The Positive and Negative Reactions to Gift Giving

Happy holidays! Only a few more days until Christmas, the perfect time of the year when all the wrapping is done, and you can just enjoy great food with family, and hopefully you don't have to work. When I think about gift giving, I like to give practical gifts to my family, instead of just something that looks nice. For my mother I got a new laptop, my sister new knives (since she always complains about hers, and hopefully they don't read my blog). One gift stumped me for a while though, my close friend wanted to start off 2015 with a healthy diet, so I almost decided to get her a diet book. Apparently this was a VERY BAD idea.

When thinking about this gift, the different reactions were playing out in my mind. First, she could love the gift in the sense it shows I listen to her and I want to help her be healthy. Secondly, she could be insanely pissed at me for thinking that she needs to lose weight. The second one definitely seemed more plausible to me. When discussing the Ruth, Otnes, and Brunel six possible outcomes of the gift exchange, I think the gift would fit into weakening, or severing of the relationship (Lecture 10, S.11). If you look at the picture to the left, this is essentially how I found the situation playing out; my friend very angry at me and me looking confused as to why she didn't like the gift.

So of course I was stumped on what to get her and it made me think if I were to get the same gift for a guy, would it be the same reaction? I asked ten friends who's new years resolution involved eating healthier or getting fit, five woman, five guys. When I asked my female friends, 4/5 said they would be offended if I were to get them a diet book, where as 0/5 guys said they would be offended? Why such the difference? When I asked both genders both had very different reactions and explanations for the gift.

The book to the left, The Bulletproof Diet,which I have previously discussed in another blog, is the diet book in which I used in the survey. When I showed my friends the cover of the book, their main focus was "Reclaim ENERGY and FOCUS", as well as UPGRADE Your Life". Their initial reactions were great. They wanted to know how they could do it, and how much they would like to be more focused throughout the day. They thought it would be a great gift!

When I showed the cover of the book to the woman, the very first thing they saw was "LOSE up to a POUND a DAY." That is why I thought the book would be a good fit for them, it was the only thing they focused on! They didn't look about energy and focus, or upgrading their life, they solely saw the book as a weight loss guide. Why the different perceptions of the cover between genders? Why do different genders focus on different things?

To start,  let's look from the woman's perspective. Throughout their lives, girls are told to look a certain way, be a certain size, and this causes them to constantly think about their appearance. So with all the attention on their body over the years, it could make sense why they focused on losing weight portion of the book.   So if she was really upset about the gift, it would harm the relationship. In an in-depth interpretation of the gift giving situation, an epiphany would occur. The word epiphany in this case relates to when the gift recipient regards receipt of the gift as a turning point in the relationship (Lecture 10, S.12). The look of this woman is exactly what I picture my friends reaction would be to me getting her the book...definitely a sign not to get it for her!

Since we are close to New Years as well, everyone will have their "new year new me" behaviour, so here are just a few ways, or about 70, to help in an active new years resolution.

How to have a Bullerproof New Year

When we look through the gift giving process, our first stage is gestation, the gift search and purchase. We have to find a gift that they recipient would like. I find the best gifts are ones that are surprising and not something boring that they asked for, it takes away all the fun! The second stage is the exchange and their initial reaction. It's hard to tell if someone likes a gift as they may be very good at acting to like a bad gift. I included a video at the bottom to help you pretend to like a bad gift... you are welcome! The third stage, reformation, is the realignment of the relationship between the giver and the recipient. Now, if it is a very good gift, it could strengthen the relationship, but actually, never mind. It could be a good gift but not the gift they were expecting. Let's say that I had a girlfriend of 6 years and I give her a tiny jewelry box with diamond earrings, great gift, but she may have expected something different like a ring.

