Branding: Comment - Understanding our human nature vital to making forecasts

One year ago, as Sars was beginning to ebb across the region, many predictions were made about the changes in consumer behaviour resulting from the epidemic. At the time, it was obvious that Sars had dramatically impacted short-term consumer behaviour. People spent less time eating out, and more time at home watching TV or using the internet. They bought fewer big ticket items, and spent more on health and hygiene products - including that now-iconic symbol of the epidemic: the surgical face-mask.