Which side prevails in the U.S. government shutdown public relations battle depends to a significant degree on how well each side successfully frames their stakeholders’ sacrifices as sacred. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2023/03/sacr...

“60 Minutes” & WSJ have recently reported how elected officials from opposing positions are aiming to bring civility to politics by joining together in activities. Research says it helps when the activities include eating the same sweet food. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2016/11/brea...

AI, IoE, & physician shortages are fostering DIY medical diagnosis. Let's be careful. Wealth of information often bestows overconfidence, leading consumers to discount expert views different from their own premature conclusions. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2017/09/chec...

For today’s RIMtailing blog post, “Discount Discounting for Stigmatized,” go to rimtailing.blogspot.com/2025/10/disc...

Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz is recognizing that properly changing discount pricing policies could reverse a drop in company net income. Okay, remember that the discount magnitude is less important than giving a discount. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2024/11/slop...

Nancy MacDonell’s charming WSJ essay last week about the association of lace fabric with personal tradition & traditions suggests to me sales of lace items by family firms would do particularly well. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2021/12/firm...

Lifestyle writer Jamie Waters is praising how a perfume of tobacco, whiskey & rum odors sharpens wearers' masculinity impressions. But does Mr. Waters appreciate how blended scents of farts & fish oil sharpen shoppers’ preference for non-organic foods? rimtailing.blogspot.com/2021/08/dont...

For today’s RIMtailing blog post, “Number Food Health Characteristics,” go to rimtailing.blogspot.com/2025/09/numb...

TikTok effect—the drive to show off floods away shame about what is shown off. Example from a WSJ article this weekend—TikToks about KitKats if crunched noisily. Absent the TikTok effect, many adults prefer to keep lips sealed about noisy brand preference. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2019/09/secr...

Southern Methodist University may be sending its traditional rallying cry out to pasture, so some Dallas stores are offering “Pony Up” merch at 50% discounts. Wrong move! Consumers often pay premium for items they won’t see for sale again.

Finally finished “Downtime,” published last June about the use of slow-motion in movie scenes? At 400+ pages, it was indeed no fast summer read! At this point, it's uptime for you to consider how slomo in short advertising videos can enhance persuasion. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2024/05/dece...

Carnegie Diner & Café is saying nobody confuses them with Carnegie Hall, whose lawsuit is claiming the restaurant dilutes a sterling reputation. This is evidence that protection against brand name dilution should be via marketing, not just via what’s sold. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2013/04/defe...

High current success of the Jenni Kayne brand is attributable to its brand community—people who enjoy interacting not just with the brand, but also with each other about the branded offerings. Members want to be in touch, and they enjoy touch words. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2021/09/tack...

Pre-Emmys, entertainment reporter John Jurgensen speculated that “Severance” and “The Pitt” are popular because they make viewers’ own workplaces seem relaxed by comparison. It’s true that a “it could be worse” approach does sometimes appeal. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2020/12/tell...

For today’s RIMtailing blog post, “Take Pains to Sidestep Sadism,” go to rimtailing.blogspot.com/2025/09/take...

Garden & interior design columnist Michelle Slatalla writes of scientific evidence for productivity benefits from having emotional support objects around us. So take time to set up family photos when hot desking. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2024/05/prom...

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol continues to script expectations of warmer barista behavior—literally scripting by telling them what to say & when to smile. If you’re doing something similar, be flexible in your specifications, especially about the smile. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2017/07/dwar...

In the new “They All Came to Barneys,” Barney’s grandson writes that the retailer changed from bargain to high-luxury image by gradually phasing out bargain inventory. An accepted rule for making changes in retailing is to lead your customers gradually. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2010/07/lead...

In last weekend’s NYT, Mark Edmundson makes his case for cursing in moderation. This advice is supported by the research finding that, for instance, “The dishwasher is damn quiet” sells better than “The dishwasher is super quiet.” rimtailing.blogspot.com/2022/12/damn...

Would today’s Fed Reserve interest rate discussion been any different if economist Robert Reich had participated? Research findings tease that anybody whose recently published memoir is titled “Coming Up Short” looks up to ask lots of abstract questions. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2015/04/look...

With streaming services developing tools for highly targeted local advertising, small businesses can better employ the advantages of ads which tell a locally-based story. Stories told by a business’s founder are especially persuasive. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2020/05/foun...

For today’s RIMtailing blog post, “Support with Gift Over Gab,” go to rimtailing.blogspot.com/2025/09/supp...

In replies to WaPo asking leading fashion designers what luxury means today, there were many mentions of freedom from time constraints. This fits with the decade-old finding that shoppers pay more for items when time pressure for a decision is eased. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2015/08/bewa...

WSJ is attributing the preference for Pokémon cards over baseball player cards as an investment vehicle to Pokémon stars being fictional, so their behavior is more predictable. Same reason to prefer endorsements from fictional celebrities over real. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2019/06/roll...

With predicted sharp increases in health benefit costs, Mercer says employers should promote barebones plans to employees. I’ll add that marriage counseling coverage might help. Happily married men are more likely to practice preventive care. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2016/06/coup...

President Trump’s executive action Tuesday requires drugmakers to go beyond listing only major side effects in ads. A likely unintended consequence is that when minor side effects are added, a consumer’s overall rating of a drug's risk decreases. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2017/04/add-...

