Fanatismul si loialitatea fata de un brand
Citeam acum cateva minute pe un blog de gadgeturi un articol interesant despre loialitatea pe care o are fiecare din noi cand vine vorba de un brand sau un OS. Inainte era simplu ( cel putin in privinta telefoanelor ): nu existau OS-uri, nu existau fancy-dotari .. telefonul era doar un gadget cu care puteai comunica sau iti puteai trimite SMS-uri. Acum telefoanele inearca sa ia locul computerelor sau cel putin incearca sa fie gadgeturi mobile care poate fi purtat oriunde cu tine in buzunar. Cat despre OS-uri avem de unde alege: Symbian, iPhone OS, Android, Maemo, Blackberry OS. La fel si telefoanele. Fie ca sunt dotate cu ecran touch-screen, fie full-qwerty sau fie ambele, telefoanele au ajuns intr-o sfera multimedia in care au atins potentialul unui computer. Sunt atat de multe modele, atatea posibilitati incat nu stii ce vrei sa alegi. Aici intervine fanatsimul sau…loialitatea fata de un brand. Personal, prefer Nokia, iPhone sau Blackberry. Nokia are stabilitate si interfata draguta si simplista. iPhone-ul este cel mai grozav dispoiztiv multimedia cand vine vorba de aplicatii, browsing, jocuri, muzica, imagini, video, iar Berry are aspectul office si dotarile specifice unui mediu de afaceri ( internet, e-mail, aplicatii, stabilitate ) pe care personal il ador.
Cand vine vorba de calculatore iarasi vor fi opinii diferite. Ce alegi : MAC sau WINDOWS ? Eu sunt un Mac User si recunosc ca n-am fost dintotdeauna, insa tocmai acest fapt m-a facut sa inteleg ca MAC-ul este mai bun. Nu! Nu sunt un fanatic insa am vazut ce inseamna un OS stabil, fara probleme, fara virusi, fara acea parte dureroasa in care iti ingheata sistemul ca sa nu mai vorbesc de reinstalarea sistemului. Inteleg ca multi dintre cei care inca sunt loiali windowsului nu se pot dezprinde sau nu pot accepta o schimbare. Poate pentru ca nu sunt obisnuiti sau pentru ca au impresia ca nu vor gasi aceleasi aplicatii pe Mac. Este total gresit ! Insa aici depinde de nevoile si preferintele fiecaruia. Ambele sunt bune in felul lor dar depinde la ce il vei folosi.
Alegi Wii, PS3 sau XBox ? La fel. Depinde ce fel de jocuri iti plac, si ce fel de interactiune cu actiunea din joc preferi ( joystick sau controale sezitive ).
Traim intr-o era in care tehnologia se misca foarte rapid, iar noi trebuie sa ne adapatam atat cat avem nevoie.
Mai jos va pun articolul pe care l-am citit !
The Misconception: We prefer the things we own over the things we don’t because we made rational choices when we bought them. The Truth?
The truth is that you prefer the things you own because you rationalize your past choices to protect your sense of self.
The Internet changed the way people argue.
Check any comment system, forum or message board and you will find fanboys going at it, debating why their chosen product is better than the other guy’s.
In modern consumer cultures like America, people compete for status through comparing their taste in products. (You can read more on how that works here: Selling Out).
Mac vs. PC, PS3 vs. XBox 360, iPhone vs. Android – it goes on and on.
Usually, these arguments are between men, because men will defend their ego no matter how slight the insult. These are also usually about geeky things that cost lots of money, because these battles take place on the Internet where tech-savvy people get rowdy, and the more expensive a purchase, the greater the loyalty to it.
Fanboyism isn’t anything new, it’s just a component of branding, which is something marketers and advertisers have known about since Quaker Oats created a friendly logo to go on their burlap sacks.
There was, of course, no friendly Quaker family making the oats back in 1877. The company wanted people to associate the trustworthiness and honesty of Quakers with their product. It worked.
This was one of, if not the first, such attempt to create brand loyalty – that nebulous emotional connection people have with certain companies which turns them into defenders and advocates for corporations who don’t give a shit.
In experiments where people were given Coke and Pepsi in unmarked cups and then hooked up to a brain scanner, the device clearly showed a certain number of them preferred Pepsi while tasting it.
