In Response to Robert McCarthy: Color in Marketing

Have you noticed any other marketing techniques that are used to make people more likely to buy things? What industries are these techniques found in?

I think a very easy industry to immediately connect with as far as marketing techniques is the grocery industry. These stores sell items that we absolutely need and because of this we shop at them often. With this being the case it is very easy to look past or not pay much attention to certain techniques. Often times consumers know what they are going there for and get in and out without looking around too much. Grocery stores know this and place items in particular places to gain the attention of shoppers. A specific example of a technique I know a grocery store in my home town does is that they move their products to different isles every few months. With this being the case if you once knew where an item was you not need to look around for it and are more apt to come across items you were not initially going for but may buy anyways having seen them. The idea of out of sight out of mind sets up many companies marketing techniques.

I also have noticed techniques that online companies use. Numerous online sites that I use to shop from offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount. These companies also offer a free product if you spend a certain amount. This is effective because although someone may have been done shopping they may come to realize they could get an item for 5 dollars or they could pay 5 dollars on shipping. This ultimately leads to more money the company is making considering they probably pay a fraction for shipping in comparison to what they charge.

What techniques have you noticed are most effective on your shopping habits? Do you think you are always aware of these techniques?

In Response to Chad Brown's post: Cognitive Dissonance

Have you ever experienced this, and can you think of any companies that may be susceptible to this.

I have experienced cognitive dissonance probably more times in my life than I would have liked to, and probably will experience it a few more times. On one occasion I purchased a backpack off the Internet and the web site listed the dimensions of the back pack wrong so when I received it in the mail it was entirely too small to serve the purpose I needed it for. Ultimately I returned the back pack but still had to pay the shipping and wasted probably $10-15. More recently I purchased a mountain bike with plans to ride it a lot over the summer. However, when the summer came I was wrapped up with work and when I wasn't working it seemed to be raining. This bummed me out a little bit and made me think about my purchase and if I should have gone to a professional bike shop to buy an expensive bike as opposed to going to Wal-Mart and purchasing one for half the price, considering the amount of use it actually got.

I think there are multiple companies that are highly susceptible to cognitive dissonance. For example when thinking about my bike purchase it brings to mind the idea of exercise equipment. So often people purchase this equipment with high hopes to use it and after a few weeks or a month it serves a better purpose as a cloths hanger. Another example of companies that are highly susceptible to cognitive dissonance are computer and cellphone companies. There are always new computes and new cell phones coming out. With this being the case the price of the computer or cell phone you just bought months priors often times drops and there is then a newer version of your purchase.

How can companies that sell products that are susceptible to having consumers feel cognitive dissonance improve their products to have their consumers avoid this feeling?