PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

David & Goliath: When do underdog businesses benefit from neighborhood giants?

2014-12-09
(Press-News.org) Is being located next to a big-name competitor always bad for your small business? A new study in the Journal of Marketing Research shows that contrary to accepted belief, the presence of a large, nearby competitor can actually boost the sales of smaller brands.

"When the owner of Los Angeles's Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf could not stop Starbucks from moving in next door, he at first admitted defeat," note authors Neeru Paharia (Georgetown University), Jill Avery (Harvard University), and Anat Keinan (Harvard University). "However, soon after, he was surprised to see his sales shoot up, so much so that he began to proactively locate new stores next to Starbucks."

To test their theory, authors examined the buying habits of people shopping for books in a small, locally owned bookstore. Some shoppers were told that the bookstore's only competitors were other small bookstores. A different group was told that the bookstore's primary competition was a nearby national chain bookstore that threatened to put the locally owned shop out of business. The study found that customers who were told of the nearby national chain bookstore were more likely to make purchases at the smaller locally owned store.

In a second study, participants were told, "Imagine you are in the mood for a cup of coffee. You can either go to Starbucks or an independent coffee shop called Joe's Java." One group was told that Joe's Java and Starbucks were the same distance away, but in different neighborhoods. The second group was told that Joe's Java was right next door to Starbucks. The group that believed Joe's Java was literally standing in the shadow of Starbucks was more likely to go to Joe's Java.

Pilot study results indicate that consumers may gain pleasure as they 'stick it to the man', perhaps punishing larger, more dominant brands for having too much power. Instead of shying away from mentioning the competition, small businesses would do well to highlight the battle between small and large competitors.

INFORMATION:

Neeru Paharia, Jill Avery, and Anat Keinan. "Positioning Brands against Large Competitors to Increase Sales." Forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing Research. For more information, contact Neeru Paharia .



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Long-term results confirm success of MGH-developed laser treatment for vocal-cord cancer

2014-12-09
The first long-term study of a pioneering endoscopic laser treatment for early vocal-cord cancer, developed at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and previously shown to provide optimal voice outcomes, finds that it is as successful as traditional approaches in curing patients' tumors while avoiding the damage to vocal quality caused by radiotherapy or by conventional laser or cold-instrument surgery. The report in the December Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology describes results for the first 117 patients treated for vocal-cord cancer with the green-light potassium-titanyl-phosphate ...

NASA measures Typhoon Hagupit's Philippine rainfall from space

NASA measures Typhoon Hagupits Philippine rainfall from space
2014-12-09
As of Dec. 8, Super Typhoon Hagupit has caused up to 27 deaths. Early reports indicate the Philippines has been spared the widespread destruction caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Hagupit (called Ruby in the Philippines) forward motion slowed on December 4, 2014 before reaching the Philippines. After hitting Samar in the eastern Philippines Hagupit's continued slow movement resulted in high rainfall amounts along the typhoon's track. These high rainfall totals meant that flooding occurred frequently along the typhoon's track. When NASA/Japan Aerospace Exploration ...

Abandoning websites: Are annoying ads good for business?

2014-12-09
Most consumers have experienced online ads so garish, loud, or aggravating that they can't possibly be ignored. But a new study in the Journal of Marketing Research suggests that this way of forcing customer's attention may actually be bad for business. "Annoying ads are interesting because they both make and cost money for publishers. They make money because advertisers pay publishers to run ads. They cost money when annoyed users abandon a site, leaving the publisher with less advertising revenue," write authors Daniel G. Goldstein, Siddharth Suri and Fernando Diaz ...

The legend of the kamikaze typhoons

The legend of the kamikaze typhoons
2014-12-09
Boulder, Colo., USA - In the late 13th century, Kublai Khan, ruler of the Mongol Empire, launched one of the world's largest armada of its time in an attempt to conquer Japan. Early narratives describe the decimation and dispersal of these fleets by the "Kamikaze" of CE 1274 and CE 1281 -- a pair of intense typhoons divinely sent to protect Japan from invasion. These historical accounts are prone to exaggeration, and significant questions remain regarding the occurrence and true intensity of these legendary typhoons. For independent insight, we provide a new 2,000 year ...

Conservation targeting tigers pushes leopards to change

Conservation targeting tigers pushes leopards to change
2014-12-09
A leopard may not be able to change its spots, but new research from a World Heritage site in Nepal indicates that leopards do change their activity patterns in response to tigers and humans--but in different ways. The study is the first of its kind to look at how leopards respond to the presence of both tigers and humansLeopard in Chitwan, Nepal simultaneously. Its findings suggest that leopards in and around Nepal's Chitwan National Park avoid tigers by seeking out different locations to live and hunt. Since tigers--the socially dominant feline--prefer areas less disturbed ...

Why treating shoulder pain in baseball pitchers is so difficult

2014-12-09
MAYWOOD, Ill. -- Results of treating shoulder pain in baseball pitchers and other throwing athletes are not as predictable as doctors, patients and coaches would like to think, according to a report in the journal Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America. Nickolas Garbis, MD, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in shoulder and elbow injuries at Loyola University Medical Center, is the primary author. Shoulder pain occurs in athletes who play sports that require rapid acceleration and deceleration of the throwing arm. They include baseball pitchers, ...

James Ingle of Mayo Clinic Recognized for Breast Cancer Research

2014-12-09
James Ingle, M.D., an internationally recognized breast cancer expert, will receive the 2014 William L. McGuire Memorial Lecture Award on Dec. 10 at the 2014 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Dr. Ingle is a professor of oncology and the Foust Professor in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. He has been the leader of breast cancer research at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, serving as program co-leader of the women's cancer program with responsibility for breast cancer. He is currently co-director of the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer Specialized ...

Mobile device use leads to few interactions between mother and child during mealtime

2014-12-09
(Boston)-- Moms who use mobile devices while eating with their young children are less likely to have verbal, nonverbal and encouraging interactions with them. The findings, which appear online in Academic Pediatrics, may have important implications about how parents balance attention between their devices with their children during daily life. Parent-child interactions during meal time in particular show a protective effect on child health outcomes such as obesity, asthma and adolescent risk behaviors. These findings have been attributed to the positive family communication ...

Wetlands more vulnerable to invasives as climate changes

2014-12-09
DURHAM, N.C. -- In the battle between native and invasive wetland plants, a new Duke University study finds climate change may tip the scales in favor of the invaders -- but it's going to be more a war of attrition than a frontal assault. "Changing surface-water temperatures, rainfall patterns and river flows will likely give Japanese knotweed, hydrilla, honeysuckle, privet and other noxious invasive species an edge over less adaptable native species," said Neal E. Flanagan, visiting assistant professor at the Duke Wetland Center, who led the research. Increased human ...

Corporate responsibility eases customer reactions to bad service

2014-12-09
PULLMAN, Wash. - Imagine standing in a long line at your favorite coffee shop only to receive the wrong order. What would you do? While some might be angry and tell all their friends about the shop's bad service, researchers say other customers may think "it's all good" - IF they learn that the coffee shop donates a percentage of every purchase to charitable causes that customers value. Corporate social responsibility maximizes consumer return Writing in the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, researchers help firms understand when and why corporate social responsibility ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?

New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair

Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network

iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis

New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

[Press-News.org] David & Goliath: When do underdog businesses benefit from neighborhood giants?