by david allan van nostrand | Feb 25, 2019 | Human Behavior, Psychology
Say the words cracker barrel and most Americans think of the chain restaurant and gift shop. Cracker Barrel Restaurants and Country Stores were designed to evoke the friendly, homespun character of general stores from the 1800s, when the U.S. was a rural agrarian...
by david allan van nostrand | Feb 18, 2019 | Fads, Unintended Consequences
Travelers are leaving their hotel rooms and heading for the lobby for a couple of good reasons. One is that the ever-smaller rooms have no space for tables, chairs, or desks and so are less comfortable than ever before. Another is that the lobby is now a happening...
by david allan van nostrand | Feb 11, 2019 | Human Behavior, Psychology
Although it is unlikely professional gambler Amarillo Slim ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, he was more than familiar with the concept. A Hall of Fame poker player, Slim liked to point out that “If you don’t know who the fool at the table is, it’s...
by david allan van nostrand | Feb 4, 2019 | Marketing
We have to make an effort to get the full picture, especially when marketers don’t want us to have it. Most of us have seen the NordicTrack ads on TV where Jane lost 20 pounds and we can, too. Few of us have read the fine print in the footnotes. The information there...
