A selection of articles and essays on consumer behaviour, research, and decision-making.
While no longer updated regularly, this archive reflects some of the themes and thinking behind Philip’s work.
Making Financial Marketing Funny
Humour is often used to make an advert engaging. What’s less well understood is that it also helps to create positive emotions which are then unconsciously associated with the brand or product concerned. The tricky part is that humou…
The Easiest Way to Spend Money
Today I had the last of five or six conversations with my brother about buying a camera. I’m no Annie Liebovitz! But I did get into SLR photography many years ago and have had the good luck to take one or two half decent photographs …
The Psychology of Investment Decisions: Follow Up
I’d like to pick up on a long reply to yesterday’s post because I hope I can be more constructive than I was able to be yesterday. Here’s is Pam’s reply to yesterday’s post: It’s interesting to read how the rat…
The Edge of Reason: The Psychology of Investment Decisions
Perhaps some of the most interesting blog debate I’ve read recently has been on Rod’s Personal Investment Strategies blog. It’s been a while since I did any consumer behaviour research with financial institutions, but in …
Reasons to Worry about the Consumer’s Unconscious Mind
One of the joys of a home office is that the commute time is pretty short – I estimate 65 yards from breakfast to the desk. My preferred option is to get straight into my work for the day – not because I’m one of these in…
Consumer Reaction to a GM Chapter 11 Filing
There has been a lot of speculation (again) recently about General Motors (GM) filing for chapter 11. Reports suggest that the company would use this form of bankruptcy protection so that it could liquidate undesirable assets and renegotia…
Consumer Behaviour in a Recession
Today I’ve been writing a lengthy article on consumer behaviour for an international magazine. Whilst I was working on it I remembered a video I posted a long time ago over on my Vox blog (and yes, a new post there is long overdue). …
When a Consumer Behaviour Expert Says “No”
I enjoy watching myself as a consumer, in that slightly schizophrenic way that I encourage everyone interested in understanding customers better to do. If you have the right framework you can learn a lot about the way in which other people…
Should Consumer Research be Illegal?
One of the subjects that I think should be of interest to all consumer researchers is the law. Not all that Jerome Vs Willensby in 1869 case law stuff, I can’t see much application for that, not studying the statute books either. I&#…