Act Now!

Being in the middle has its advantages

From Slate...

According to a new study in by Kurt A. Carlson, assistant professor at Georgetown's School of Business, and Jacqueline M. Conard, assistant professor at Belmont University's Graduate School of Business, the farther back in the alphabet the first letter of your surname falls, the quicker you're likely to chase some enticing new consumer offer. This response is rooted in childhood trauma.

Their working hypothesis is that "[R]epeated delays imposed on children whose last names are late in the alphabet create in those individuals a chronic expediency motive that is automatically activated" by limited-time offers to buy stuff. In effect, Carlson and Conard believe the R-to-Z set will prove easier prey for "act now!" marketing pitches than the A-to-I set.