All posts by Jaewoo Joo

Jaewoo teaches and writes about design thinking, behavioral economics, and field experiment for customer experience. He is professor of marketing and participating professor of experience design at Kookmin University. Jaewoo has been Visiting Scholar at Stanford University since September 2024.
Publications

What makes us search?

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Yoon, Y., Deng, R., & Joo, J. (2022). The Effect of Marketing Activities on Web Search Volume: An Empirical Analysis of Chinese Film Industry Data. Applied Sciences, 12, 2143.

Abstract

Prior research on consumers’ web searches primarily examined the effect of web searches on product sales or the characteristics of the web searchers. Differing from prior research, we investigate the effect of marketing activities on web search volume. We selected 314 movies released in China whose box office revenues were greater than RMB 10,000. Then, we collected data points on web search volume and marketing activities from the Baidu, Sina Weibo, and Douban platforms from the 3 weeks prior to the release of each movie. Marketing activity data points were derived from three sources: news media, social network marketing, and film stars. Our data analysis of 6594 observations revealed two major findings. First, news media, social network marketing, and the effect of film stars increased the web search volumes of the films. In particular, social network marketing had the strongest impact on the web search volume. Second, the previous‐day web search volume increased the present‐day web search volume without marketing activities, suggesting a spillover effect. We discuss the academic contributions and managerial implications of our findings in the context of online marketing and new product launches.

Keywords

web search behavior; film industry; news media; social network; star; new product

Publications

How could we encourage young people to meet psychiatrists?

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Piao, S., & Joo, J. (2022). A behavioral strategy to nudge young adults to adopt in-person counseling: Gamification. Behavioral Sciences, 12(2), 40.

Abstract

Mental illness has always been an important issue for young adults. Moreover, initiatives resulting from the outbreak of COVID‐19 have had an even greater impact on the mental health of young adults. This study sought to examine the effect of gamification on whether young adults adopt in‐person counseling. One hundred twenty young adults (42 males and 78 females) with an average age of 29 years participated in our experiment. In the experiment, a 2 (Gamification: no vs. yes) × 2 (Vividness: low vs. high) between‐subjects design was employed. In the “yes” gamification condition, participants decided whether or not to read introductory material about in‐person counseling, and also whether or not to adopt in‐person counseling in the future. The results of the study show that: (1) gamification increased adoption, (2) participants’ perception of subjective usability of in‐person counseling mediated the effect of gamification to adoption, and (3) vividness of presentation moderated subjective usability. Our study demonstrated that gamification nudges young adults to adopt in‐person counseling while subjective usability mediates the relationship, and vividness moderates the relationship between gamification and subjective usability. Our findings provide counselors fresh insights into motivating people to access counseling services.

Keywords

gamification; adoption; usability; vividness; counseling; nudge

*Event

What do we need in the Post-Covid Era?

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Professor Steve Blank gave a speech on the topic of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Dong-A Business Forum 2021. I was invited to moderate his speech in December, 2021.

Steve is a serial startup founder and entrepreneur educator. He founded 8 startups in 1980s and then developed the concept of Customer Development. In 2011, Steve designed a class of Lean LaunchPad by combining his Customer Development with Agile Engineering and Business Model Canvas. His Customer Development is known to inspire Eric Ries and the basis of Lean Startup. His curriculum has been adopted by multiple universities and NSF Innovation Corps, in particular, the departments of defense and diplomacy. Steve is currently working as a researcher and teacher at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and Coumbia University.

In our conversation, he mentioned that “Don’t just come up with a business plan in your head.” Instead “go to the field, meet customers in person, and verify hypothesis quickly.” This is a so-called Lean Startup. He advised large corporations in Korea to “separate the teams who implement existing business models and the teams who are free to experiment with innovation.”

While he stressed Voice Of Customers (VOC), he highlighted pivot particularly in the post-COVID era. “If you meet a piece of information which tells you that the concept is wrong, you need to revise your business model quickly. In the 20th century, doing so was impossible. However, doing so saves money and time now. It prevents you from going to the wrong direction.”