When those people were told they where drinking Pepsi, a fraction of them, the ones who had enjoyed Coke all their lives, did something unexpected. The scanner showed their brains scrambling the pleasure signals, dampening them. They then told the experimenter afterward they had preferred Coke in the taste tests.
They lied, but in their subjective experiences of the situation, they didn’t. They really did feel like they preferred Coke after it was all over, and they altered their memories to match their emotions.
They had been branded somewhere in the past and were loyal to Coke. Even if they actually enjoyed Pepsi more, huge mental constructs prevented them from admitting it, even to themselves.
Add this sort of loyalty to something expensive, or a hobby which demands a large investment of time and money, and you get a fanboy. They defend their favorite stuff and ridicule the competition, ignoring facts if they contradict their emotional connection.
So, what creates this emotional connection to stuff and the companies who make doo-dads?
Marketers and advertising agencies call the opposite of fanboys hostages.
Hostages have no choice but to buy certain products, like toilet paper and gasoline. Since they can’t choose to own or not to own the product, they are far less likely to care if one version of toilet paper is better than another, or one gas station’s fuel is made by Shell or Chevron.
On the other hand, if the product is unnecessary, like an iPad, there is a great chance the customer will become a fanboy because they had to choose to spend a big chunk of money on it. It’s the choosing one thing over another which leads to narratives about why you did it.
If you have to rationalize why you bought a luxury item, you will probably find ways to see how it fits in with your self-image.
Branding builds on this by giving you the option to create the person you think you are through choosing to align yourself with the mystique of certain products.
Apple advertising, for instance, doesn’t mention how good their computers are. Instead, they give you examples of the sort of people who purchase those computers. The idea is to encourage you to say, “Yeah, I’m not some stuffy, conservative nerd. I have taste and talent and took art classes in college.”
Are Apple computers better than Microsoft-based computers? Is one better than the other when looked at empirically, based on data and analysis and testing and objective comparisons?
It doesn’t matter.
Those considerations come after a person has begun to see themselves as the sort of person who would own one. If you see yourself as the kind of person who owns Apple computers, or who drives hybrids, or who smokes Camels, you’ve been branded.
Once a person is branded, they will defend their brand by finding flaws in the alternative choice and pointing out benefits in their own.
There are a number of cognitive biases which converge to create this behavior.
The Endowment Effect pops up when you feel like the things you own are superior to the things you do not.
Psychologists demonstrate this by asking a group of people how much they think a water bottle is worth. The group will agree to an amount around $5, and then someone in the group will be given the bottle for free.
Then, after an hour, they ask the person how much they would be willing to sell the bottle back to the experimenter for. They usually ask for more money, like $8.
Ownership adds special emotional value to things, even if those things were free.
Another bias is the Sunk Cost Fallacy. This is when you’ve spent money on something you don’t want to own or don’t want to do and can’t get it back.
For instance, you might pay too much for some takeout food that really sucks, but you eat it anyway, or you sit through a movie even after you realize it’s terrible.
Sunk Cost can creep up on you too. Maybe you’ve been a subscriber to something for a long time and you realize it costs too much, but you don’t end your subscription because of all the money you’ve invested in the service so far.
Is Blockbuster better than Netflix, or Tivo better than a generic DVR? If you’ve spent a lot of money on subscription fees, you might be unwilling to switch to alternatives because you feel invested in the brand.
These biases feed into the big daddy of behaviors which is most responsible for branding, fanboyism and Internet arguments about why the thing you own is better than the thing the other guy owns – Choice Supportive Bias.
Choice Supportive Bias is a big part of being a person, it pops up all the time when you buy things.
It works like this: You have several options, like say for a new television. Before you make a choice you tend to compare and contrast all the different qualities of all the televisions on the market.
Which is better, Samsung or Sony, plasma or lcd, 1080p or 1080i – ugh, so many variables!
You eventually settle on one option, and after you make your decision you then look back and rationalize your actions by believing your television was the best of all the televisions you could have picked.
In retail, this is a well-understood phenomenon, and to prevent Buyer’s Remorse they try not to overwhelm you with choice. Studies show if you have only a handful of options at the point of purchase, you will be less likely to fret about your decision afterward.
It’s purely emotional, the moment you pick. People with brain damage to their emotional centers who have been rendered into Spock-like beings of pure logic find it impossible to decide between things as simple as which cereal to buy. They stand transfixed in the aisle, contemplating every element of their potential decision – the calories, the shapes, the net weight – everything. They can’t pick because they have no emotional connection to anything, no emotional motivations.
