Derek Rucker

Gal, David and Derek D. Rucker. 2010. When in Doubt, Shout! Paradoxical Influences of Doubt on Proselytizing. Psychological Science. 21(11): 1701-1707.

A seminal case study by Festinger found, paradoxically, that evidence that disconfirmed religious beliefs increased individual's tendency to proselytize to others. Although this finding is renowned, surprisingly, it has never been subjected to experimental scrutiny and is open to multiple interpretations. We examined a general form of the question first posed by Festinger, namely, how does shaken confidence influence advocacy? Across three experiments, people whose confidence in closely held beliefs was undermined engaged in more advocacy of their beliefs (as measured by both advocacy effort and intention to advocate) than did people whose confidence was not undermined. The effect was attenuated when individuals affirmed their beliefs, and was moderated by both importance of the belief and open-mindedness of a message recipient. These findings not only have implications for the results of Festinger's seminal study, but also offer new insights into people's motives for advocating their beliefs.

Rucker, Derek D and David DuBois. 2012. Bel Brand: The Laughing Cow Challenge. Case 5-311-505 (KEL631).

The case features Bel-Brand’s efforts to position its flagship brand The Laughing Cow in the US. The challenges in this case are twofold. First, choose a viable position for a brand after a period of high growth following the South Beach Craze. The difficulty here is that the initial driver of the brand’s position, the South Beach Craze, an environmental factor, is dwindling and is not sustainable. Second, the brand was receiving pressure from global stakeholders to try to unify the positioning in the US with the global brand positioning. These are both challenges that were faced by the marketing team and raised in the case.

Rucker, Derek D and David DuBois. 2011. Old Spice: Revitalizing Glacial Falls. Case 5-411-752 (KEL619).

This case features Old Spice’s efforts to reposition Glacial Falls after sales stagnated in the United States. The challenges in this case are twofold. First, it sets the stage for deciding whether and how to reposition a brand after a period of significant stagnation. This entails a targeting dilemma about whether to keep existing customers or take the risk of losing them to go after a new target. Second, this case examines whether the company should make a sensory change in the product (i.e., the scent) or whether it should undertake a cognitive change in the positioning of the product instead.

Gal, David and Derek D. Rucker. 2010. When in Doubt, Shout! Paradoxical Influences of Doubt on Proselytizing. Psychological Science. 21(11): 1701-1707.

A seminal case study by Festinger found, paradoxically, that evidence that disconfirmed religious beliefs increased individual's tendency to proselytize to others. Although this finding is renowned, surprisingly, it has never been subjected to experimental scrutiny and is open to multiple interpretations. We examined a general form of the question first posed by Festinger, namely, how does shaken confidence influence advocacy? Across three experiments, people whose confidence in closely held beliefs was undermined engaged in more advocacy of their beliefs (as measured by both advocacy effort and intention to advocate) than did people whose confidence was not undermined. The effect was attenuated when individuals affirmed their beliefs, and was moderated by both importance of the belief and open-mindedness of a message recipient. These findings not only have implications for the results of Festinger's seminal study, but also offer new insights into people's motives for advocating their beliefs.

Rucker, Derek D and David DuBois. 2012. Bel Brand: The Laughing Cow Challenge. Case 5-311-505 (KEL631).

The case features Bel-Brand’s efforts to position its flagship brand The Laughing Cow in the US. The challenges in this case are twofold. First, choose a viable position for a brand after a period of high growth following the South Beach Craze. The difficulty here is that the initial driver of the brand’s position, the South Beach Craze, an environmental factor, is dwindling and is not sustainable. Second, the brand was receiving pressure from global stakeholders to try to unify the positioning in the US with the global brand positioning. These are both challenges that were faced by the marketing team and raised in the case.

Rucker, Derek D and David DuBois. 2011. Old Spice: Revitalizing Glacial Falls. Case 5-411-752 (KEL619).

This case features Old Spice’s efforts to reposition Glacial Falls after sales stagnated in the United States. The challenges in this case are twofold. First, it sets the stage for deciding whether and how to reposition a brand after a period of significant stagnation. This entails a targeting dilemma about whether to keep existing customers or take the risk of losing them to go after a new target. Second, this case examines whether the company should make a sensory change in the product (i.e., the scent) or whether it should undertake a cognitive change in the positioning of the product instead.