Friday, December 23, 2016

Why Does It Make You Want To Buy Something?



After 98 years a brand can get a little old -- and Lincoln was.  Sales peaked in 1990, then fell 65%. 

But in 2014, Lincoln hired Matthew McConaughey as a spokesperson for the Lincoln MKC and struck marketing gold.  Lincoln had its best October in seven years and 2014 sales increased by 15.6% versus previous year.

Why?  Research tells us that one way we avoid decision-making fatigue is to use shortcuts, such as recommendations from authority figures.  It also tells us that we think prettier people are smarter.  When you consider those findings, following the recommendation of a favorite celebrity makes perfect sense.

Psychology, anthropology and sociology all impact buying decisions.  Why Does It Make You Want To Buy Something?  demonstrates how to increase the success of marketing campaigns by incorporating consumer research data.

Written by PJ Lehrer, Assistant Professor of Advertising at NYU, now available at 


Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Something-Convergence-Consumer-Behavior-Marketing/dp/0989742210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473024406&sr=8-1&keywords=9780989742214

Happy Reading!


Clothier, M., Naughton, K., O'Leary, M. (2014, November 4)  Lincoln Rides McConaughey Spoof to Best October in 7 Years.  bloomberg.com.  Retrieved December 23, 2016, from

Doell, Z. (2015, January 26)  Lincoln's Turnaround: 2014 Sales Up - Is it the McConaughey Bump?  kbb.com.  Retrieved December 23, 2016, from

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