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RESISTANCE
Consumer Trend Analysis & Product Development.
CHARLES BENSON, CAROLE COLIN, ANNE CECILIE HAUAN HAUGE & LUIS VAN
DEN BOS.
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*Charles Benson : charles.benson@grenoble-em.com
*Carole Colin : carole.colin@grenoble-em.com
*Anne Cecilie Hauan Hauge : anne-cecilie-hauan.hauge@grenoble-em.com
*Luis Van Den Bos : luis.van-den-bos@grenoble-em.com
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Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to establish information regarding the individual resistance of
consumers towards new products. During the study, 12 one-to-one interviews were carried out
under the guise of understanding alcohol consumption in business school students. The
qualitative results of these interviews combined with secondary data were analysed and a
number of factors were highlighted as possible causes for resistance. These included feelings
of manipulation and irritation, loss of Identity, lack of trust and a natural subconscious
resistance.
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INTRODUCTION:
During this report we will attempt to analyse the consumer trend of resistance with regards to
marketing and product presentation. The report is separated into three sections in the forms of
‘Research Background’, ‘Research Methodology’ and ‘Key Results’.
During preliminary research into the trend of consumer resistance, three areas of significant
importance were highlighted. There are numerous reasons for resistance to marketing from,
changes in marketing techniques to the challenges presented by the changes in the way we
receive and process media. However the areas we have highlighted, (culture, postmodernism
& innovation) illustrate resistances that affect individuals or groups of individuals and not
society as a whole.
PART 1: RESEARCH BACKGROUND (Secondary Data)
Cultural Consumer Resistance (see Appendix 1):
Trend of consumer resistance influences culture because of the emergence of multiple
marketing strategies in a global, material and hegemonic cultural society (Penaloza and Price,
1993). Effectively, the goal, value and common characteristics of a person, group or
organization, could influence both the beliefs and attitudes of individual consumers. That
means a correlation exists between the country of origin of a consumer and its degree of
resistance regarding a particular product or service. This is mainly due to the difference in
traditions, history, norms and habits of consumers. Even if you try to take people with same
age, same background, but from a different country, they’ll clearly have different desires, and
their adoption or resistance regarding products could be the complete opposite. These
differences may have a huge impact on the perceived product image, and could illustrate, or
not, an attitude of resistance.
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Globalization all around the world could explain the general increase of this trend. As brands
tend to be fewer and fewer but ever so much larger, yet they cannot have multiple identities,
(as this would damage brand image/recognition), they have the potential to be interpreted in
different ways with regards to the country they are in. A brand could represent a certain
quality and credibility in one location on the planet but could be seen as a threat somewhere
else. But brands are not the only reason for the development of consumer resistance. A study
in the US (Close & Zhinkhan, 2009) focuses on one unique market: The holiday market on
Valentine’s Day. Results show that consumers are not necessarily influenced by their culture:
some are described as “ambivalent” and other as “traditional”. When “traditional” keep their
habits and act in accordance with the market, “ambivalent” recreate new traditions, in
accordance with the development of their culture for financial or non-financial reasons. That
means consumers could resist because of their personal memories and years of experience
with their own economic situation.
At the European level, we could also explain consumer resistance developing due to the
historical landscape. This was found in the study “When Starbucks Meets Turkish Coffee:
Cultural Imperialism and Islamism as ‘Other’” (Izberk-Bilgin, 2008). It focuses on Turkey
and the impact that a global brand such as Starbucks could have on Turkish consumers. In the
study they demonstrate the importance of colonial history and its impact on consumer
resistance regarding global brands. They point out a different form of resistance which is a
“concessionary acceptance” in an emerging society issued from colonialism. This form of
resistance appears when local brands cannot satisfy consumer needs, and force them to switch
for global brands.
The Worldwide, European or even French importance of consumer resistance from a cultural
point of view, could be described by different variable factors such as poverty line,
employment rate, economic situation of the country, education perspectives and the general
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social situation. This trend is related to the balance between the traditional and the
ambivalent; the concessionary acceptance, the history of the country, the relationship between
individuals and collectivity as resistance group.
Postmodernist Consumer Resistance:
Postmodernist resistance can be defined as “resistance as a postmodern and post materialist
phenomenon through which consumers engage in socially and environmentally conscious,
antimaterialist, and anti-corporate discourses and practices as they seek authenticity and
personal sovereignty in everyday life” (Thompson & Arsel, 2004).
The Postmodern consumers are exposed to a very high number of advertisements every day; it
is suggested that consumers are exposed to anything from 300 to 3,000 advertisements daily.
This is far more than what consumers can in fact pay attention to and digest, and thus be
influenced by in purchasing decisions. Too many advertisements lead to clutter which gives
no meaning to consumers, and further creates disinterest in the marketing activities. The true
meaning and purpose of the ad is lost on the consumer (Rumbo, 2002). This clutter can also
result in consumers becoming sceptical and feel exploited (Mendoza, 1999). Advertising has
become an integral part of our everyday life; it can be found on billboards in the streets, in
newspapers and magazines, on the radio and television. In our digital age where smartphones
are becoming something like a basic commodity (Gartner, 2011), and consumers are heavily
dependent on their phones, it is likely that they are subjected to even more marketing efforts
through different web pages, social media and a myriad of applications that display ads. Also
through other popular programs such as ‘Spotify®’ which streams ads in between songs,
consumers are overloaded with selling messages. As we can see, the postmodern world has
introduced several new innovations which have been taken advantage of rapidly by clever
marketers….
