Consumerology

Philip Graves, one of the world's leading experts in consumer behavior, revelas why the findings obtained from most market research are completely unreliable. Whether it is company executives seeking to define their corporate strategy or politicians wanting to understand the electorate, the idea that questions answered on a questionnaire or discussed in a focus group can provide useful insights on which to base decisions is the cause of product failures, political blunders and wasted billions.

Consumerology exposes some of the most expensive examples of research-driven thinking clouding judgment, experience and evidence - from New Coke to General Motors, from Mattel to the Millennium Dome - and instances of great success through, ironically, ignoring market research, such as Baileys and Dr Who. It also shows organizations the tools they should be employing if they want to understand their customers.

Using his unique AFECT approach, a set of five criteria to evaluate the reliability of any consumer insight, Graves asserts that it's time for a fresh approach that embraces this new understanding of human behavior. Along the way, he reveals why the current practice of market research is a false science, why we often don't buy what we say we will, and how to understand consumers better than they do themselves.

Philip Graves is a consumer behavior consultant, author and speaker. Twenty years observing consumers as a market research manager and research consultant made him aware of a conflict between what people said in research and what they actually did, which lead to the introduction of the psychology of shopping into his work. He has advised numerous international businesses, including Comet, ITV, Whirlpool, Dr Martens, New Covent Garden Food Company, Camelot, Virgin Media, Hotpoint and Pepsi. In addition to running his own consultancy business, Shift, Philip is an associate of Frontier Economics.