Now to look through a guys perspective, which I may be able to understand a bit more. To be honest, when I saw the part about losing weight on the cover, I just skimmed over it and didn't think about that part of the diet. I have never tried to lose weight, so it makes sense why I wouldn't focus on it. From my experience, guys usually want to get bigger and more muscular, instead of losing weight. Now that I think about it, the girls thought of the book as a way to change their body image, where as the guys saw the book as a way to enhance their brain functions, and not have anything to do with their body at all.  On the other hand, this is how I would imagine if I got all the guys a copy of the book, more showing their enthusiasm, but hey, if they like the book that much they can go ahead and jump!

How would you feel if someone got you a diet book for Christmas? Or a piece of exercise equipment? Do you think giving presents are overrated?

Now aside from the whole health aspect of gift giving, in my search I came across an interesting podcast on why gift giving is bad for the economy. Give it a listen if you feel!

Is Gift Giving a Waste of Money?

The Ideal Self

What is the perfect body image? Is there such a thing? Or is it all personal preference? In this post I will discuss the things people will do to get their "perfect body" and why some will pursue unhealthy practices to look healthy.

How can we define if someone is healthy? Do we judge it on their appearance and by their weight? Most of us judge do. Being skinny isn't necessarily an identifier of being healthy, especially for people who are under the age of 30. Our metabolisms work at an exaggerating rate for some individuals allowing them to eat whatever the want but not gain a pound.

This podcast gives great views on how people should focus on themselves and not worry about what others think of them. At the end of the day, we all just want to be happy right ?

How to Become your Ideal Self

Let's look at the ideal body image that has been placed into our minds. Society has taught us that we have to look a certain way for people to find us attractive. Marketers feed on this desire to attract consumers to buy their products giving them the appearance that there is such thing as the "perfect body". Victoria's Secret proudly flaunts their idea of "The Perfect Body" so woman who wear their products will associate  themselves with these models. 

Dove on the other hand has a completely different approach and promotes that all sizes are beautiful. Dove uses the same look as the Victoria's Secret ad, but does not sell their products for their looks. Do you like this campaign  more than Victoria's Secret's? Do you think Dove really has those views or are they just trying to position themselves this way for the publicity?

Companies position their products to attract consumers in a way so that they view their product as healthy even though it isn't in the slightest. Take for example, Skinny girl alcoholic products. Everyone knows that alcohol isn't good for you, but girls think that if they drink this certain brand it won't be as bad for their health. It gives them the illusion that since it isn't as bad for you they can drink more, which just counters the effect of it being a "healthier" option anyways.

The ideal self is the view of how we would like ourselves to be. This is rarely realistic as everyone has high expectations of themselves. The actual self,  a more realistic appraisal of one qualities, is a lot more reliable. Very few people have achieved their ideal self as we always finding something wrong with ourselves and looking for new ways to improve. Certain products allow us to accept our body the way they are, but a lot try to change our body and the way we think of it. Clothing magazines, and almost everything with a model in it does not help us reach our ideal selves, but instead make us think about how we cannot reach the "ideal self" fed to us by media.

Let's discuss the self-concept, a bit more interesting in my opinion. The self-concept is the "beliefs a person holds about his/her own attributed, and how he/she evaluated these qualities" (SWD, p.121). Certain attributes can include ones content, which is how attractive they find their body and variance, which is if they consider it to be positive or negative.

Dove made a great video in which they asked the women to meet with a random person and have them describe this person and themselves. They then asked that other person to do the same, with multiple groups of people. At the end they compared the two images and all the women noticed the image of themselves was not as accurate as the other image as the were harsher on themselves. The message in this video is that we do not give ourself enough credit for our looks and are to hard on ourselves. This ad was a huge success for their real beauty campaign and helped a lot of women.

What do you think about the two different ways companies can position themselves? Should they promote their product to a specific niche, or should they allow people to embrace who they are and not have them change to fit into societies view on appearance?

Do you need a Certain Attitude to be Fit?

Why do people fail over and over again on diets? Is it because they don't choose the right one? They don't have the time to make healthy food everyday? Or is it simply because the don't have the proper attitude to do so? It's about half way through the semester now, so I'm still able to go to the gym and eat healthy, but as soon as exam season starts, that will be a whole other story.

