Consumer Preferences - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Dec 2014
News

Faculty Q&A: The New Brand Manager: You

consumers upfront to avoid making bad decisions that incite criticism. I prefer a more collaborative, co-creative approach with consumers—understanding how they are likely to respond to key branding changes... View Details

Keywords: April White

01 Jun 2004
News

Luxe Redux

Cashing in on the $60 billion global luxury goods market has never been tougher — or more rewarding. Competition is keen. And consumer preferences are constantly shifting, causing the concept of luxury... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; luxury; Retail Trade

08 Jun 2021
Research & Ideas

Tell Me What to Do: When Bad News Is a Big Relief

Barasz’s new paper, “Hoping for the Worst? A Paradoxical Preference for Bad News,” which recently appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research, documents this peculiar View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

22 Feb 2022
News

Picture This

from wall art to puzzles to pillows. And its acquisition, last August, of Spoonflower—an artist marketplace for custom-designed fabric, wallpaper, and other home-decor items—puts Shutterfly in a prime position to leverage consumer View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; leadership; manufacturing; acquisitions; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Manufacturing

01 Sep 2010
News

Start-Ups Make Their Pitch

for desired specimens in real time. Chicago: Cinekin (Constance Freedman, MBA ’06, chief strategy officer) uses people’s movie preferences to predict the compatibility of couples. London: Qtara (Steve Berry, MBA ’79, chairman) is... View Details

Keywords: awards; Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing

10 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Know Your Audience - Recruiting HBS Students for Retail

of students has a passion for the dynamic retail space across different segments including luxury, specialty, and mass market brands. Retail Tech in particular has had a major impact on the industry and students’ focus. “Digital shopping platforms have really changed... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

11 Feb 2013
Research & Ideas

Neuroeconomics: Eyes, Brain, Business

field of neuromarketing, which uses brain-tracking tools to determine why consumers prefer some products over others. And there is neuroleadership, which applies neuroscience to management research. Looser... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

25 Aug 2017
Op-Ed

Op-Ed: After Charlottesville, Where Does a CEO's Responsibility Lie?

reason–people tend to form brand preferences when they’re young. Young consumers who are alienated by a perception of corporate support for Trump might be lost for a lifetime, not just an administration. “A... View Details

Keywords: by Gautam Mukunda

12 Oct 1999
Research & Ideas

Rapid Response: Inside the Retailing Revolution

Once upon a time, suppliers held all the cards. Henry Ford's dictum that consumers could have any color car they wanted as long as it was black proved wrong in the extreme, but for years manufacturers in this country kept their hands... View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

20 Nov 2012
First Look

First Look: November 20

rational for a platform to limit the number of applications available on it. Our model is based on the observation that even if users prefer application variety, applications often also exhibit direct network effects. When there are... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

27 Jun 2005
Research & Ideas

The Potential Downside of Win-Win

Consider this real-world social negotiation. On a Friday night, a husband and wife are trying to decide where to eat and which movie to see. Al prefers restaurant A, and Marie prefers restaurant C. Marie... View Details

Keywords: by Max H. Bazerman

01 Mar 2010
News

Faculty Research Online

consumers prefer single songs over music “bundles.” The result? It is time for the industry to rethink its products and prices, writes Associate Professor Anita Elberse. See... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

01 Jun 2002
News

The Mind Speaks, Marketers Listen

Calling HBS professor Gerald Zaltman “a maverick marketing professor,” the New York Times reported on the interactive technique he developed to gauge consumer preferences using visual images, semiotics, and... View Details

01 Feb 1997
News

Herzlinger on Health Care: Revolution in Evolution

that patients may feel are necessary; and squeezing down compensation for talented physicians and hospitals. Indeed, activist American consumers even rebel against perfectly rational HMO tactics like reducing hospital lengths of stay.... View Details

10 Mar 2021
News

Action Plan: Brewing Awareness

speaking, people were more defensive and pessimistic, with a strong focus on income stability,” he says.“Now there’s a greater sense of the rewards that come from doing something interesting that you enjoy.” How to: Introduce consumers to... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; beer; India; leadership; COVID-19; manufacturing; marketing; Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing

17 Sep 2001
Research & Ideas

Let Customers Call the Shots

What is consumer empowerment and what does it mean for you as an executive? HBS professor Luc Wathieu outlined his views in the following e-mail interview with HBS Working Knowledge senior editor Martha Lagace.Lagace: In your paper you... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

01 Dec 2010
News

The Father of Modern Advertising

“creative,” and suddenly agencies could bill much more for their newly developed writing and marketing services. Brands that Lasker’s agency helped make or reinvent included Goodyear, Kleenex, Palmolive, and Pepso-dent. His skill wasn’t limited to View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne; Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services; Professional Services

15 Aug 2011
Research & Ideas

A New Model for Business: The Museum

(For instance, a recent paper demonstrated that smaller menus are generally preferable to big ones. But like museums, these businesses must go beyond simply limiting choices, Weaver says. They must present their wares in such a way that... View Details