Interesting Results
Comparing New and Old Product Functions
Companies are constantly finding ways to add new functions to existing products. For example, mobile phones once could only make phone calls, but now they can receive voice messages, connect to the Internet, send text messages, and take photos. A recent study examined whether reactions to new capabilities vary depending on whether or not explicit comparisons are made to previously existing functions. For example, is the ability of a phone to send and receive text messages perceived more or less favorably if this is compared to phones that cannot?
The study showed that the answer depends on whether the new functions are considered typical for the type of product in question. Explicit comparisons lead to more favorable perceptions if the new function is not considered typical for the product, but they lead to less favorable perceptions if the new function is considered typical for the product. So, for example, comparing mobile phones that can take photos to those that cannot would be expected to lead to more favorable attitudes than introducing this function with no comparison since the ability to take photos is not something people typically (currently) associate with phones. On the other hand, comparing mobile phones that allow for different volumes or numbers of rings to those that cannot would be expected to lead to less favorable attitudes than introducing this function without a direct comparison because the ability to alter the number and volume of rings is something people do tend to associate with phones.