Luca Petruzzellis

lu.petruzzellis@disag.uniba.it

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI BARI

FACOLTA DI ECONOMIA

CdLM in Marketing

Bari

Corso di

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Motivazione

The Motivation Process

Motivation: The processes that lead people to behave as

they do. It occurs when a need arises that a consumer wishes to satisfy.

Utilitarian need: Provides a functional or practical benefit

Hedonic need: An experiential need involving emotional responses or fantasies

Goal: The end state that is desired by the

consumer.

The Motivation Process

Drive:

The degree of arousal present due to a discrepancy between the consumers present state and some ideal state

Want:

A manifestation of a need created by personal and cultural factors.

Motivation can be described in terms of:

Strength: The pull it exerts on the consumer

Direction: The particular way the consumer attempts to reduce motivational tension

Ads Reinforce Desired States

This ad for exercise shows men a desired

state (as dictated by

contemporary

Western culture), and

suggests a solution

(purchase of

equipment) to attain

it.

Motivational Strength

Biological vs. Learned Needs:

Instinct: Innate patterns of behavior universal in a species

Tautology: Circular explanation (e.g. instinct is inferred from the behavior it is supposed to explain)

Drive Theory:

Biological needs produce unpleasant states of arousal. We are motivated to reduce tension caused by this arousal.

Homeostasis: A balanced state of arousal

Expectancy Theory:

Behavior is pulled by expectations of achieving desirable outcomes positive incentives rather than pushed from within

Motivational Direction

Needs Versus Wants: Want: The particular form of consumption used to

satisfy a need.

Types of Needs Biogenic needs: Needs necessary to maintain life

Psychogenic needs: Culture-related needs (e.g. need for status, power, affiliation, etc.)

Utilitarian needs: Implies that consumers will emphasize the objective, tangible aspects of products

Hedonic needs: Subjective and experiential needs (e.g. excitement, self-confidence, fantasy, etc.)

Instant Gratification of Needs

We expect todays technical products to satisfy our needs instantly.

Motivational Conflicts

Approach-Approach Conflict:

A person must choose between two desirable alternatives.

Theory of Cognitive Dissonance: A state of tension occurs when beliefs or behaviors conflict with one another.

Cognitive Dissonance Reduction: Process by which people are motivated to reduce tension between beliefs or behaviors.

Approach-Avoidance Conflict:

Exists when consumers desire a goal but wish to avoid it at the same time.

Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict:

Consumers face a choice between two undesirable alternatives.

Three Types of Motivational Conflicts

Figure 4.1

Solutions to Approach-Avoidance Conflict

Do sporting events, such as a college

football game, satisfy

utilitarian or hedonic

needs? Which specific

needs do they address?

Give some other examples of utilitarian

and hedonic needs.

Discussion Question

Negative Consequences

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America

points out the

negative

consequences of

drug addiction for

those who are

tempted to start.

Classifying Consumer Needs

Henry Murray need dimensions: Autonomy: Being independent

Defendance: Defending the self against criticism

Play: Engaging in pleasurable activities

Thematic Apperception Technique (TAT):

(1) What is happening?

(2) What led up to this situation?

(3) What is being thought?

(4) What will happen?

People freely project their subconscious needs onto the stimulus

Classifying Consumer Needs (cont.)

Specific Needs and Buying Behavior: Need for achievement: To attain personal

accomplishment

Need for affiliation: To be in the company of others

Need for power: To control ones environment

Need for uniqueness: To assert ones individual identity

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs: A hierarchy of biogenic and psychogenic needs that

specifies certain levels of motives.

Paradise: Satisfying Needs? Distinct differences regarding the conceptualization of

paradise between American and Dutch college students

Consumer Involvement

Involvement: A persons perceived relevance of the object

based on his/her inherent needs, values, and interests.

