I'm extra busy this week. But here's a BOS (Best Of Sasso) Marketing tip I remixed (some old, some new) just for you...


Re-searching...

Beth and I are part of the Gallup Panel ( I don't THINK I'm suppose to keep that secret). We get regular surveys asking our opinions. The last survey about health care was especially thought-provoking -- especially a series of questions about retail clinics. But my answers weren't entirely truthful.

Don't misunderstand me: I didn't lie. I was totally honest. The question asked if I'd visit a retail clinic (like in a Walgreen's http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=5024). So I said what I THOUGHT I'd do. I have no idea what I'd REALLY do until I actually FACE the situation.

My wastebasket diving research may have made you laugh (philsasso.com/blog 10/20/06). But in reality, I believe real world research about actual behavior is often more effective than surveys and focus groups. What we THINK we'd do and what we DO is sometimes very different. Many new products that did well in research have failed in the marketplace for the same reason.

Why? People act differently in artificial situations. They want to sound rational or try to justify their actions. They over think. And in a focus group, one person may overpower the group or peer pressure might make someone say what the group or interviewer wants to hear, not what they really believe.

Plus when no one is looking, we often act differently than even we think we'd act.

Did you ever run out to buy something and return with things you never intended to buy? Sometimes, I return with a bunch of things -- but not the item I originally set out for. Maybe I'm a little dim-witted. Maybe I'm an average man. Or maybe I'm just human.

This is mostly relevant when you're researching routine and low involvement decisions, like inexpensive dry goods and consumables. But people are sometimes just as irrational when making considered decisions on long-term purchases and big ticket items

If you'll excuse me, I'm just about ready for lunch. Something healthy like a salad I THINK. Or maybe not -- once I see the menu.

- Phil Sasso