There are a lot of reasons why diets can fail for certain people. Certain diets are strictly on a calorie basis which is probably one of the worst ways to diet seeing as there are good and bad calories. If I eat 2000 calories including broccoli, chicken, and fruit in a day, it doesn't mean that someone who only ate 1000 calories at Mcdonalds is in the clear and losing weight. Low fat diets are also a big no! If you haven't heard, there are such things as good fat! Avocados for example have 160 calories and 15 grams of fat. Unsaturated fats are good for your body as the contain antioxidants help lower cholesterol. "Eating certain foods (low fat, higher carb or sugary foods) actually increased hunger and slows metabolism"(Hyman, 2014).

Now onto the main point of why I think diets don't work for most people, their attitude! It seems that most people can work on a diet for a couple weeks, but give in right after that and indulge worse than they were before. Attitude, the lasting, general evaluation of ones self, people, or objects..." (SWD, pg.187) plays the largest part in a diet as it deals with the psychological aspect of it.

When analyzing the Functional Theory of Attitudes we can look at Daniel Katz, who believes attitudes exist because they serve a function (Lecture 8, S.6). Attitudes, determined by ones motives, have to have an impact on the individual if the attitude is to be strong enough to make a difference. From a marketing view, two consumers can have the same attitude towards a product, but for different reasons. Marketers need to distinguish between these reasons and market the product to attract both clients.

A great example is protein powder. Some use it as a meal replacement when they don't have time to make a meal, but I think of it as more a recovery drink and have never had one to replace a meal. So how does one position the product to both? It is difficult to do. If I saw a protein commercial of someone using it as a meal replacement, I wouldn't even think of getting it. It is crucial to show the different uses of the product, without one becoming too dominant over the other. Attitude plays a huge part in this. For myself, I wouldn't want to use a protein that I see a woman drinking with her friends as a meal replacement. I would find using that product to be feminine, which a guy does not want to think of when he is working out. One way companies do this, including Whey Protein, is to have almost identically the same product, just in a different container and label to appeal to different consumers, who's attitude towards the label and purpose affect their purchase behaviour.

This video, a bit old, gives a psychological interpretation of why diets fail for most people, one of his main arguments being ones attitude towards the diet!

So why does ones attitude have such a large impact on their results? If someone is determined to have certain results and have a great enough purpose, nothing can stop them. If someone is dedicated for certain reasons, such as hockey, if they want it bad enough they will work day and night to get better no matter what. Compare this to someone who just wants to lose weight to look better. Who do you think is more determined and has a stronger attitude to achieve their goal? I'm not saying that trying to lose weight is less important, but the reasoning behind the diet is the greatest motivator!

One way marketers attract consumers is through a foot in the door technique. This starts with a small request on the individual to either give a small explanation of the product, or get them to try it themselves. Most people think of protein shakes as disgusting and not something that they could drink, but if someone gives you a sample of their product which tastes amazing, their product may be the only one you think tastes good and are more inclined to buy.

It has been proven, when starting a diet, you will lose weight during the first two weeks, but after that it will start to plateau and you will not lose weight as quickly, or see an increase in size if you are trying to bulk up. This is why most diets such as Jenny Craig or gym memberships will provide a week or two free as you will see the most results during that time and will want to continue with that program. The reason diet plans can afford to give free food away for a week is because they know if people see the results they will continue the program. Also they can markup the prices on their products when they do decide to purchase because of the label and the names associated with weight loss. The average Jenny Craig user spends between $500 to $675 a month for the food (Kirk, 2014). This is crazy! Almost $700 for food which could be bought at a store, all organic for less than $300? It just goes to show how much people want the brand, the name, and do not want to put in the effort of having to make their own food, but instead have it delivered to their door and just have to heat it up. Not the best attitude if yo ask me.


Just for fun, here is possibly the most unique diet ad I have ever seen!

Do you think that a persons attitude is the main reason diets fail? Is it the diet itself? Also, why do you think some diets work for some but not others?


