Design It Before You Buy It†

Online 3-D Tool Lets Consumers Tinker With the Product

Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2007 — Companies are always asking consumers to tell them what they want. Now consumers can show them.

That is the idea, at least, behind a new online marketing tool developed by French software maker Dassault Systemes SA and French advertising company Publicis SA. The new so-called 3dswym tool allows consumers to help companies that make everything from yogurt to cars to design their latest products.

Behavior Defines Consumers†

Deeper Understanding: Don't Ask People What They Think; Watch What They Do

Advertising Age, July 18, 2007 — A couple years ago I interviewed a mother of four at her house. I wanted to gain an authentic perspective on what made her tick and why she was so loyal to my client's home delivery service. So I turned on my iPod's voice recorder and eased into a discussion about life in suburban Chicago.

Tesco Studies Hard for U.S. Debut†

CEO Leahy Sends Teams to Observe How Americans Shop, See What's in Their Fridges

Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2007 — The chief executive of Tesco PLC, Terry Leahy, runs a retail chain that's twice the size of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in the United Kingdom. And this fall, even though the U.S. is considered over-crowded with stores, Mr. Leahy plans to expand into Wal-Mart's home turf.

Wii will rock you

How Nintendo's new game machine won over the world - and beat the pants off Sony and Microsoft

FORTUNE, June 11, 2007 — Nintendo's legendary videogame designer Shigeru Miyamoto is lying face down on the floor in Kyoto, Japan, hobbled by a right cross and struggling to regain his composure. The man some credit with the very existence of the $30 billion videogame industry, the Walt Disney of our generation, has taken one blow to the face too many.

To Appeal to Women, Too, Gadgets Go Beyond “Cute” and “Pink”

Women are embracing consumer electronics just as the technologies are reaching out to embrace them.

New York Times, June 7, 2007 — A growing number of women are embracing consumer electronics just as the technologies are reaching out to embrace them. Behind this quiet revolution are engineers and designers who are bringing a more feminine sensibility to products historically shaped by masculine tastes, habits and requirements.

Agencies Don Lab Coats to Reach Consumers†

Firms Deploy Scientists Within Creative Groups to Make Messages Stick

Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2007 — Madison Avenue, home to black-turtleneck-wearing creative executives, is opening the door to lab-coat-wearing scientists as it seeks to get deeper into the heads of consumers.

Do You Know Your Rites? BBDO Does†

Study Opens Window for Marketers Looking to Make Brands Part of Consumers' Daily Routines

Advertising Age, May 21, 2007 — We're all creatures of habit. In its report "The Ritual Masters," BBDO agency investigates our shared habits in an attempt to work them to a marketer's advantage or find opportunities to break them

On Advertising: Consumers vote for the best slogan

International Herald Tribune, March 18, 2007 — Consumer engagement may be the marketing mantra of our time, but Laurent Florès sees a fundamental problem: Good ideas can be drowned out by a flood of bad ones. Consumer panels, both online and live, have become popular ways for companies to float and road-test new ideas. Online panels are often run like beauty pageants, where consumers vote for ideas that a company is considering.

College students think they're so special

Associated Press, February 27, 2007 — Today’s college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.

Cooking Up Changes at Kraft Foods†

Studying Rushed Consumers, CEO Rosenfeld Orders Up Menu of Complete Meals

Wall Street Journal, February 20, 2007 — After Irene B. Rosenfeld became chief executive officer of Kraft Foods Inc. in June, she spent months talking to employees and peeking inside consumers' kitchens — from suburban Chicago to the capital of China.