Politico’s Michael Kruse writes that Democrats are pondering how to project authenticity. Consumer behavior research suggests accomplishing it by, among other things, stating easy-to-understand policies & practices and not bragging about being authentic. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2015/01/puff...

Accompanying the current popularity of fiber-loaded foods is a consumer belief that, “If I follow a healthy habit, it gives me license to engage in unhealthy habits.” When shoppers buy organic, they become more likely to add candy to the basket. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2015/06/lice...

For today’s RIMtailing blog post, “Direct Democracy by Lengthening Perspectives,” go to rimtailing.blogspot.com/2025/09/dire...

As big-city crime rates are currently an issue, let’s acknowledge how facilitating some vices can prevent some violence. Pot dispensaries in Los Angeles are a verified example. Allowing happy hours bargain drinks in Boston would be a good field study. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2018/03/righ...

Dan Neil’s WSJ review this weekend of the Lamborghini Revuelto is all about noise the car makes when accelerating. The right sound does fulfill a consumer’s hunger for power & control. Another example are noises to confirm retail transaction progress. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2011/09/soun...

Wearing the MIT AgeLab suit, which got a shot of publicity this week, could increase a marketer’s sensitivity to old age infirmities. But such one-day interventions fail to account for how people generally adjust to their limitations over time. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2022/01/cons...

Aldi's treasure hunt appeal is allowing them to become one of America’s fastest growing retailers. Unannounced specials motivate traffic to move up and down the aisles. What better way to make shoppers aware of all you offer & stimulate desires for it? rimtailing.blogspot.com/2011/05/dazz...

This Friday’s exit of de minimis from tariff calculations will set off drip pricing—additional fees after the customer makes the initial purchase decision. Avoid the trust-busting by providing a full menu now of possible surprise fees. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2020/08/addr...

MAHA is increasing availability of healthier foods for kids, but kids will prefer tastes & colors of the less healthy, so getting parents to buy requires nudges. Grocers should shelve healthier to the left of less healthy alternatives, for example. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2016/07/help...

For today’s RIMtailing blog post, “Enhance Big Selection with Population Density,” go to rimtailing.blogspot.com/2025/09/enha...

An analysis by Gusto of small- & medium-sized businesses shows a marked increase in the number of individual contributors per manager. This can make effective managerial persuasion more challenging. Attentive silence helps. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2024/05/list...

The recent WSJ article about Dave Kirkel collecting Edsel autos supports a “harbingers of failure” finding: There are certain consumers for whom extreme interest in an item turns out to be a strong sign the item will flop. Works for zip codes, too. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2020/02/bewa...

Fat acceptance advocates are battling against medical professionals who want to prescribe GLP-1s to head off patients’ diseases. For help, the medical professionals might bulk up on portraying the digestive system as a set of mechanical devices. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2021/07/mach...

I predict Arizona Beverages’ introduction of Rizzler Berry based on endorsement by 9 y/o TikTok star The Rizzler benefits the kid’s social media traffic more than the Arizona Beverages bottom line. Beware the endorser eclipsing your marketing message. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2022/08/side...

Business practices of former USA Today editor David Mazzarella, who died last month, exemplify importance of not marketing to the mirror. He had little interest in pop culture, but recognized how articles about pop culture drew in his target readership. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2013/03/refl...

Modifying your brand logo? Be ready for customer protests. This past week, it was Cracker Barrel, with the objections apparently causing a drop in the company’s market value. Even a wise change in logo border thickness could set off tempers. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2023/06/thic...

For today’s RIMtailing blog post, “Prefer Rating Scales to Preference Polls,” go to rimtailing.blogspot.com/2025/08/pref...

The just-published “Primal Intelligence” details advantages of intuitive over deliberative thinking. Apply that to selling. My caveat is that the salesperson must have previously deliberated in order to educate their intuition. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2015/07/trus...

Wine reviewer Lettie Tegue’s excellent article in this weekend’s WSJ about accurate tasting notes highlights how a consumption vocabulary for any product eases selling. I’ll add that such notes also reduce inadvertent misleading advertising. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2010/06/teac...

WaPo used survey data & expert opinion this week to report the attention span of U.S. adults has dropped dramatically, as exemplified in leisure reading habits. The young have joined the elderly in responding better to the gist without extensive details. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2022/05/just...

Why the carnivore-babies trend when most pediatricians yell that meat-heavy diets are unhealthy for babies? One reason is parents’ association of meat with power in this era when brute power is embraced. Does this mean you should do more head-on ads? rimtailing.blogspot.com/2012/10/head...

Target ending its partnership with Ulta provides occasion for retailers to think through how the more ambitious store-within-a-store formats are best for product categories where competition among retailers in selling strong-identity brands is high. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2011/06/inte...

Recent book “The Science of Revenge” argues that taking revenge sets off a desire to prolong the punishment. This strengthens a follow-on argument for marketers to avoid changes in mere routines when those changes could lead a customer to feel betrayed. rimtailing.blogspot.com/2022/12/be-c...

For today’s RIMtailing blog post, “Expect That Fantasizing Use Might Hurt,” go to rimtailing.blogspot.com/2025/08/expe...