March 2013
1 post
August 2012
1 post
June 2012
1 post
Watch“When it comes to gifts, you always say ‘It’s the thought that counts’.”
– Stephen Colbert
February 2012
3 posts
“The gift is to the giver, and comes back most to him—it cannot fail”
– Walt Whitman, ”A Song of the Rolling Earth,” line 87
January 2012
3 posts
6 tags
WatchPaul tells the Muse Factory about buying a 25th Anniversary ring for his wife. He wants it to be significant enough for her to feel proud about it, and to surprise her — to show “that her husband cared enough about her to do something that he would consider frivolous.” We used a customer-behavior research technique called “ZMET” to uncover people’s thoughts and...
WatchIs it true that giving a gift is good for your health?
WSJ’s Christina Tsuei looks into their health benefits.
“Rational economists thus make a simple suggestion: Give cash or give nothing.
...”
– Dan Ariely » Is It Irrational To Give Gifts? «
December 2011
10 posts
1 tag
1 tag
“I totally overshot and he loved it!”
– About buying a hunting weapon for her boyfriend 24 years ago, during a conversation in the C terminal of O’Hare airport.
“Part of being a husband…I just kind of ignore it”
– On being roped into gift wrapping with his wife during the holidays. From Terminal F at O’Hare.
“In Anthropology, a ‘gift’ is considered aggressive act. It’s...”
– Field research at Toys ‘R’ Us
1 tag
WatchLeigh, VP Genentech, on words of acknowledgment as “gifts” in the workplace
4 tags
“The noted marriage researcher John Gottman has found that successful couples say...”
– The Generous Marriage, The New York Times Magazine
“people tend to regret actions more than inactions in the short term, but the...”
– From research we are reading now
WatchThe Muse Factory did its first Coast To Coast Black Friday excursion this year. Tony covered San Francisco while Dana went straight from the Ravens victory to a Target in Baltimore. We’ll share more specific learnings in a later post; for now, check out the mayhem at San Francisco’s Union Square Macy’s.
November 2011
3 posts
4 tags
WatchThe Muse Factory is out and about talking to anyone and everyone about gifts and thoughtfulness. Even if its just during a 5 minute cab ride. Thanks, Fred
WatchWe’re taking the entrepreneurial leap as part of the Runway Program of Innovation Endeavors, a VC in Palo Alto backed by Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google.
