Consumer Motivation

CHAPTERFOUR

Motivation as a Psychological Force

• Motivation is the driving force within individuals that impels them to action (behavior).

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Motivation is produced by a state of tension, by having a need which is unfulfilled. Consumers want to fulfill these needs and reduce the state of tension. For example, when you are very hungry, you are extremely motivated to find food. Perhaps when you need a new pair of pants, you are a bit less motivated to fulfill this need as compared to your need for food. In the case of needing pants, it is important for marketers to help increase your motivation for their products - perhaps Diesel Jeans.

Model of the Motivation Process

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MotivationNeeds, Motives and Goals

In motivation process, three terms are related:

1- Need to be fulfilled (e.g. a need for food).

2- Drive (motive): An unobservable inner force that stimulates a behavior (e.g. hunger)

3- Goal: the result or achievement toward which behavior is directed (e.g. eat to fulfill the need for food).

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Need

Needs

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Needs

• Needs are the essence of the marketing concept.

• Marketers do not create needs but can make consumers aware of their needs through communications.

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General Types of Needs

• Innate Needs– Physiological (or biogenic) needs that are

considered primary needs (e.g. need for food)• Acquired Needs (learned needs)

– Learned in response to our culture or environment. They are generally psychological and considered secondary needs (e.g. need for a pair of jeans).

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Detailed Types of Needs

• Henry Murray’s psychogenic needs• Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs• A trio of needs

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Researchers are interested in developing a complete list of human needs. Although basic biological needs are easily understood and agreed upon, it is the psychological and psychosocial needs that differ from researcher to researcher. Murray and Maslow have both developed lists of needs and Maslow orders them within a hierarchy from lower-level to higher-level needs. Somewhat related to Maslow’s theory is the belief in a trio of basic needs including power, affiliation, and achievement.

Murray’s List of Psychogenic Needs

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Murray’s List of Psychogenic Needs (continued)

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Murray believed that everyone has the same basic set of needs but that individuals differ in their priority of those needs. His needs include many that are important when studying consumer behavior, including acquisition, achievement, recognition, and exhibition.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

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The hierarchy presents five basic levels of human needs which rank in order of importance from lower-level needs to higher-level needs. The theory says that consumers will fill lower-level needs before the higher-level needs (e.g. they will eat before they enroll in a Master’s program).

To Which of Maslow’sNeeds Does This Ad Appeal?

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Both Physiological and Social Needs

To Which of Maslow’sNeeds Does This Ad Appeal?

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Egoistic Needs

The figure shows an ad for luxury apartment building based on person’s egoistic needs (status and prestige)

To Which of Maslow’sNeeds Does This Ad Appeal?

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Self-Actualization need

The figure shows an ad for athletic shoes based on self-actualization appeal (achievement) (note that the shoes themselves are not featured in the ad).

A Trio of Needs

• Power– individual’s desire to control other people and objects.

it is tied to a type of ego needs.• Affiliation

– it is similar to Maslow’s social need and suggests that behavior is influenced by the desire for social ties (e.g. need for friendship, acceptance, and belonging)

• Achievement– need for personal accomplishment– closely related to egoistic and self-actualization needs

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To Which of the Trioof Needs Does This Ad Appeal?

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The Affiliation Needs Of Young, Environmentally Concerned Adults

To Which of the Trioof Needs Does This Ad Appeal?

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Power and Achievement needs

Motives

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Rational versus Emotional Motives

• Rational motives imply that consumers select a brand based on totally objective criteria, such as size, weight, price, or miles per gallon

• Emotional motives imply the selection of a brand according to personal or subjective criteria, such as color, affection, or prestige.

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The difference between rational and emotional motives are tied to how consumers view marketing variables, including advertisements and pricing adjustments. Furthermore, it must be realized that the definition of emotional vs. rational motivation differs significantly from one consumer to another and in different situations.