Sources
http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/05/26/5-reasons-diets-fail-succeed/#close
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jYWv5beWWY&spfreload=10
http://www.bestdiettips.com/jenny-craig/how-much-does-jenny-craig-cost-price-list-for-2011
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Saturated_Fats_vs_Unsaturated_Fats

Why do we Collect and How do we Judge it's Value ?

Everyday I look online for new hockey collectibles such as autographed pictures, jerseys,
and game used equipment. I'm not too sure why I want it, but I do, and it seems cool to have these items. Growing up playing hockey it has always been important to me, especially following certain players through their career. To have a piece of their history would be cool to have, especially a game used mask by Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour. Having a piece of equipment from someone who has dedicated their life to be the best at the sport I love is why I have collected these items, but not everyone collects for the same reason. I'm writing this as I sit at home during reading week, surrounded by my hockey collection, gives me some motivation.

Over the years my hockey collection has grown. To start, I have over 25,000 hockey cards. Yes, I have that many cards. Granted, 16,000 of them have roughly no value. I plan to use them as wall paper when I finally have my own place and can use them for my "man cave". I also have 11 signed and framed pictures of various goalies in the NHL. Most university students spend their money on the going out to the bar, and partying, I spend my money on my hockey picture collection, to each their own I guess? I don't know when I started to collect, but it must have been when I was 8 or 9. I don't know why either? The cards are just made of paper after all. What makes them so special?

How to marketers find their target market if everyone has their own preferences and collecting is so unpredictable?  Well if you look to the left, that guy may be interested in his teams memorabilia, but that's just a guess. Marketers conduct a psychographic analysis of consumer profiles that differentiates between the users and non-users. Where would be a good place to sell expensive memorabilia?

Of course the best place would be to sell in the stadium or arena that the teams play in, preferably in high traffic areas, and higher class neighborhoods. How do we draw in the attention of the fan? How much are they willing to spend on it? For everyone the value of the product is different. In terms of hockey memorabilia, I would value Toronto memorabilia greater than any other team because of the history, but in terms of a financial stand point, certain players are worth more than others.

This here was my favourite hockey player growing up. It's probably bad for me so say this seeing as he played for Toronto, my Professors least favourite team (lets just hope she doesn't fail me!), but he is still my favourite for many reasons. I have been trying for so long to find a used mask, stick, anything by him to add to my collection, but so far no luck. Why do I want something of his? It won't make me a better player, it won't make me anymore famous, it has no actual use, so why do I want it so bad?

When I try to think of an answer, a few options come about. The first, to show off to friends.  When looking at Dichter's Consumption Model, we can link it to individuality. A need for a specific piece of hockey memorabilia, lets say, the stick that Belfour has in his hand that was used in the 2003 playoffs.All our lives we envy those who have nice things, why would hockey be any different? I know my extensive, nerdy, collection of hockey memorabilia would not impress many, but to others I'm sure it would. Second, its simple, its a hobby. Some people collect stamps and old currency like my grandfather, some collect shows, the list goes on and on.

This right here, this is my dream, except it will be full of Toronto memorabilia. Is it a waste of money? Most people would say yes, especially if they knew there was probably over $6,000 worth of hockey memorabilia in this picture. Is it a waste though if it is something you love? How do you judge its value? In my opinion, its value is how much it is worth to you. A signed Patrick Roy jersey may be worth $600, but to have the jersey of one of the greatest goalies of all time hanging in my living room, priceless. Wow, I feel like I'm on a MasterCard commercial.
Now to get into the psychological aspect of collecting; why some people find it interesting and others a waste of time.

When you here the word collecting, what do you think of most? Do you think of sports? Money? Stamps? Art? You may be surprised with the top 10 items to collect. The first, which may not be that much of a surprise, is coins. With the value always increasing, a penny from 1936 can be worth more than $400,000. Why you may ask? With so much currency being produced, there is bound to be errors in the production, which adds value to the coin or paper currency. These errors can include things such as a cutting error, wrong number of ridges, duplicate serial numbers. The more errors there are, the more valuable it is! Value does not always have to be a numeric value. Value is the belief that some condition is preferable to its opposite. I find my grandpa's personal collection, valued way higher than the coins would be listed for in a store. I continue the collection for the history behind the coins, the time my grandfather put into it, where as others strictly think of the monetary value of the coins, we have the same behaviour towards the coin, but different values.

