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Consumerology: The Myth of Market Research, the Truth about Consumer Behaviour and the Psychology of Shopping

Consumerology: The Myth of Market Research, the Truth about Consumer Behaviour and the Psychology of Shopping

by PhilipGraves (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2010

    $4.26
Synopsis

Market research is a myth. Philip Graves, one of the world's leading experts in consumer behaviour, reveals why the findings obtained from most market research are completely unreliable. Whether it is company executives seeking to define their corporate strategy or politicians wanting to understand the electorate, the idea that questions answered on a questionnaire or discussed in a focus group can provide useful insights on which to base business decisions is the cause of product failures, political blunders and wasted billions. Consumer.ology exposes some of the most expensive examples of research-driven thinking clouding judgement, experience and evidence - from New Coke to General Motors, from Mattel to the Millennium Dome - and instances of success through ignoring market research, such as Baileys and Dr Who. It also shows organizations the tools they should be using if they want to understand their customers. Using his unique AFECT approach, a set of five criteria to evaluate the reliability of any consumer insight, Graves asserts that it's time for a fresh approach that embraces this new understanding of human behaviour. Along the way, he reveals why the current practice of market research is a false science, why we often don't buy what we say we will, and how to understand consumers better than they do themselves. After reading Consumer.ology business leaders and politicians will never look at market research in the same way again.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 230
 Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Published: 09 Sep 2010
ISBN 10: 1857885503
ISBN 13: 9781857885507

Media Reviews
Philip Graves has put together an excellent guide to understanding how to know what people will and won't do. Now you can have the benefit of years of knowledge and experience distilled into an easy-to-read and understand book. - From the Foreword by Kevin Hogan Alongside his debunking of the market research industry, the author takes us on a fascinating romp through the psychological underpinnings of consumer behaviour - Consumer.ology is a rich digest of insights on consumer psychology. It should be essential reading for marketers and general managers, and carefully hidden away from anyone whose livelihood depends on market research. - Alan Giles, Marketing Society Director & Associate Fellow, Said Business School, University of Oxford Consumer.ology is a refreshingly iconoclastic skewer through the heart of traditional market research methods and reason. - Blake H. Glenn, Senior Inventor, ?What If! The Innovation Company The problem with consumers is that they are incapable of understanding their purchasing behavior. Why? Because it is actually driven by the unconscious. Consumer.ology author Philip Graves is a lecturer on consumer behaviour and a consultant for associated studies for companies including Whirlpool, Virgin Media, and Pepsi. He has come to the bold conclusion that market studies and focus groups are useless. He asserts that the most accurate information about consumer needs comes from analysis of data gathered in real situations, where people are not aware that they are being observed. Fortunately, the Internet offers a vast territory for observation, because people leave countless traces of their behavior and telling comments. Keeping quiet and listening to consumers is actually just as important as communicating with them, and people often speak more honestly when no questions have been asked. - Business Digest
Author Bio
Philip Graves graduated from Sheffield Polytechnic with a BSc in Applied Statistics. He became Market Research Manager for Eagle Star Life and then, following two years with a traditional market research agency, Research and Brand Strategy manager for Pizza Hut. His 20 years observing consumers made him aware of a conflict between what people said in research and what they actually did, which led to the introduction of psychoanalytical techniques into his work. He has advised numerous international businesses, including ITV, Whirlpool, Dr Martens, New Covent Garden Food Company, Camelot, Virgin Media, Hotpoint and Pepsi. See his website at www.philipgraves.net.