Applying Scientific Reasoning to the Field of Marketing

Chapter 7

Attributes Versus Constructs

What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.

—Duane Michals, Real Dreams

To generate more sales and profits, managers often want to know what new attributes they can add or what existing attributes they can change or modify on a product—except perhaps reducing a product’s price. Rarely, is there such a single attribute. For example, I worked with an international office furniture manufacturer to develop a new office cubicle design that promotes a more productive and comfortable working environment. You can imagine that this task is complex because creating a cubicle that delivers a “comfortable working environment” is a multidimensional undertaking. It requires the development ...