Princess, a prognosticating camel at New Jersey's Popcorn Park Zoo, has made her prediction for this year’s Super Bowl. The camel is the successful predictor of five of the last six Super Bowls
John Bergmann, the zoo’s general manager, writes the names of two competing teams on the palms of his hands. He then holds Princess’s favorite graham crackers in each hand and whichever hand she eats from is her prediction.
It may seem silly, but the dromedary’s record in nothing to take likely. Across all sports competition, Princess has been 88 times out of 139 attempts.
The Camels at the Detroit Zoo have made no such predictions but Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has already made a prediction for the Super Bowl in 2013. Appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on January 17, he said the Detroit Lions would win that contest.
As nonsensical as camel predications may be, or as visionary as Suh’s prediction, businesses often follow just as scientific, or lack thereof, predictive methods to direct their companies. One such predication is the Chevy Volt. The much heralded vehicle is not producing the sales that had been forecast.
Companies find consumer focus groups are a valuable way to gauge consumer desires in predicting the success of a business strategy or new product. But every focus group needs to be weighed before enacting their wishes.
“If I asked a [focus] group,” said Henry Ford, the innovative automotive pioneer from Dearborn, Michigan, “they would have asked for a faster horse.”
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