Where to park my shopping trolley?

I was shopping at Tesco (Guildford) yesterday. At the car park, I saw a lady leaving her trolley to a corner. At first, I was not paying much attention as that is what we, as shoppers, do after finishing our shopping. We empty our trolleys and leave our trolley at designated trolley bays. Then, I got curious because the corner where the lady decided to 'park' her trolley is a not a designated trolley bay. Instead, it is the corner that some patrons have randomly chosen to 'park' their trolleys after finishing their shopping trips. The corner happens to be a 'busy' corner which automobiles must take in order to exit Tesco.

This trolley incident makes me think about people's learning behaviours. This lady, obviously, has observed other Tesco patrons parked their trolleys at the corner and, thus, she decided to follow suit. But, has she wondered or questioned if it was 'appropriate' to do so? Stated differently, was it logical to leave a trolley at the car park's corner which cars must take to exit a supermarket? After all, the corner is not a designated trolley bay. By leaving trolleys at this corner, it can seriously hinder automobiles exiting Tesco. More seriously, some automobiles may hit the trolleys 'being parked' at this corner and, subsequently, damage their automobiles. If it did happen, did the patron(s) involved have any right to claim compensation from Tesco?

Many psychology theories have talked about people learn by observing others such as children learning from their parents and/or siblings. But, I am also surprised to see that we, as adults who are supposed to be more cognitively mature than children, are also easily influenced by others' behaviours. We, as adults, seem to follow the behaviours of other people and, sometimes, without questioning if the behaviours are 'appropriate' under certain circumstances. Have you ever done something because others do it?

The lady who I mentioned in this blog, next time, please park your trolley at the designated trolley bay! You should question if a behaviour is 'appropriate' under a circumstance and avoid the 'other people do it' mentality!

The mightiness of David Beckham

If you google David Beckham and brands, it is no surprise that you will get an exhaustive list of results. After all, David Beckham is a very popular and 'busy' celebrity, who has licensed his name and image to many brands in different product categories. To name a few, these brands include Adidas (sport product), Gillette (skin care product), Pepsi (soft drink), Police (fashion accessories) to Vodafone (telecommunication) and Giorgio Armani (fashion).

David Beckham has recently added two more brands to his endorsement list, namely, Yahoo and Young's frozen fish. Please see the attached picture. As a celebrity, does David Beckham still command the persuasive power that he used to enjoy? Has he not over-sold his brand name to the extent that he, as a celebrity, has lost its persuasive power? Looking at the brands mentioned earlier, he does not seem to be very selective of which brand(s) he will or will not endorse. Instead, he seems to be a 'brand prostitute', who is happily willing to offer his 'service' (i.e. his name and image) to any company that can sign a big fat cheque.

Many marketing texts identify that the persuasive power of a celebrity can lie on three domains: credibility; attractiveness; and expertise. David Beckham is a talented soccer player and, thus, he is a natural choice for sport brands like Adidas. He is also fairly good looking and always dress well (as seen in magazines and television) and, thus, he seems a good choice for fashion brands like Giorgio Armani. But, what does he know about online search engine and frozen food? It does not seem a good fit between David Beckham and these product categories?

During the FIFA period, some companies (e.g. Yahoo and Young's) seem to believe that David Beckham can truly help to promote the brand awareness and stimulate the sales of their products. To verify if this is the case, I will be very keen to look at their sales figures and talk to their customers. These companies do not seem to give much thought about the 'good fit' between David Beckham and their products. Is David Beckham the only celebrity that companies can use to promote their products during FIFA? Is David Beckham is as mighty as he appears to be?