Tuesday, November 16, 2010

More Experimental Research


            Experimental research, widely used among many companies, is very important in the public relations industry.  This past week, several of my classmates focused on the importance of experimental research on their chosen blog’s topics.  I enjoy reading my classmate’s blogs for the very reason that they are helpful when it comes to writing my own. 
            This past week, one of my classmates, Sacha, wrote about an interesting experiment done with Panera.  Performed by a non-profit, the study “tested whether people would take food for free if there were only suggested prices for food at Panera. The experiment showed however that people paid what they could and did not take food for free. This demonstrated that people were generally honest when it came to how much they could or could not actually spend. People who had more money were willing to pay more for a cup of coffee because it was going to a good cause. People who normally could not afford to go out to dinner were able to pay what they could and enjoy a nice meal out.”  In my opinion, the studies results were very surprising.  I imagined that most people would take the food and pay nothing.  However, I surprised to learn that this was the complete opposite.  In reference to experimental research, this study was very truth telling and enlightening.  Not everyone is looking for a free hand out.
            Another classmate, Kayla, focused on experimental research within the fashion industry.  “Certain stores are chosen to test clothing in and see how customers react to the clothing. Often times consumers attitudes are researched to see how they feel about a certain product, brand, or store. One experimental study researched the habits of consumers in the United Kingdom and Malaysia and their shopping habits online. This study wanted to find out how consumers viewed online shopping and what factors influenced their behaviors.”  Fashion experiments are very interesting, in my opinion.  They tell a lot more than one would assume.  The fashion industry is forever changing and therefore interesting to the say the least.
            Experimental research overall can be applied to more topics than I originally assumed.  Often a good tactic for discovering information, experiment research can help more than the company but rather a larger population.  

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