Human Perception battles Scientific Testing
I am a huge fan of the book Blink by Malcolm Gladwell because he recognizes the importance of first impressions. The human ability to thin slice can be detrimental as well as propitious depending on the amount of control and understanding a person has of his perceptions.
It was amazing to see how peoples' initial reactions to Kenna's music differed from the market testing that was performed. Creditable artists instantaneously agreed that Kenna was unusual and would be a successful musician, but when tested by music critics the results were not so positive. In the music industry there are certain patterns of objectivity that can be used to predict whether a song will be a hit or a flop. Gladwell pointed out that the record industry did not however include new and original beats in their rubric which threw off the critics' reviews of Kenna. Kenna was fresh, hip, and different than any thing that the music industry had been faced with at the time. Throughout the entire book, Gladwell points out several instances where scientific quantitative data is often times the rule, but that you must also consider the underlying perceptions that could make the product an exception to the rule. The challenging part of this statement is knowing when to trust your instincts even if you may not be able to say why you feel that way.
The most intriguing portion of the article was the way that Coca Cola reacted to the Pepsi taste test. When consumers were asked to pick which drink they preferred they almost always chose Pepsi unconsciously because of the higher level of sweetness. Further research indicated that consumers actually preferred Coke when they were asked to sample the entire beverage, but this was only discovered after Coke took drastic measures to reformulate its product. I was baffled by the fact that a company that was well grounded in their brand image and had immense amount of customer loyalty changed their entire product because of a competitor's marketing campaign. The lack of confidence and faith that Coca Cola displayed in their product coupled with their introduction of Coca Cola's “New Coke,” contributed to the company's ultimate downfall at the time. This is a perfect example of how the unconscious reactions of consumers influenced a company to the magnitude that it made multi million dollar changes to a product. This example demonstrates the power of the unconscious ability of humans to make decisions with the blink of their eye while influencing many different outcomes some of which may be life changing.
I would just like to point out as a side note how Blink talks about the double blind experiment with Coke and Pepsi. In the double blind experiment there were three cups filled with soda, two of one type, and the third of the other type. The book exclaims how it was shocking that almost none of the subjects were able to identify which soda was different. However, I feel that I could pass this test with almost 100% certainty; no doubts whatsoever.
When Kate Canales spoke to the class about her experimentation method and her curiosity about research she pointed out some very useful techniques that help understand why people act the way they do. One of these was to interview both extremes of a product user so that the marketer was aware of the pros and cons of the product but from two different outside perspectives. Another thing I noticed about her is how she keenly observed needs of people through her photographs of unique behaviors. For example, one of her pictures was of a women's restroom with three signs identifying it was for women because people had probably missed that in the past. In the past couple days I have tried to think of certain behaviors I react with when I am presented with everyday problems but it is very difficult to think about them when you are not an outsider. The best behavior I could think of is that I post my receipts from the grocery store on my refrigerator in an effort to consume all of my items in a timely manner so that none of my food gets wasted.
This book has taught me to be more aware of my surroundings, and ask myself why I make the judgments I make everyday. After a while I realized that my judgments of people, objects, and ideas generally consisted of being on one extreme or the other. I have realized more often than not, I over think situations and miss the intended message because I am too busy thinking of its figurative meaning which may not exist. I think that as part of an individual's growth and development you learn to decipher between their uncertainties and their gut feelings to make the grey areas more black and white.
I consider myself to be a fairly creative person, however, I feel like for the past four years of my life this creative energy has been repressed by my aversion for studying accounting. I see myself being very successful at a career that resembles Kara's. However, I feel that I have missed the formal training that could have polished my creativity, had I majored in marketing. I am glad that this class unleashes my creative juices, and I am excited to see what my team can come up with.