He claimed that pivot is more than a methodology. “A culture where everyone including executives can openly communicate about what went wrong with the initial plan. No business plan can survive if it is reprimanded for pointing out something is wrong. So I think pivot is a cultural issue not a methodological one.”

Publications

Will designers adopt artificial intelligence (AI) for their professional tasks?

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Bertao, R. A., & Joo, J. (2021). “Hey Alexa, Would You Create a Color Palette?” UX/UI Designers’ Perspectives on Using Natural Language to Interact with Future Intelligent Design Assistants. Journal of The Korea Convergence Society, 12(11), 1–14.

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been inserted into people’s lives through Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVA), like Alexa. Moreover, intelligent systems have expanded to design studios. This research delves into designers’ perspectives on developing AI-based practices and examines the challenges of adopting future intelligent design assistants. We surveyed UX/UI professionals in Brazil to understand how they use IVAs and AI design tools. We also explored a scenario featuring the use of Alexa Sensei, a hypothetical voice-controlled AI-based design assistant mixing Alexa and Adobe Sensei characteristics. The findings indicate respondents have had limited opportunities to work with AI, but they expect intelligent systems to improve the efficiency of the design process. Further, majority of the respondents predicted that they would be able to collaborate creatively with AI design systems. Although designers anticipated challenges in natural language interaction, those who already adopted IVAs were less resistant to the idea of working with Alexa Sensei as an AI design assistant.

Keywords

Artificial intelligence adoption, Artificial intelligence-based design, Intelligent Virtual assistant, Voice interaction, UX/UI design

Publications

People feel confident in wine selection when they know the founder

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Choi, B., & Joo, J. (2021). Authentic Information on the Back Label of Wine Bottle. Asia Marketing Journal, 23(3), 13–26.

Abstract

This paper investigates whether including authentic information on the back labels of wine bottles enhances consumers’ confidence and purchase intentions about wine; it also assesses the moderating role of involvement and knowledge about wine. We conducted two experimental studies. Study 1 generated three findings. First, when the back label had authentic information, subjects showed higher confidence levels. Second, this effect was hold for subjects with low levels of involvement. Finally, we did not observe this effect for subjects with high levels of involvement. Study 2 extended study 1’s findings and identified the moderated mediation effect of confidence. The findings highlight the important impact on wine choice of authentic information. However, the findings also suggest that authentic information may not be sufficient to attract people with high levels of involvement and knowledge. This study’s findings provide wine producers with practical marketing insights.

Keywords

Authenticity; Confidence; Involvement; Knowledge; Wine

Publications

Why do reusable cups turn into unnecessary waste?

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Jung, B., & Joo, J. (2021). Blind Obedience to Environmental Friendliness: The Goal Will Set Us Free. Sustainability, 13(21), 12322.

Abstract

In the past, researchers focusing on environmentally friendly consumption have devoted attention to the intention–action gap, suggesting that consumers have positive attitudes toward an environmentally friendly product even though they are not willing to buy it. In the present study, we borrow insights from the behavioral decision making literature on preference reversal to introduce an opposite phenomenon—that is, consumers buying an environmentally friendly product even though they do not evaluate it highly. We further rely on the research on goals to hypothesize that choice–evaluation discrepancies disappear when consumers pursue an environmentally friendly goal. A two (Mode: Choice vs. Evaluation) by three (Goal: Control vs. Quality vs. Environmentally friendly) between-subjects experimental design was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Our findings obtained from 165 undergraduate students in Korea showed that, first, 76% of the participants chose an environmentally friendly cosmetic product whereas only 49% of the participants ranked it higher than a competing product, and, second, when participants read the sentence “You are now buying one of the two compact foundations in order to minimize the waste of buying new foundations,” the discrepancy disappeared (64% vs. 55%). Our experimental findings advance academic discussions of green consumption and the choice–evaluation discrepancy and have practical implications for eco-friendly marketing.

Keywords

behavioral decision making; environmentally friendly; choice–evaluation discrepancy; intention–action gap; preference reversal; goal

Publications

Do people write longer reviews when their experience is worse than what they read than when better?

