surveys
I like taking surveys, I think probably because I am rarely asked my opinion and when I offer it, people don't listen to it anyways. I took a boring survey at the library today asking why I came to the library and did it meet my expectations (it definitely did), but the exciting survey I took on Monday is really what I want to tell you about.
I get periodic emails from Ben and Jerry's, which I signed up for because I love ice cream. Monday they sent me an email asking if I would take a survey. I said yes, because we all know at this point how I feel about surveys. They first asked if I like chocolate, which I do! They then presented me with a flavor and its packaging. I was asked what I thought about the flavor and name and whatnot, and then they showed another flavor. The thing is, this second flavor was actually the same as the first flavor, just with a different name. I got to see the same ice cream, but with packaging modifications and different names, and what really gets me is that even though I knew it was the same ice cream, the different names made me feel completely different about whether or not I would buy it! My favorite name was "Chocolate Cookie Madness," but one of the options was "Monster Cookie Mash." I think this is a TERRIBLE name for ice cream. "Mash" implies that whatever was there was pounded into an unrecognizable pulp, like mashed potatoes, or cauliflower mash. And if that weren't enough, the label had a creepy picture of a cookie jar with a purple hand coming out of it! Even though the description of the ice cream still sounded appealing to me, there is no way I would have bought Monster Cookie Mash. And I totally would buy Chocolate Cookie Madness, even though the ice cream is EXACTLY THE SAME. And I experienced this emotional reaction to the flavor names EVEN THOUGH I knew what they were testing. It was so weird.
The end result is that if I ever see Monster Cookie Mash in my grocery store, I may very well swear off all Ben and Jerry's forever. But if I see Chocolate Cookie Madness, I will purchase it and enjoy it. And I will be excited that they listened to my opinion.
I get periodic emails from Ben and Jerry's, which I signed up for because I love ice cream. Monday they sent me an email asking if I would take a survey. I said yes, because we all know at this point how I feel about surveys. They first asked if I like chocolate, which I do! They then presented me with a flavor and its packaging. I was asked what I thought about the flavor and name and whatnot, and then they showed another flavor. The thing is, this second flavor was actually the same as the first flavor, just with a different name. I got to see the same ice cream, but with packaging modifications and different names, and what really gets me is that even though I knew it was the same ice cream, the different names made me feel completely different about whether or not I would buy it! My favorite name was "Chocolate Cookie Madness," but one of the options was "Monster Cookie Mash." I think this is a TERRIBLE name for ice cream. "Mash" implies that whatever was there was pounded into an unrecognizable pulp, like mashed potatoes, or cauliflower mash. And if that weren't enough, the label had a creepy picture of a cookie jar with a purple hand coming out of it! Even though the description of the ice cream still sounded appealing to me, there is no way I would have bought Monster Cookie Mash. And I totally would buy Chocolate Cookie Madness, even though the ice cream is EXACTLY THE SAME. And I experienced this emotional reaction to the flavor names EVEN THOUGH I knew what they were testing. It was so weird.
The end result is that if I ever see Monster Cookie Mash in my grocery store, I may very well swear off all Ben and Jerry's forever. But if I see Chocolate Cookie Madness, I will purchase it and enjoy it. And I will be excited that they listened to my opinion.