Object: A product or brand

Levels of Involvement: Inertia to Passion Type of information processing depends on the

consumers level of involvement Simple processing: Only the basic features of the

message are considered

Elaboration: Incoming information is linked to preexisting knowledge

Conceptualizing Involvement

Figure 4.3

Increasing Involvement through Ads

The Swiss Potato Board is trying to

increase

involvement with its

product. The ad

reads, Recipes against boredom.

Consumer Involvement (cont.)

Involvement as a Continuum:

Ranges from disinterest to obsession

Inertia (Low involvement consumption):

Consumer lacks the motivation to consider alternatives

Flow State (High involvement consumption):

Consumer is truly involved with the product, ad or web site

Cult Products:

Command fierce consumer loyalty and perhaps worship by consumers who are highly involved in the product

Example of a Cult Product

The Many Faces of Involvement

Product Involvement: Related to a consumers level of interest in a

particular product

Message-Response Involvement: (a.k.a. advertising involvement) Refers to a

consumers interest in processing marketing communications

Purchase Situation Involvement: Refers to the differences that may occur when

buying the same product for different contexts

Emotions versus Cognitions

Many marketing messages, such as

this ad for a cosmetic

company in Taiwan,

focus on emotions

rather than

cognitions.

Customizing for Product Involvement

High Involvement

Strategies to Increase Involvement

Appeal to hedonic needs e.g. using sensory appeals to generate attention

Use novel stimuli e.g. unusual cinematography, sudden silences,

etc.

Use prominent stimuli e.g. larger ads, more color

Include celebrity endorsers

Build a bond with consumers Maintain an ongoing relationship with

consumers

Values

Value: A belief that some condition is preferable to its opposite

(e.g. freedom is better than slavery)

Core Values: General set of values that uniquely define a culture

Value system: A cultures unique set of rankings of the relative importance of universal values.

Enculturation: Process of learning the value systems of ones own

culture

Acculturation: Process of learning the value system of another

culture

Cultural beliefs are taught by socialization agents (i.e., parents, friends, and teachers)

Core Values

Cleanliness is a core value in many

cultures.

Application of Values

to Consumer Behavior

Useful distinctions in values for consumer behavior research

Cultural Values (e.g. security or happiness)

Consumption-Specific Values (e.g. convenient shopping or prompt service)

Product-Specific Values (e.g. ease-of-use or durability)

Virtually all consumer research is ultimately related to identification and measurement of values.

Emotions versus Cognitions

The positive value we place on the activities of large corporations is changing among some consumers who prefer to go anticorporate. This ad for a coffee shop in Boulder, Colorado reflects that sentiment.

Measuring Cultural Values

The Rokeach Value Survey Terminal Values: Desired end states

Instrumental Values: Actions needed to achieve terminal values

The List of Values (LOV) Scale Developed to isolate values with more direct

marketing applications

Identifies nine (9) consumer segments based on the values they endorse

Relates each value to differences in consumption

The Means-End Chain Model

Laddering: A technique that uncovers consumers associations

between attributes and consequences

Hierarchical value maps: Show how product attributes are linked to desired end

states

Means-End Conceptualization of the Components of Advertising Strategy (MECCAS):

Message Elements Consumer Benefits Executional Framework Leverage Point Driving Force

Syndicated Surveys

Large-scale commercial surveys

Voluntary simplifiers: Believe that once basic needs are sated,

additional income does not add to happiness.

Examples: VALS 2

GlobalScan

New Wave

Lifestyles Study

Materialism

Materialism:

The importance people attach to worldly possessions

Tends to emphasize the well-being of the individual versus the group

People with highly material values tend to be less happy

America is a highly materialistic society

There are a number of anti-materialism movements

Values of Materialists

Materialists value visible symbols of success such as expensive watches.

Materialists are more likely to consume for

status. Can you think

of products and brands

that convey status?

There is a movement away from materialism

in our culture. Can you

think of products, ads,

or brands that are anti-

materialistic?

Discussion Question

Consumer Behavior in

the Aftermath of 9/11

Following 9/11, ads addressed peoples fears in various

ways. This ad was

created as part of the

Advertising

Community Together

initiative.