Final answer:
Hollywood video rental stores placing the most current tape boxes on shelves as a means to attract customers is an example of effective marketing strategies. These strategies are designed to influence consumer behavior by appealing to their emotions and suggesting added value and status. Tying sales are a related, albeit controversial, tactic that restricts customer choice.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hollywood video rental stores typically place the most current tape boxes on shelves, so the scenes depicted on the tape box can attract the customer. This is an example of marketing strategies used by businesses to influence consumer behavior. Storefront displays are powerful marketing tools because they appeal to customers' emotions and may suggest that a product can enhance the customer's life beyond its explicit utility.
Such strategies align with the historical shift observed with the advent of department stores, which moved towards fixed prices, a wide variety of goods on display, and pervasive advertising. This helped standardize consumer goods across a country, coinciding with nationwide systems of education and national identity. The goal is to create an environment where consumers feel compelled to buy more products, not necessarily out of need, but because of the perceived value and status they offer.
Tying sales are another controversial marketing tactic where the purchase of one product requires the purchase of another, potentially unwanted, product. This makes it harder for the customer to make independent purchasing decisions based on their actual needs or desires. Marketing strategies like these showcase the complex dynamics between consumer behavior, advertising, and sales practices.