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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 1d

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...

Sacralize to Persuade

Sacred nonreligious items and ideas are valued in ways resembling the valuing of religious artifacts and beliefs. The consumer considers sac...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 2d

“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...

Break Bread to Curb Breaking Bad

When you and your customer eat sweet foods together, the potential for mutual persuasion can grow as fast as your waistlines, according to...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 3d

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...

Check for Empowered Shoppers’ Compliance

A worldwide trend among health care providers is to empower consumers with the responsibility of making medical decisions for themselves. ...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 4d

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

Discount Discounting for Stigmatized

A discounted price on products linked to a stigmatized identity is perceived as insulting by consumers who have that stigmatized identity. ...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 8d

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...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 9d

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...

Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 10d

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...

Don’t Get Me Started on Farts

Not often do I encounter a study where the researcher intentionally directed toward the participating consumers the smell of, in the phrasin...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 11d

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

Number Food Health Characteristics

Why did a group of consumers who were told, “This bottle of olive oil is made from the extract of 80 ounces of olives. It is a valuable addi...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 12d

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...

Secrete Loyalty with Secret Consumption

How are Starbucks, Starbursts, and Star Trek alike? One way, report researchers at Towson University and Kent State University , is that a...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 13d

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.

Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 14d

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...

Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 15d

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...

Defend Against Store Name Dilution

Business education retailer WBF is being sued by trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. The reason is that WBF is the nickname of Wha...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 16d

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...

Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 17d

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...

Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 18d

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

Take Pains to Sidestep Sadism

For purposes of their study about people’s motivations to watch mixed martial arts matches, researchers at University of Lausanne and Univer...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 19d

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...

Prompt Personalizing to Ease Change Resistance

Employees who personalize their workspaces are more committed to successfully implementing organizational changes. The University of Queensl...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 20d

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...

Dwarf Giant Smiles So You Won’t Look Dopey

Expressions of positive emotions spread from staff to shoppers and among staff. University of Queensland researchers observed positive an...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 21d

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...

Lead Your Customers Through Changes Gradually

Every retail business changes. It might be a change in your mix of products and/or services because of a need to reduce inventory or o...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 22d

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...

Damn Positive Item Reviews

After sharing their findings, the University of Lethbridge and University of Alberta researchers wanted us to know how positively they rega...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 23d

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...

Look It Up: Abstract Benefits Above Shoppers

Features of products you sell can be concrete—such as the average time between repairs—or abstract—such as a general claim of high quality...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 24d

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...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 25d

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

Support with Gift Over Gab

A client or business associate who is emotionally distraught because of some problem in their life isn’t in the best mood for fruitful trans...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 26d

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...

Beware the Rushin’ Language

Store visitors who feel rushed find the shopping experience to be less pleasant. Researchers at Stanford University, Duke University, an...

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Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 27d

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...

Bruce D. Sanders, PhD @rimtailing.bsky.social · 28d

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...

Couple Wise Consumer Decisions

Men in supportive marriages are more likely to undergo a recommended colonoscopy—that diagnostic procedure in which you consent to have a ...

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