Professor Lends Expertise to Quikly

Colleen Kirk, D.P.S., associate professor of management and marketing studies, shared her expertise in an article by the marketing news site Quikly. Kirk, who researches psychological ownership in consumers (when shoppers feel a product or brand is “theirs”), explains how this phenomenon can impact brands.

“In my research, my colleagues and I have shown that consumers can become very defensive when they feel ownership of a product. A classic example was when Tropicana tried to remove consumers’ beloved straw and orange from their packaging in 2009,” said Kirk. “Consumers at the time had grown up with the straw and orange on their breakfast table — they had a strong sense of intimate knowledge and ownership. They rebelled, and within six weeks, Tropicana had to scrap their repackaging efforts.”