Research says political candidates might be better off paying for web ads than investing too heavily in TV.
Elections sometimes give policy makers incentives to pander to implement policies that voters think are in their best interest even though the policy maker knows they are not, says Professor Kenneth Shotts. In general, an effective media reduces this tendency to pander, "but there are some exceptions to this general rule."
In a new study from Stanford Graduate School of Business, researchers say in some cases negative publicity can increase sales when a product or company is relatively unknown, simply because it stimulates product awareness.
Some 300 actors and writers were blacklisted during the 1950s, but researchers who analyzed how the social networks of that era worked say hundreds more saw their careers marred because they merely associated with those on the list.
The high price of popcorn at most movie theater concession stands actually benefits moviegoers, say researchers, including the business school’s Wesley Hartmann. It helps hold down the price of the movie ticket.
Rock groups can lose as much as 40% of their potential sales because consumers don’t know enough about them, says the Stanford Business School’s Alan Sorensen. There are lots of crowded markets out there where lack of information skews sales.
