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Perhaps a way to prevent the reaction from a change in category is to discontinue and rebrand the product. If the Red Cross had shut down the donut stations an
by milesokeefe 14y ago
Perhaps a way to prevent the reaction from a change in category is to discontinue and rebrand the product.
If the Red Cross had shut down the donut stations and then came back some time later with comfort food in a modified form, the soldiers would see the new stations independent of their anchor to the previously free stations.
- philwelch 14y agoI think that idea might be a wee bit insulting of the troops' intelligence.
- stretchwithme 14y agoThe troops probably have the same range of intelligence as everybody else. And the PR problem is mainly with those on one end of the continuum, not the other.
- cperciva 14y agoDo you really think that the American troops were that much smarter than the average American?
- philwelch 14y agoDo you really think the average American would fall for that trick?
- teamonkey 14y agoOf course! Companies use this trick again and again all over the world.
- cperciva 14y agoYes. I'm sure milesokeefe suggested it because discontinuing a product and then relaunching it is standard practice for companies which want to get rid of anchoring biases. (And I'm not sure I'd say that trying to evade cognitive biases is a "trick", really.)
- lelele 14y ago"discontinuing a product and then relaunching it is standard practice for companies which want to get rid of anchoring biases." Would you provide a few examples, please? Thanks.
- wl 14y agoApple rebranding iTools to .Mac.
- mkr-hn 14y agoThe McRib, everything in the Disney Vault.
- jonny_eh 14y ago.me -> iCloud (Although that one was in reverse, pay -> free-ish)
- zecho 14y agoThere's also renaming entire companies to shake anchoring bias: Worldcom -> MCI.
- Kerrick 14y agoBrinks Home -> Broadview [1] Windows Vista -> Windows Mojave [2] (Although this was just to "taste test") [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadview_Security http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadview_Security [2]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXrKO33Rc2g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXrKO33Rc2g
- joezydeco 14y ago"Andersen Consulting" -> "Accenture"
- scott_s 14y agoI think it's quite different for a service, particularly if it is currently in use. See: Quickster.
- philwelch 14y ago
- kalleboo 14y agoWell the troops are the ones holding a decades long grudge against the Red Cross for a decision made not by them but by the Secretary of War...
- delinka 14y agoI think there's also a bit of entitlement. I don't intend to imply the negative connotations. However, these soldiers are putting their lives on the line, so is a free doughnut so much to ask? Indeed, the fault lies with SecDef for the change. And the change affected a certain aspect of morale. But the suggested change would most certainly have been noticed. If Red Cross was the only place to get this item, then it dried up, then someone else made them available, even at a pittance, the entitlement sentiment exists and colors the experience.