The IKEA Effect

How many of you have been very proud of something that you have worked really hard on?  You should be, right? Of course it is right. But IKEA has made a great business of this knowledge. It is known that when we put effort into something, we are more likely to like it....more likely to feel pride and to feel competence.

Simply put (I'm not trying to imply that the underlying effects are truly simple), we fall in love with things that we help to create. Yes, we also fall in love with things that our children create (see poorly constructed ceramic vase/ashtray/cereal bowl/whatchamacallit on your parents' buffet).....

IKEA (among others) have it figured out. They save on labor, can ship things in a very compact way, allow the consumer to take pride in construction and to ultimately love the product more than if it had been bought ready-made. Bonus.

Truth in Advertising

Courtney shared a graphic with me the other day that spoke to our topic discussed earlier in the semester of being misled by marketing. It is, no doubt, irritating to consumers to be shown one thing and to receive something that looks (a bit?) different.

What are your thoughts on the differences between what is pictured (advertised) and what is ultimately given to the consumer? Isn't it the marketers' responsibility to make their product(s) look as attractive as possible when promoting? Discuss.