To combat postdecisional dissonance, the feeling you have committed to one option when the other option may have been better, you make yourself feel justified in what you selected to lower the anxiety brought on by questioning yourself.
All of this forms a giant neurological cluster of associations, emotions, details of self-image and biases around the things you own.
This is why all over the Internet there are people in word fights over video games and sports teams, cell phones and TV shows.
The Internet provides a fertile breeding ground for this sort of behavior to flourish.
So, the next time you reach for the mouse and get ready to launch and angry litany of reasons why your favorite – thing – is better than the other person’s, hesitate.
Realize you have your irrational reasons, and so do they, and nothing will be gained by your proselytizing.
via Gizmodo
Sesiune
Ei bine iar ma aflu in momentul in care trebuie sa dau piept cu sesiunea. Este momentul in care ne apucam de conspectat, ne scoatem costumul de la naftalina si pregatim bani pentru cartile vanute de profi in schimbul a 1-2 puncte in plus. Este singura perioada in care simt emotii adevarate pentru ca sesiunea se simte ca si cum ai da bacul din nou. Dar apoi stau si ma gandesc ca pot trece si peste asta. Bafta tuturor celor care au examene in aceasta perioada !
Ruga
Draga Dumnezeu,
Anul trecut mi-ai luat pe dansatorul si cantaretul meu preferat Michael Jackson, actorul meu preferat Patrick Swayze si actrita mea preferata Farah Fawcett. De curand, mi l-ai luat si pe comicul meu favorit Jean Constantin. Iti reamintesc ca politicianul meu favorit este Traian Basescu, iar premierul meu favorit este Emil Boc.
Román történelem
Si s-au intalnit si s-au sfatuit ei la guvern sa mai faca o lege noua. Si daca tot au fost pusi de domnul Basescu in functie de ce sa nu profite ? Ca de ! De mult timp tanjesc ei la patria noastra, la bucatica noastra de Transilvanie cu munti, podisuri si tot tacamul. Este vorba despre bozgorii de la conducerea tarisoarei, care au decis ca este timpul pentru a introduce istoria si geografia in limba maghiara in scoli. Astfel Mihai Viteazul devine Vitéz Mihályt, iar Stefan cel Mare – Stefan Nagy. S-ar rasuci in pamant mai marii conducatori care au facut istorie prin faptele si realizarile lor, daca ar auzi ce se alege de tarisoara noastra. Ce mai vor sa faca ? Sa ne impuna si sa ne bage pe gat traditiile, limba si tot ce inseamna Ungaria ? Majoritatea romanilor nu vor fi de acord cu asta din start ! Insa intrebarea mea este urmatoarea: Guvernul roman inchide ochii pentru un oarecare interes personal sau nu vor fi de acord cu introducerea legii ? Ramane de vazut ..
Google Wave for everyone !
Deci gata cu vremurile in care cerseai pe twitter o invitatie de Google Wave fie pentru ca erai curios sa vezi cu ce se mananca serviciul, fie ca era un produs nou de la Google . Asa ca iata ca acum Google Wave este disponibil tuturor pe moca. Deci hai la testat Google Wave copii !
La sfârşitul lui mai 2009 era prezentat pentru prima oară Google Wave. Cei de la Google erau foarte încrezători că Wave va lua în curând locul altor medii online de comunicare precum mail-ul, forumul sau messenger-ul. Până acum, Google Wave putea fi accesat doar pe baza unei invitaţii. Începând de azi, oricine poate accesa şi utiliza serviciul Google Wave.
Adevărul este că, la un an de la lansarea oficială, încă nu am găsit o utilizare clară pentru acest serviciu. Deşi în teorie ar putea fi util în numeroase activităţi, practic mai este mult timp până când Wave va ajunge să fie folosit pe scară largă. Poate dacă va fi integrat în alte servicii, precum Gmail, de exemplu, va avea mai mult succes. Cei care nu sunt familiarizaţi cu Google Wave, pot afla mai multe din acest articol.
Blogo for Mac
Uite asta ar fi o aplicatie interesanta pentru blog. O aplicatie care te poate determina sa scrii pe blog mai des. Poate din cauza ca esti deja logat cand lansezi aplicatia sau poate din cauza interfetei simple. Din pacate aplicatia este disponibila numai utilizatorilor de mac.