Arousal of Motives

• A consumer has a variety of needs but only some of them are aroused at any given time and given top-of-mind priority

• Arousal of motives are:- Physiological arousal (e.g. getting hungry)- Emotional arousal (e.g. being frustrated)- Cognitive arousal (e.g. reading an ad)- Environmental arousal (e.g. hot weather)

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Philosophies Concerned with Arousal of Motives

• Behavioral School– Behavior is response to stimulus– Elements of conscious thoughts are to be ignored (motivation is

a mechanical process that result from a stimulus)– Consumer does not act, but reacts

• Cognitive School– Behavior is directed toward goal achievement– Needs and past experiences are consciously reasoned,

categorized, and transformed (by consumer’s mind) into attitudes and beliefs that impact consumer’s behavior to attain his specific goal.

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Motivational Research

• Much of the research done in consumer behavior is based on motivational research.

• Motivational research is Based on premise that consumers are not always aware of their motives

• The understanding of consumers’ motives can help marketers make better products, communicate more clearly, and deliver benefits to the consumer.

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Measurement of Motives

• Researchers rely on a combination of techniques to measure motives

• Qualitative research is widely used to uncover consumer motives.

• Many qualitative methods are termed projective techniques are often very successful in identifying motives because the consumer must “project” their subconscious or hidden motives onto another stimulus.

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Qualitative Measures of Motives

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Goals

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Generic and product- specific goals

• Goals are the sought-after results of motivated behavior:

• Generic goals are general categories of goals that consumers see as a way to fulfill their needs (e.g. I want to buy a pair of shoes)

• Product-specific goals are specifically branded products or services that consumers select as their goals (e.g. I want to buy a pair of Nike shoes)

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How Does this Ad Appeal to One’s Goals?

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It Appeals to Several Physical

Appearance-related goals.

The Selection of Goals

• The goals selected by an individual depend on their:

– Personal experiences

– Physical capacity

– Prevailing cultural norms and values

– Goal’s accessibility in the physical and social

environment

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positive and negative goals

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Substitute Goals

• Are used when a consumer cannot attain a specific goal he/she anticipates will satisfy a need due to a lack of money, ability, desire, or accessibility.

• The consumer’s substitute goal is a different goal he expects will reduce his tension created from existence of need

• Substitute goals may actually replace the primary goal over time For instance, if a consumer wanted a certain cable television service, but it was not available in their area, they might choose a satellite television provider. Over time, they may be very satisfied with this choice and feel that they actually prefer the satellite service over the cable television service.

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Frustration

• Failure to achieve a goal may result in frustration. • Some adapt by overcoming the obstacles or setting

substitute goals; others adopt defense mechanisms to protect their ego form feeling of inadequacy.

• Understanding of these defense mechanisms will help provide many opportunities to craft advertising messages to reach the emotional side of the consumers, alleviating their frustration.

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Defense Mechanisms- Table 4.2 (excerpt)

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Construct ItemsAggression In response to frustration, individuals may resort to aggressive behavior

in attempting to protect their self-esteem. The tennis prowho slams his tennis racket to the ground when disappointed withhis game or the baseball player who physically intimidates an umpirefor his call are examples of such conduct. So are consumerboycotts of companies or stores.

Rationalization People sometimes resolve frustration by inventing plausible reasonsfor being unable to attain their goals (e.g., not having enoughtime to practice) or deciding that the goal is not really worth pursuing(e.g., how important is it to achieve a high bowling score?).

Regression An individual may react to a frustrating situation with childish orimmature behavior. A shopper attending a bargain sale, for example,may fight over merchandise and even rip a garment that anothershopper will not relinquish rather than allow the otherperson to have it.

Withdrawal Frustration may be resolved by simply withdrawing from the situation.For instance, a person who has difficulty achieving officerstatus in an organization may decide he can use his time moreconstructively in other activities and simply quit that organization.

Dynamics of motivation

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The Dynamics of Motivation

• Needs are never fully satisfied because humans constantly have needs. Hunger is a good example of a need that is often not satisfied and reappears.

• New needs emerge as old needs are satisfied (hierarchy of needs)

• People who achieve their goals set new and higher goals for themselves. If one sets a goal to enter politics, they may feel they need a law degree. However, if they are unsuccessful in getting accepted at law school, their needs may change and they may want to pursue a few years of work experience first and need to find a job.

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