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Park, Young Joon, Jaewoo Joo, Charin Polpanumas, and Yeujun Yoon (2021), “‘Worse than what I read ?’ The external effect of review ratings on the online review generation process: An empirical analysis of multiple product categories using Amazon.com review data,” Sustainability, 13(19), 10912.

Abstract

In this paper, we study the online consumer review generation process by analyzing 37.12 million online reviews across nineteen product categories obtained from Amazon.com. This study revealed that the discrepancy between ratings by others and consumers’ post-purchasing evaluations significantly influenced both the valence and quantity of the reviews that consumers generated. Specifically, a negative discrepancy (‘worse than what I read’) significantly accelerates consumers to write negative reviews (19/19 categories supported), while a positive discrepancy (‘better than what I read’) accelerates consumers to write positive reviews (16/19 categories supported). This implies that others’ ratings play an important role in influencing the review generation process by consumers. More interestingly, we found that this discrepancy significantly influences consumers’ neutral review generation, which is known to amplify the effect of positive or negative reviews by affecting consumers’ search behavior or the credibility of the information. However, this effect is asymmetric. While negative discrepancies lead consumers to write more neutral reviews, positive discrepancies help reduce neutral review generation. Furthermore, our findings provide important implications for marketers who tend to generate fake reviews or selectively generate reviews favorable to their products to increase sales. Doing so may backfire on firms because negative discrepancies can accelerate the generation of objective or negative reviews.

Keywords

electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM); review rating; online review; external effect; review generation process; fake review

Cases

Can we teach others how to make Kimchi?

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I enjoy watching The Chef Show, an American television cooking show. It features actor Jon Favreau and chef Roy Choi with guests. This cooking show challenged my stereotype of Asian chefs and Korean food.

In one episode, Chefs Roy Choi and David Chang demonstrated how to make Kimchi. They broke down the authentic Korean food into 16 ingredients. I was surprised by this because I eat Kimchi everyday but have never listed its ingredients. In sum, two chefs analyzed a holistic item successfully, whereas an everyday consumer failed to do so.

Experts are able to analyze holistic items because they are often asked to do so. Two chefs could list sixteen food ingredients because they have to explain to viewers how to make Kimchi. Similarly, wine lovers could elaborate why they like a specific wine (e.g., Tannin, flavor, color, etc.) because they have to explain to others why they like it.

In contrast, novice consumers are rarely asked to decompose their holistic experience. For instance, I do not have to explain to others why I enjoy emmental cheese, why I choose the chicken with classic buffalo flavor, or why I order a smoked salmon with scrambled egg. This is why I need *supports* like vocabulary or category when asked to answer why I like a specific cheese, chicken, or brunch menu.

One of my favorite *supports* is  Brunswik’s Lens Model. This model helped me correct my first impression about Germany, helped designers evaluate concepts in a consistent way, and helped researchers understand how DEOs communicate with their followers. This model help us decompose a holistic item into analytic components.

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Reference

Lee, Younjoon and Jaewoo Joo (2016), “How a Design Executive Officer Can Craft an Organizational Culture,” Design Management Journal, 10 (1), 50-61.

… We collected leadership cues from two parties, the CEO and employees, and then mapped them onto Brunswik’s Lens Model, a psychological framework often used in Social Judgment Theory. Our newly adopted research framework helps us better understand the designer’s unique leadership style; unlike non-design business CEOs, the design CEO or DEO (Design Executive Officer) used a wide variety of visual cues… the DEO tacitly communicates visual (tangible) cues with employees for reward and authorization. In particular, the DEO is good at incorporating a tangible benefit and infusing a live and vivid characteristic into an environment. We found that the DEO utilizes visual cues effectively when communicating leadership.

Cases

What are the constraints contemporary artists overcome?

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People assume that constraint-free activities such as doodling help them become creative. However, psychological researchers suggest a different story, that is, constraints are actually the power house of creativity. Studies showed that people used a given product creatively, enjoyed creative experience, and developed creative toys and when they were provided with a time/input/resource constraint and then overcame it.

Similar to psychological creativity, constraints may contribute to art creativity. I found evidence at the Urban Break 2021, the largest urban and street art fair in Asia.

