Can Q Scores Predict Sales?

by Henry Schafer

Well, some savvy MBA students at Rice University certainly think so and, of course, so do I. Recently, I helped these students by providing them with some Q Scores related to authors, chefs and food programming. Their project intrigued us -- trying to determine the variables/attributes that are most important to creating a successful cookbook.

Their analysis resulted in a series of models that help to better understand the drivers of price, sales, and the probability of success in the cookbook publishing industry, with Q Scores being the most important variables in their analysis.

As stated in their report: “The results highlight key attribute drivers that cookbook publishers should consider when evaluating the potential success of a proposed cookbook. First, Author Q Score, Media Property Q Score, and their interaction are all significant variables, indicating that Q Scores, as measured by Marketing Evaluations Inc., is a key driver of cookbook sales. Publishers can make use of this information when considering potential licensing fees and royalty payments required to hire a famous author or to secure the rights to a famous media property.”

Pretty interesting stuff! I like to call this the ‘transference of appeal.’ These findings underscore the importance of the emotional connections that consumers make with personalities and shows, and how this bonding can work to achieve success with related entities, a la the ‘transference of appeal.’