If we look at Carl Jung's Analytical Psychology, he proposes people are shaped by cumulative experiences of past generations. This can also be described as a collective unconscious. My great-grandpa and his father loved collecting old currency, which could be why I find it so intriguing.

Other honorable mentions in decreasing order include movies, stamps, CD’s (This must be an old list), video games, dolls, and sports cards coming in at number 7!


The following video shows a college professor, Hugh Spencer, explaining why we like to collect certain things. From the object's physical attributes, the sentimental feeling, to its cultural history. He gives a deeper understanding that goes past the intrinsic value of the collectible.

Do think collecting is a good hobby? Or is it a waste of money for something that has no function at all, other than to show off.

What Motivates us to buy Healthy?

This is the first blog I have ever written, so try to be patient with me. It is also the beginning of the semester so my writing will hopefully get better as the semester continues.

What is actually true about living a healthy lifestyle? What are the actual secrets to living a healthier life? To what degree what I'm reading is actually true? What articles are stating facts based on science and not just theories or the latest fads? These are the questions I have come across while trying to live a better, healthier life. We assume that if someone has a degree in that subject or 20 years experience they will never deceive us. This may not always be the case as there can be underlying factors in which professions may recommend certain products to their customers or viewers.

To start off, let's talk about the differences in choices people may have, driven by motivation.  Motivation is the processes that leads people to behave as they do (SWD, p.95). Seems simple, but it actually very complex and there are many traits and behavioural nodes that affect our commitment, which we discussed in class. When I was younger I never really cared about being healthy, I just wanted to be a kid, eat junk food, drink pop and if I played outside everyday there was no way I can be unhealthy. I was excersing and that's all I had to do to be healthy, I didn't really understand all the other aspects. Now that I'm older and more health conscious I understand these aspects, I am making healthier decisions and I look for fresh food, healthy supplements, and products that will help my body perform at its best. I had fallen for so many marketing ploys on products just because of what the label said. However, now, being in my third year of university for marketing, I can see the ways that companies try and trick consumers into buying their product. In my personal experience, I have probably been persuaded in the past to buy products that celebrities endorse, but after taking marketing classes and understanding the mentality of what attracts our eyes, I no longer get fooled. Well at least I think I don't...

Dr. Oz, one of the most popular doctors in today's society, got his chance at stardom after appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004. In 2007, nationally 7.4 million people watched the show daily. Just imagine the influence he is having on these people, just after one show. Of course companies would want these people to promote their products, and they would do anything to get them to do so. ANy company would want a show with that many viewers and a doctor recommending their product on TV. It's easier than creating a whole new ad campaign, and its a guaranteed audience of over 7 million people, let alone people who re-watch episodes or watch them at a different time. This would be HUGE publicity for a company to have a trusted, well-known, personable doctor, and Oprah recommending their product.

 One behavioural node that was discussed in my class was "brand-specific". This refers to the consumer relating positively or negatively to a certain brand and either sticking solely with that brand, or avoiding them completely. Celebrities can influence these opinions, and can sway the opinions by recommending them. Oprah influences her viewers on her show but also in her book club. Oprah started her book club by doing one book a month, with a special sticker on the book saying she recommended it. The need for affiliation for these viewers is immensely popular as they want to be able to discuss the book with people they watch the show with. In 2014, Oprah's book club had 73 novels to read! How do you think the sales of those books were once she recommended them? It is the same as when Dr. Oz would appear on the show and recommend products. The viewer wants to feel a part of the group, so they take what the smart, handsome doctor says. 

