Marketing Sins

So I recently took a trip to the fabulous Las Vegas over Spring Break and, although, not my first time visiting, I noticed so much more from a marketing standpoint.

From a hotel shaped like New York City, to a replica of the Eiffel Tower, to how slot machines and poker tables are placed, it is all strategy. What will make people want to book at my hotel rather than another? What will make people buy more drinks at my club/bar? How can we keep people gambling? It all is one giant nudge. (I will go more in depth about nudging in a later post). However, just think of it as a mild form of persuasion as we move forward.

The art of persuasion is everywhere, but in Sin City it is especially evident. If you have ever visited Las Vegas then you know the sidewalks do not run a straight line down the strip. You are constantly going through hotels, shops, and casinos to continue on your path. Why? Because you just remembered that you need a new shirt, or another drink, or your planning for another trip back to Vegas and you absolutely love the hotel your walking through. Also, in the casinos there are no clocks and no windows. People can be gambling for hours and not even know it. Ka-ching! The designers of this 4.2 mile stretch are aware of and capitalize on our emotions and flaws and we are subjected to that, most times, without even knowing.

Predictably Irrational Beings

So we recently read a book for Consumer Behavior called Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. If you have never read this book or never heard of it for that matter, I fully recommend it. He talks about how we as human beings like to think that we are rational and able to make good decisions when, in fact, we aren't. Not only are we not rational, we are continuously irrational which makes us predictable. Sure sure, you make be thinking, "of course I make good decisions, I don't fall into this category!" But you do, we ALL do. 

Have you ever been offered something free and thought, "what's the catch?" Have you ever been influenced to order something else at dinner because your friend was going to order the same thing? Have you ever thought something was better because you built it yourself instead of bought it at a store? Of course! We have all experienced these circumstances at least once in our lives and will continue to do so. This is what Ariely talks about in the entirety of Predictably Irrational; we are all susceptible to influencing factors, expectations, self-control, and our own social and economical behaviors. So if you still think you are the exception after reading this book, I commend you. We are not perfect people and do not live in a perfect world. We are just simply predictably irrational.

Let's get started! (Finally)

Alright folks, better late than never I suppose! My name is Jessie Apple and throughout the next few weeks I will be talking about consumer behavior, what influences us as human beings, and keep up with these topics as it pertains to my consumer behavior class and what's going on in the media. So I hope you all enjoy! :)