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Ever heard this funky word before?

I stumbled upon a funny-sounding word in a book I recently read: pooh-pooh .  When you hear or read the word, you just can't help but think of: (1) Winnie the Pooh, and/or (2) "poo," as in excrement. At first, the word to me sounded like it could mean to deride or lampoon someone -- something you'd expect to see a stand-up comedian do. To pooh-pooh is to dismiss an idea or suggestion as being foolish, impractical, or unworthy of serious consideration. It's happened to all of us before, whether at work or at home. Maybe you've pooh-poohed someone yourself. For example, if someone approaches you and argues that the sky is really orange, you might "pooh-pooh" his claim as nonsense. Other synonyms include reject, discount, rebuff, belittle, and repudiate. It just goes to show you the sheer variety of words in the English language, some sounding more offbeat than others. Had you heard of the word pooh-pooh before reading this?

As consumers, we're generally lazy when shopping

Consumers generally try to expend as little brain power as necessary before and while shopping. For example, most of us would easily be swayed into buying a particular product after seeing the word "Sale" slapped on the price tag. But did you know that retailers generally mark up the price so much to begin that you're not getting much of a deal at all? Thanks to advertising, we've come to associate words like "sale" and "discount" with must-have products. Unfortunately, very few of us actually take the time to tally everything up en route to the cash register and determine whether we're truly scoring a bargain. Marketers know that unless they can lead you to think you're getting a deal, they'll likely have a hard time getting you to open that wallet. Marketing is all about psychology. More specifically, marketing is all about perception. You don't need to be getting a spectacular deal -- you just need to think you are. Even...

Reasons why we buy stuff we don't need or use

Have you noticed that we tend to derive more pleasure from pursuing a product than actually using it? It's very much like dating and relationships. Some people feel that chasing after a love interest is more exhilarating than actually locking in and dating the person. I majored in marketing and minored in psychology, so I know full well that emotions play a pivotal role in consumer behavior. Emotions, stirred up in part by the advertisements that assail us on a daily basis, are what drive us to buy stuff -- and that includes products that we may neither need or use. Whether it's the sense of accomplishment that comes over us when we take advantage of a "buy one, get one free" sale or the prospect of buying something that can help us shed weight, look younger, or land more dates, purchasing things gives us an emotional high not unlike that experienced when kissing someone for the first time or receiving your first paycheck. But once you have the object of your de...

Consumer Behavior: Why are we so influenced by advertising?

Judging from the purchase behavior of some of my friends, family members, and coworkers, it's apparent that some people are heavily influenced by advertising. I've lost track of the many times in recent weeks that people around me have admitted to being swayed by an ad in a newspaper or magazine, a banner ad on a website, or ubiquitous TV commercials. And it's not as if they feel compelled to purchase things they really need; usually, they already have heaps of whatever it is they're looking to buy stocked in their drawers or closets -- be it cologne, shirts, or shoes. This is precisely why I studied marketing and psychology -- so that I can be impervious to the advertisements we're assailed by daily and immune to the underhanded tactics that salespeople at mobile phone stores, car dealerships, and other places attempt to employ. I recommend that people only let their guard down when it comes to advertisements for products they really need -- the kinds of produc...