The Devil Wears Prada? Effects of Exposure to Luxury Goods on Cognition and Decision Making
| Authors: | Roy Y.J. Chua and Xi Zou |
|---|---|
| Published: | November 25, 2009 |
| Paper Release Date: | November 2009 |
| Feature: | Working Papers |
Gandhi once wrote that "a certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary, but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of a help." This observation raises interesting questions for psychologists regarding the effects of luxury. What psychological consequences do luxury goods have on people? In this paper, the authors argue that luxury goods can activate the concept of self-interest and affect subsequent cognition. The argument involves two key premises: Luxury is intrinsically linked to self-interest, and exposure to luxury can activate related mental representations affecting cognition and decision-making. Two experiments showed that exposure to luxury led people to think more about themselves than others.
Published in 2008
The Surprisingly Successful Marriages of Multinationals and Social Brands
| Q&A with: | James E. Austin and Herman B. Leonard |
|---|---|
| Published: | December 15, 2008 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
What happens when small iconic brands associated with social values—think Ben & Jerry's—are acquired by large concerns—think Unilever? Can the marriage of a virtuous mouse and a wealthy elephant work to the benefit of both? Professors James E. Austin and Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard discuss their recent research.
Connecting with Consumers Using Deep Metaphors
| Published: | May 5, 2008 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Consumer needs and desires are not entirely mysterious. In fact, marketers of successful brands regularly draw on a rich assortment of insights excavated from research into basic frames or orientations we have toward the world around us, according to HBS professor emeritus Gerald Zaltman and Lindsay Zaltman, authors of Marketing Metaphoria. Here's a Q&A and book excerpt.
Radical Design, Radical Results
| Published: | February 19, 2008 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Consumers appear increasingly willing to make purchase decisions based upon their emotions about a product—how it looks, or sounds, or makes them feel using it. But the traditional design process based on user experience goes only so far in creating radical innovation. Harvard Business School visiting scholar Roberto Verganti is exploring the new world of "design-driven innovation."
Published in 2007
B2B Branding: Does it Work?
| Published: | November 28, 2007 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Does it make sense for B2B companies to take a cue from consumer companies and invest in brand awareness? Many B2B CEOs say no, but HBS marketing professor John Quelch disagrees in his latest blog entry.
How Marketing Hype Hurt Boeing and Apple
| Published: | November 7, 2007 |
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| Feature: | Views on News |
In his latest blog entry, professor John Quelch looks at the examples of Boeing and Apple to investigate why shareholders have little patience for companies that hype high but deliver low.
"Blank" Inside: Branding Ingredients
| Published: | October 10, 2007 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
When Intel launched the Intel Inside campaign in the 1990s, many marketers thought the chip giant was nuts. Who cared about the microprocessor inside their PC? Turns out Intel created a branding sensation and raised awareness of the importance of ingredient branding, says professor John Quelch. Today's best example: The Boeing Dreamliner.
The FDA: What Will the Next 100 Years Bring?
| Q&A with: | Arthur A. Daemmrich |
|---|---|
| Published: | September 24, 2007 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
With the possible exception of the Internal Revenue Service, no other governmental agency touches the lives of more Americans than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which ensures the safety of $1.5 trillion worth of consumer goods and medicines. Harvard Business School professor Arthur A. Daemmrich discusses the impact and challenges of the agency and his new book, Perspectives on Risk and Regulation: The FDA at 100.
How to Profit from Scarcity
| Published: | September 14, 2007 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
This past summer's launches of the iPhone and final Harry Potter book were textbook examples of companies profiting in part by creating the illusion of scarcity. Professor John Quelch explains the advantages of this strategy when executed well, and tells how to recover from a real product shortage.
Mattel: Getting a Toy Recall Right
| Published: | August 27, 2007 |
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| Feature: | Views on News |
Mattel has been criticized heavily for having to recall not once but twice in as many weeks 20 million toys manufactured in China. But Mattel also deserves praise for stepping up to its responsibilities as the leading brand in the toy industry. Harvard Business School professor John Quelch examines what Mattel did right.
Published in 2006
The Promise of Channel Stewardship
| Published: | June 12, 2006 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
For many companies, distribution channels serve neither customers nor channel partners well. In a new book, Harvard Business School professor V. Kasturi Rangan outlines the concept of channel stewardship. An excerpt from Transforming Your Go-to-Market Strategy.
Managing Alignment as a Process
| Published: | April 24, 2006 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
"Most organizations attempt to create synergy, but in a fragmented, uncoordinated way," say HBS professor Robert S. Kaplan and colleague David P. Norton. Their new book excerpted here, Alignment, tells how to see alignment as a management process.
Lessons from the Browser Wars
| Q&A with: | Pai-Ling Yin |
|---|---|
| Published: | April 10, 2006 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
The first-mover advantage is well chronicled, but it didn't help Netscape when Microsoft launched Internet Explorer. What drives technology adoption, and do browser upstarts such as Firefox stand a chance? A Q&A with professor Pai-Ling Yin.
Winners and Losers at the Olympics
| Q&A with: | Stephen Greyser |
|---|---|
| Published: | March 6, 2006 |
| Feature: | Views on News |
We know which athletes won and lost in Turin, but what about the companies and individuals looking for business gold? Professor Stephen A. Greyser looks at the results—and the possibilities ahead in China.
Oprah: A Case Study Comes Alive
| Published: | February 20, 2006 |
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| Feature: | Lessons from the Classroom |
Writing a business case on the icon of daytime television and chief executive of a major media empire was challenge enough for HBS professor Nancy Koehn and colleagues. Oprah Winfrey's visit to campus to talk with graduating students made it ample reward.
Turning High Potential into Real Reward
| Published: | February 13, 2006 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Transforming high-potential ventures into high-performance ventures, says professor Joseph Lassiter, depends on combining what, how, and who you know. From New Business.
What Customers Want from Your Products
| Published: | January 16, 2006 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Marketers should think less about market segments and more about the jobs customers want to do. A Harvard Business Review excerpt by HBS professor Clayton M. Christensen, Intuit’s Scott Cook, and Advertising Research Foundation’s Taddy Hall.
Published in 2005
Unilever: Transformation and Tradition
| Published: | November 28, 2005 |
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| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
In a new book, professor Geoffrey Jones looks at Unilever's decades-old transformation from fragmented underperformer to focused consumer products giant. This epilogue summarizes the years 1960 to 1990.
Is Less Becoming More?
| Published: | November 7, 2005 |
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| Feature: | What Do YOU Think? |
| Forum: | closed | 21 Comments posted |
Americans these days have a lot more choices in products and services. But do consumers and suppliers suffer from choice overload? If so, what does this abundance mean for companies?
When Product Variety Backfires
| Q&A with: | John T. Gourville |
|---|---|
| Published: | September 6, 2005 |
| Feature: | Research & Ideas |
Consumers like choice—but not too much of it. Presented with too many options, buyers may run to a competitor, says professor John Gourville. Here's what new research says about "overchoice."