Am luat aplicatia si am testat-o !
Exact ca si pe control panelul din blog poti edita posta in format Rich sau Html, ai optiuni de format text, quote, toggle list, links si chiar poti adauga imagini sau filmulete. Mai jos exista o coloana in care adaugi tagurile si categoria din care face parte articolul ( acesta avand un “#” in fata ). Dupa ce ai terminat de scris postul ai optiunea Quick Look pentru a previzualiza articolul, iar apoi apesi “Post” si gata: articolul tau este gata postat. Sincer? Mie-mi place mult idea. Totul este mai simplu si mai lejer.
Recomandari seriale
Pentru ca a trecut ceva timp de cand le urmaresc am ajuns la concluzia ca un serial este uneori mai bun decat un film si mai eficient din punct de vedere al timpului. Daca de exemplu ti-e somn si nu ai chef sa stai 2 ore sa vezi un film, un serial de 35-40 de minute este ideal. Asa se face ca in ultima vreme mi-am petrecut timpul urmarind seriale si foarte rar mai vad cate un film. De fapt, nici nu-mi aduc aminte care a fost ultimul film vazut.
Momentan sunt atras de 2 seriale pe care vi le recomand si voua :
- Chuck – caterinca cu un baiat care a devenit fara sa vrea agent secret
- Dr. House – nu il urmaresc pentru discutiile plictisitoare si fara inteles legate de medicina, cat pentru sarcasmul, ironia, tenacitatea si umorul doctorului House.
Vizionare placuta deci !
Cum mi-am inceput experienta internauta
Vad ca e o moda acu pe twitter cu trendtopicul #tweetIE8 asa ca m-am gandit sa va povestesc si eu cum mi-am inceput prima experienta internautica. Pe la 10 ani eram in vizita cu parintii pe la niste cunostinte care aveau net tras de la o sala de internet de la parter. Am facut cunostinta atunci cu mIRC-ul. LA 11 ani am inceput sa ma duc la sala de net la Piticu . 5 mii de lei jumatate de ora si 10 mii era ora. Folosirea dischetei floppy era si ea tot 5 mii de lei. Desi era mult fum de tigara nu dadeam prea multa atentie pentru ca eram concentrat sa invat cum sa vorbesc pe mIRC. Usor usor am invatat sa stau pe mIRC, mi-am facur primul email ( hotmail.ro ) si invatasem sa ascult radio pe net. Radio Contact si EuropaFM erau in topul preferintelor in acea vreme. Mai apoi am invatat sa fac siteuri in Office si Notepad si mi-am facut domeniu gratuit pe home.Ro. Mai apoi am invatat sa uploadez pe ftp siteul prin Total Commander. Bineinteles ca uploadul l-am facut la sala unde lucra Piticu pentru ca acasa d-abia aveam net prin Xnet Dial-up care era prea varza. Stateam si luam melodii noi. Pe atunci era un lucru minunat sa poti lua melodii de pe net. Tin minte ca asteptam 20 de minute sa downloadez 3 MB. Era frumos sa inveti lucruri noi, sa citesti stiri de pe net, sa asculti radio online oriunde ar fi, sa descarci aplicatii si sa ai aproape totul. Era minunat sa socializezi. Atunci daca aratai cuiva ceva de genul Facebook sau Twitter, iti radea in fata probabil. Acum totul e normal. Acum totul ni se pare …obisnuit !
Banc cu unguri
Ajung doi unguri in Bucuresti…
Fără nici un ban, foame mare, ce se gandeste unul:
- Hai sa ne despartim si sa cersim, iar la sfarsitul zilei ne intalnim sa vedem cat a strâns fiecare…
Zis si facut! Se despart ei, pleaca fiecare unde crede de cuviinta. Pe înserat se intalnesc, dupa cum au stabilit.
-Tu cat ai strans?
-10 lei…
Si cum ai facut?
-Am fost într-un parc si am scris pe un carton:
NU AM SERVICI, AM 3 COPII DE CRESCUT, VA ROG SA MA AJUTATI!
Dar tu cat ai strans?
-7.658 de lei
-Iooy!!! Istenem!
Dar cum ai facut?
- Am scris pe un carton:
SUNT UNGUR! IMI LIPSESTE 1 LEU SA MA INTORC ÎN UNGARIA.
