame for practically all of society’s ills.
Explore our historical blog articles for nuggets of wisdom (and random musings) from our crew.
Hugh Mackay once stated “Erosion is more effective than explosion”. It makes so much sense, rarely is any behaviour or attitude converted instantaneously. Changes in behaviours happen gradually, people need time to trust the validity of new occurrences, simply put – they take to adjust.
The ‘Cup of Coffee Theory’ is drawn from Seth Godin’s writings on the changing perception of purchasing reward experienced by consumers at different stages of an economic cycle. Perception refers to the internal process of selecting, organising and interpreting information in order to create meaning. A number of factors may influence this process, and the meaning making experience is highly effected by experiences in our personal, social and psychological states.
I spend a lot of time analysing consumer behaviour. Behaviours are affected by so many factors that my job can be mind boggling at times. The issue that has been receiving most attention of late in Consumer Analyst circles is the effect of the current Australian economy on purchasing decisions, especially in the retail environment.
Okay, I admit I am a bit of a maths nerd. To me T-tests, Chi squares and binomial distributions are beautiful, exhilarating things. University instilled in me an appreciation of the complexities of research statistics and now, in my professional life, I have become somewhat of a statistics evangelist, spruiking the powers of data research to our clients and, in all honesty, whomever cares to listen.
There has been some debate at The Box recently, and despite being quite a non-confrontational person, this is a debate in which I am fully entrenched. I am what some may call a ‘late bloomer’ when it comes to matters involving automobiles. I have never had my license, have only recently been granted my L plates, and to be quite honest, if it wasn’t for the bitterly cold Busselton winter mornings, I would be quite happy to ride my trusty bicycle everywhere. I have decided though that the time has come for me to join the ranks as a fully qualified gas guzzler, and as such I will be purchasing a car in the very near future.
Humans are wired to pay attention to colour. From the black and yellow stripes on a bee’s body, to the heavy grey clouds of an impending storm, colour gives meaning to our environment and our experiences within it.