The Urban Break 2021 proposes the broadened spectrum of the art fair, trying the new contemporary art genre, combined the urban art and the street culture. The urban art is pioneering a new flow, becoming a mainstream icon in the art market. Urban Break is aimed at cultural convergence and extension by embracing native and foreign street artists, galleries and lifestyle brands.

In this art fair, numerous paintings and sculptures made me nervous and confused because I do not understand most of them. Only when I meet the art pieces that look familiar but slightly different, I was able to understand the intentions of the artists, enjoying them. To me, artwork looks creative when its artist communicated with me through something I am familiar with. It does not look creative when its artist communicated with me something I have never seen before.

This suggests that constraint plays a key role to shape creative experience. When artists work with constraints (e.g., something visitors are familiar with such as Mona Lisa painting, David sculpture, or Statue of Liberty), visitors enjoy their paintings and sculptures better and more creatively.

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Reference

Dahl, D. W., & Moreau, C. P. (2007). Thinking Inside the Box: Why Consumers Enjoy Constrained Creative Experiences. Journal of Marketing Research, 44(3), 357–369.

From cooking kits to home improvement shows, consumers are increasingly seeking out products that are designed to help them be creative. In this research, the authors examine why consumers participate in creative activities and under what conditions these experiences are the most enjoyable. A qualitative study explores the diverse motivations for undertaking creative tasks and identifies the role of constraints in such endeavors. Then, the authors conduct two experimental studies to understand the importance of constraints (e.g., instructional guidance, target outcomes) in facilitating a balance between perceived competence and autonomy for consumers involved in a creative task. When consumers engage in creative activities with a sense of both autonomy and competence, they enjoy the experience more. The authors discuss implications for managers and provide opportunities for further research.

Cases

Will be canned wine successful?

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I drink wine often. It goes well with dinner, helps me read papers, and soothes me at night. In the past, I enjoyed numerous marriages of soil, weather, and grape variety. Now, my tongue is developed although I neither remember one nor am able to elaborate why I like one.

Recently, I went to Urban Break 2021 and saw a pop-up store of Babe Wine, a brand name of a canned wine. It attracted a crowd of visitors. Out of curiosity, I sampled a sip of Grigio, Rose, and Red. They differed from the wine I experienced before. They came out from icy-cold cans and had bubbles. I ended up failing to like this wine.

Despite of my disappointment, this canned wine attracts attention internationally. “From 2016-2020, BABE’s CAGR was nearly 2,000% according to IRI. These numbers quickly caught the eye of beverage giant Anheuser-Busch, who acquired Babe in 2019.” According to the article in Forbes, “Babe specifically focused on targeting the wine lover who cracked open bottles on the regular, but “couldn’t name a single brand,” says Ostrovsky.”” 

Why do people like a canned wine I do not? Indeed, I have a long history of prediction errors. On one hand, I once thought that BTS, Tiktok, and Instagram would fail to make a presence. On the other hand, I expected that Clubhouse, a social audio app, and Gathertown, a meta-verse service, would succeed in Korea. Not surprisingly, my predictions were proven to be incorrect.

Then, how could experts like me (e.g., wine lovers) predict whether a product is successful in the market when it is designed for novices (e.g., canned wine)? About 10 years ago, researchers at University of Oxford and New York University suggested that an accurate prediction of an extreme event is an indication of poor forecasting ability. This suggests that even experts who have forecasting abilities predict only non-radical events. Predicting the next hit is beyond our control.

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Reference

Denrell, J., & Fang, C. (2010). Predicting the Next Big Thing: Success as a Signal of Poor Judgment. Management Science, 56(10), 1653–1667.

Successfully predicting that something will become a big hit seems impressive. Managers and entrepreneurs who have made successful predictions and have invested money on this basis are promoted, become rich, and may end up on the cover of business magazines. In this paper, we show that an accurate prediction about such an extreme event, e.g., a big hit, may in fact be an indication of poor rather than good forecasting ability. We first demonstrate how this conclusion can be derived from a formal model of forecasting. We then illustrate that the basic result is consistent with data from two lab experiments as well as field data on professional forecasts from the Wall Street Journal Survey of Economic Forecasts.