Dan Ariely: The Significant Objects Project

Very cool. I guess J. Peterman knew it all along :)<p>I've a question to people following Ariely &#38; co's work: Is there anything there that might help explain why people have no problem paying a few bucks for coffee at Starbucks, but not for, say, an iPhone/Android app?<p>(I use the Starbucks example since most consumers don't hang in the coffeeshop, so no experience or particular quality involved, just a cup of coffee that lasts a few minutes)

This blog post is from a year ago, but I think there are a few useful &#38; relevant ideas within w.r.t. getting users, customers and investors to try, buy and invest in your product. Narrative is important.<p>Also probably some relevant tips for giving good gifts. It's holiday season after all.

I did this with a few Everquest accounts when I was in high school. Unfortunately, it was not strictly allowed under the ToS, so the first one ended up getting banned when I didn't think to change the name.<p>It's still the closest I've been able to come to explaining the added value of quality copy.