Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen

Is this the end of brands? Of course not. Brands still play some important roles that are not likely to go away. And in categories where prestige, status, and emotional links to brands matter a great deal, the rate of change is likely to be slow. So luxury brands are on safer ground. Yet in domains where objective, specification-based quality is important—and can be assessed … [ Read more ]

Itamar Simonson and Emanuel Rosen

More decisions today are impacted by what we call O sources of information — “Other” information sources, such as user reviews, friend and expert opinions, price comparison tools, and emerging technologies or sources — whereas market research measures P sources — “Prior” preferences, beliefs and experiences. What market researchers often underestimate, though, is the degree to which consumers have difficulty imagining or anticipating a new … [ Read more ]