This chapter focused on Internet searches during January. These searches reveal the key to what motivates us and what disappoints us. Tancer made an interesting correlation between dramatic ads for weight loss and search habits. Tancer also makes note of "false hope syndrome"; the greater our expectations, the greater our disappointment. Like other chapters in the book, this chapter also focuses on the psychology behind Internet searches. Consumers want to have control over some aspect of their lives and often use outrageous ad claims as tools to gain control.
NBC has gained publicity from its show The Biggest Loser. Some see the show as a motivating factor for people to get in shape. Internet searches for television shows and commercials increase drastically after they are aired. Since the show debut, more searches are highlighting fitness and nutrition as opposed to just dieting, proving that more people are interested in making lifestyle changes as opposed to quick fixes.
Traditionally, visitors to certain websites were often included in surveys or research studies. Because site demographics change frequently, that is not always the case in today's society. Some statistics suggest that couples are waiting longer to start families, which factors into the change in demographics within a year.
Some interesting things to note:
-The correlation between diet searches and Thanksgiving recipe searches (Most people pig out during the holidays but try to make up for it in the new year)
-Promotion of the author's blog (ilovedata.com)
-The rise of product placement is directly related to the rise of DVR usage
-Cookie tasting study
-The only bad publicity is no publicity (i.e. wardrobe malfunction)
-There are notes in the back of the book (pg 205) that may reveal a little insight into where Tancer gets some of his information but not necessarily how
-News events, especially tragic ones, bring about awareness on certain topics (deaths of Peter Jennings and Dana Reeve).
-Segues into each chapter
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Question: Just how empirical is this data? He makes a lot of correlations and connections, but how can he be certain there isn't something else causing the spike in activity? It appears to me he is picking things that are fairly obvious, and when it's not fairly obvious he freaks out. Anybody else have thoughts on that?
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