In the early days of Spotify, users complained the shuffle feature wasn’t random: how could two songs from the same artist play back to back? In reality the issue was a misunderstanding of chance and not the technology, so Spotify made the feature less random to make it seem more random.
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Comparing claimed Spotify usage vs actual usage, one quarter of those who to use it monthly did not use it at all.
The epic power of Squid Game. The hit Netflix show increased:
– Vans sales by 7,800%
– Korean signups on Duolingo by 76%
– Korean candy on show up 250%
In 2024, one of London’s most recognisable restaurants marked its 30th anniversary by returning to its 1994 menu (and prices). A great way of appealing to price conscious consumers and standing out in the process.
Stansted airport group makes more money from car parks and shops than it does from aircraft fees.
The Starbucks mobile ordering feature became so popular that baristas were unable to cope with the demand, wait times were longer, and the company reported that a ‘mid-teens percent’ of mobile orders went uncompleted. In short, it worsened the problem it was set up to solve.
Foreign companies struggle in China when their job roles don’t fit into the traditional notions of stable careers. So Starbucks, which counts China as its second-largest and fastest-growing market, found a creative solution to keep employees’ families happy. Since 2012, Starbucks has held Partner Family Forums in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, with over 1,000 families attending. Howard Schultz, CEO at the time, explained: “We did not know who or how many would come. In most cases, there were whole families. There were parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. We had about 90% participation. It was unbelievable.”
In 2012, Starbucks baristas started to write the name of the customer on the side of their cups. Yes, a bit of extra hassle. But a more personal and memorable experience in return.
At any one time, Starbucks has about $1.8 billion loaded on to customers’ gift cards or its app. If Starbucks was a bank and you treated the gift cards as deposits, it would be in the top 10% by deposits of banks in the United States.
The Pratfall Effect states that people can demonstrate honesty by acknowledging a weakness. Stella applied this principle in 1982, before it had a name, with the iconic ‘Reassuringly Expensive’ campaign.
In 1972, Steve Jobs’ curiosity compelled him to take a calligraphy class at college, despite knowing it wouldn’t count towards his final degree or thinking it would have any practical application. But his knowledge helped create the Apple Mac’s slick, user-friendly typography – an integral part of its mass-market appeal.
According to the most commercially successful director of all time, “I always like to think of the audience when I am directing. Because I am the audience.”
Stock market fluency
In Canada, cannabis sales are legal but retailers can’t display related products in advertising. So cannabis chain Stok’d created an ad campaign based around the neighbouring businesses of its stores that featured not-so-subtle nods to its address. “If you’re looking for the dopest nails in town, she says, you should visit NuNail beauty spa.” In store sales increased by 8% after the campaign was aired.