We can also look at the labels on products and see what they really mean. Have you ever been trying to shop healthy and come across words such as Natural, Farm Fresh, and real ingredients, and automatically assumed it was healthy? Marketers use these words to prey on consumers into thinking they are buying healthy products. But it is not always the case that these products are healthy. Another trick people fall for is "no sugar". Most products that have "no sugar" are replacing it with something artificial, which is even worse for your body. Here we see what most people think a farm looks like today. Lots of open space for the cows to roam, only eating grass. These farms still exist in today's society, don't get me wrong, but they are definitely not as common as they used to be. In this discussion, we can look at is as utilitarian versus hedonic needs. Utilitarian, relating to eating only free range, organic beef, for the sake of it being healthier for you. Hedonic would constitute as eating free range beef for morale reasons, without thinking of the health benefits. I know in my case, I think of it mostly on a utilitarian practice, but in the back of my mind, I feel better knowing that the animals were not harmed the way they are in factories.

When I go back home for reading week, Christmas, and summer, the most exciting part is the food I get to eat. Living in the country definitely has its perks! The quality of meat, and the flavour alone is completely different than if you were to buy a steak at a supermarket. 

The term farm; an area of land and its buildings used for growing crops and rearing animals, typically under the control of one owner or manager, is a very vague description which allows the term to manipulate the minds of consumers when shopping for healthy products. I'm sure we have all seen the videos of what actually happens behind the scenes in farms today. If not I included a link for you to watch. These are farms used in todays society! Does that really seem like "Farm Fresh" to you? How about looking at this picture now? This is what a typical farm looks like today. Animals crowded, being treated poorly, and fed who even knows what.

The video, The Truth Behind Meat Production is graphic, so be careful if you watch!

By the end of this blog I don't want you to think I am an ambassador, trying to promote people to not eat meat, or fight against these companies. I am just showing what is done to the the food that you eat on a daily basis. 

Hearing success stories can motivate consumers in trying their product or method. If the theory has been proven to work for an individual, why wouldn't it work for us? It's all so simple! But maybe its not that easy, everyones molecular biology is different, which causes different diets to have different affects on individuals. For example, in the summer, my friend gave up wheat and lost 10 pounds, felt healthier, was more alert, and was more focused. It should have the same effect on me right?. In reality, my friend had celiac disease, a wheat allergy, which is why he felt more focused after he gave it up. Myself who does not have a wheat allergy, lost the weight as well,15 pounds, from giving up the wheat, but my brain functions may not have differed from their usual activity.

Wheat Belly is a great read that I had to opportunity to read over the summer. I was amazed to see just how many products have wheat in them and how difficult it was to eat wheat free. I noticed the fat in my stomach disappear after just a few days, with a healthy diet instituted as well, I felt great!


The following podcast, from Bulletproof radio, discusses the power of self motivation in terms of healthy eating. The majority of people will not try to find a solution to the problem, unless it affects them. The writer of Wheat Belly would not focus his time and effort in writing a book that has no effect on him. It is the internal drivers of our body that motivate us to eat healthy and help us try to find a lifestyle that fits our individual needs. The Bulletproof Diet is a new way to think about fatty foods, exercise, and sleep. A need for uniqueness can cause someone to be on the verge of a new diet and do it before others.  It takes away traditional methods of sleep with the required eight hours and eliminates it to four. It also discussed a flow state, which is when you are in a state of mind when nothing can distract you and time is non-existent. It was one of the few terms in class I actually knew.

The Power of Intention

Do you think there is a major difference in terms of nutrition between getting vegetables and meat from your local farm or Loblaws? Is it worth spending the extra money? Should you expect the same results from others for the amount of effort put in? The only way to judge how effective your diet method is, is by comparing yourself to only yourself. 

If your interested in learning more about a more diverse methodology of dieting you can check out:

The Bulletproof Diet (2014) by Dave Asprey


WebSources:
http://www.forbes.com/profile/oprah-winfrey/
https://www.bulletproofexec.com/george-bryant-paleo-eating-disorders-the-power-of-intention-170/