In Osher Ad Until They Understand How Consumer Madness Works

The article reviews the marketing strategy of the Osher Ad chain, which turned trend identification into a customer attraction engine, using price to curb demand for a sought-after product. Alongside this, CBS data on a decline in R&D investments in Israel is presented, and a storm on X surrounding a senior Israel Tax Authority official who defended a proposed tax on flights.

The article covers three main topics: consumer frenzy at the Osher Ad chain over a squishy toy set, a decline in R&D investments in Israel, and a storm on X surrounding a senior Israel Tax Authority official. In the first focus, Osher Ad launched a squishy toy set in the shape of familiar products, priced at 19.90 shekels for the first two sets and 39.90 shekels from the third. The chain explains this as a mechanism to limit purchases, but customers documented initial price tags of 39.90 shekels. In the second focus, the CBS reported that national R&D expenditure fell by 3.3% in 2025 to 141 billion shekels, a second consecutive decline. In the third focus, Nili Ben Tovim, head of the Research and Policy Division at the Israel Tax Authority, responded to criticism of a proposed tax on flights, sparking a lively public debate.