Want to feel sexy? It's all in the bag, study finds

With the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show airing last night, I'm feeling a little more sexy than usual... Is this true though, can a brand change the way you feel about yourself?

If you feel a little snobbier when driving a BMW, or feel a little more outdoorsy if you slip on your North Face, or feel a little more hip when you use your new MacBook Air - you're not alone. It's widely known that a product's brand image has a profound impact on your own self image. It's even been proven in a recent study by the University of Minnesota, that now we actually sometimes change our own personalities to match a brand we want to be associated with.

"For example, if you want to be conveyed as adventurous you may buy a Harley-Davidson motorcycle or wear casual clothes from stores such as REI," says Deborah Roedder John, a marketing professor at the U of M and one of the authors of the study published in the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. (You can find the full report here, but a subscription is required.)

Brands are like badges - For one part of the study the U of M researchers recruited about 100 volunteers at a mall, all women between the ages of 18 to 34, and asked each of them to carry around a shopping bag of their choice for an hour: Victoria's Secret, Old Navy or Limited Too. Everyone chose the Victoria's Secret bag. When they came back an hour later they were given a survey about how they felt about themselves. The survey results showed that the 'personality of Victoria's Secret' is sexy, glamorous and feminine. (No word on whether or not the bag made them feel like a 15 year old.)

The same researchers did a study with a pen with the MIT logo on it. The results came back similar saying that they felt smarter when using the MIT pen.

This idea is called "entity theory," and it means your the type of person who seeks our products to make you feel a certain way about yourself. But, if you're not a type of person who is affected by a brand you buy, you really won't feel anything at all during a study like this. The second theory is called the "incremental theory"

So, maybe this theory will help shoppers this holiday season save money. You really don't need to buy the brand you believe makes you who you are. All you really need to do is be associated with it and you'll still feel this same benefit.

What do you think of this idea? Have you experienced it or do you think it's full of crock?

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

We're forced to make decisions everyday of our lives, both big and small. You probably don't even realize how often you do. Practically every few minutes you will be forced to make a new decision. TV or book? Front page or crossword section? Coffee, Mocha or Latte? Go out or stay home?

I was inspired to write this post after watching the CBS Sunday Morning Show this weekend and viewing their story on decision making. I learned that many studies have been done on the act of decision making; researchers have actually studied and come to conclusions on how and why people make up their minds on something. This a very interesting topic when you relate it to the public relations, marketing and business world. If you could, wouldn't it be valuable to know to influence your consumers to better make a decision in your favor?

For a long time it was said that the best way to make a decision is to be rational, yet in recent years scientists have discovered that the rational brain can only take in a few bits of information at any given moment. If you give it too much information, it starts to short-circuit and sputter. Therefore, it is recommended that you just go for it when faced with complex decisions like buying a car, computer or even a house. Your emotional brain is much better at taking in a lot of information.

The kinds of decisions you make are often based on the type of mood you're in at that moment. Research shows that happiness and anger produce similar results. They both make you under-perceive risk. They both make you take risks and they both are associated with the sense of certainty and control.

Now back to how this can help us in business...

Of course if there are a lot of options out there, the more likely you'll find the exact thing you're looking for. However, studies show that you don't want to offer too many! Our brains become too overwhelmed with too many options and basically shut down. The fact is that the more choices we have, the less likely we are to actually make a purchase. It's been discovered that you get tired and your immune systems drops when forced to make a decision from too many options. You even become more likely to catch a cold!

So for you business professionals, you should learn from this. Consumers do not want to be bogged down with too many options. If you want them to remember you, only show your best few and then show more if they ask. Remember this while designing your website or informational handouts too. Leave room for white space! It's not visually appealing to see something with too many words or image distractions. Plus, no one will ever read all of what you have to say there are a lot. Viewers are much more likely to read what you have to say if you only put the information or images you want people to remember - and that's it!