Envy, and the benefit of it

From an article today at ars technica, we can see that envy is a important factor when buying new products.

Two interesting conclusions:

This study says little about the personal effects of envy, but much about the economic effects—that is, if a company can get its customers to rigorously compare themselves against an opponent's customers and view themselves as slightly superior (thanks in part to their enlightened products), those customers can turn into nearly blind followers.

The profile of the owner mattered much more. But that profile could even have a negative impact, driving customers away and directly into the arms of a competitor.

This study used the iPhone, and can probably be extended to products of the same (hype) type. What is interesting also, is how this can be used in advertising, both for promoting our own products and crush the competition...

For more, see the full article.