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Postmodern consumers are increasingly difficult to segment into a homogenous group due to
the multifaceted personality that these consumers have developed over time (Irvine, 2011).
Consumers today see themselves as unique, with an identity that is dissimilar to any other
consumer. They treasure true identity and will not be classified or divided into groups. The
need to be special, one of a kind, and differentiate oneself from the person next to you is
important. Consumers have become even more complex over time, and are constantly
changing. This has made it difficult for marketers to define segments in the market as the
consumers in a particular segment will have conflicting behaviours and needs. It has also led
to a demand for customised products that consumers can design in order to meet the criteria of
truly being one of a kind. Marketing efforts and advertisements have also increasingly
focused on individuality and attempt to appeal to each consumer on a personal basis.
Postmodern consumers have been developing avoidance strategies to cope with the large
number of ads that they see and hear every day (Speck & Elliott, 1997). Consumers establish
screening criteria that ads have to overcome in order for the message to be conveyed. Another
tactic adopted by the magazine ‘Adbusters’ is that of culture jamming. This relates to
consumer boycotts targeting the products of certain companies, or industries as a whole, and
examples of such a boycott is the “Buy Nothing Day” (Rumbo, 2002).
Creative marketers always have new strategies, and one that has been adopted by some
companies is the co-creation of marketing campaigns, where consumers are invited to assist in
the development stage of new products (Rumbo, 2002) which enables them to customize the
product according to their preferences and wants (see Appendix 2). There is also the cocreation of advertisements where companies have created competitions for consumers to
create their own ads for their favourite products. Such a competition was introduced by
Dorritos in the US and Australia (see Appendix 3), and was in fact re-launched down under in
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2010 (Mumbrella, Dorritos brings back.., 2010). The postmodern consumer is, subconsciously
or consciously, resistant to conformity and it seems customization may be the answer.
Consumer resistance to Innovations:
Another important factor within consumer resistance is the resistance of consumers towards
innovations as studied by Ram & Seth in 1989. It represents an early example in which this
consumer trend is explained very well. Despite its age, the study holds a great deal of value
today.
The reason behind these studies concerning consumer resistance to innovations is due to
business firms experiencing a high rate of failure despite having an innovative product.
Companies are not often aware of the fact that their new proposed products and ideas could be
unsuccessful due to consumer behaviour towards the concept of these products or ideas. Even
in industrialized countries, where most of consumers are pro-innovation, there is still a degree
resistance to innovations. There are a two recognised causes for why, in such industrialized
countries, consumer resistance towards innovations still occurs. First of all innovations tends
to break into the day-to-day traditional routines of people. For example, when in France,
Videotex started to offer in home shopping opportunities (Ram & Seth, 1989), consumers
reacted in a pure resistance way towards this new opportunity. The main reason for this
resistance was because it changed the shopping behaviour of the consumers. Consumers could
not interact with store personnel anymore when they needed helpful information. The
attractive and comfortable environment of the stores was missed and for those who loved to
go shopping with friends, they were not able to experience this anticipated social interaction.
Consumers would have had to learn a new routine in order to cope with this new experience
offered by Videotex. Furthermore, the people were satisfied with their current way of
shopping and therefore they disliked this change offered by an innovative product. In
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summary, a potential change away from a service consumers are already satisfied with can
cause resistance to innovation. From this study we can also see the problem in innovating too
early, as now we have seen a massive increase in home shopping through online shops and
services.
The Second important factor highlighted, is the former belief structure of consumers. This can
lead to a struggle with areas of innovation. For example, many people in the western world
still think that products produced in third world countries are of sub-standard quality. This is
the reason why for example, machine tools produced in India, which have a decent level of
build quality, are not widespread in the international western markets despite highly
competitive prices. This is especially obvious in the United States where consumers are
influenced by the strong nationalistic culture. People think that buying foreign goods is
unpatriotic and will harm the local economy.
Researchers have suggested certain barriers (functional & psychological), which create
consumer resistance towards innovations (Ram & Seth, 1989): There are three main
functional barriers and two psychological barriers that create consumer resistance. First of all,
is the usage barrier like the Videotex example mentioned earlier. New products or ideas are
not well suited with current workflows. The second barrier is the Value barrier. Unless an
innovation offers a strong performance to price value related with product alternatives, there
is no inducement for consumers to change. The last functional barrier is the risk barrier. All
innovations carry some ambiguity to some level and have the possibility of negative side
effects that cannot be predicted. Consumers that are aware of the risks are not willing to adopt
this innovation but will wait until they can study more about it. A product example can be
new drugs. A great percentage of consumers, known as the late majority, like to wait for a
product to be well established and have a high level of adoption before feeling comfortable
enough to join in.
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The two psychological barriers are the tradition and the image barrier (Ram & Seth, 1989).
The tradition barrier aims at the deviation that occurs when an innovation requires a consumer
to alter his or her established traditions. For example, not everyone finds it social acceptable
to use online dating services. The other psychological barrier is the image barrier. There are a
lot of examples of innovations that had to overcome that certain image barrier. We can use the
alcoholic beverage, ‘gin & tonic’ as an example. This is nowadays an extremely popular
mixed drink, but when it was introduced for the first time it had to overcome the “sissy-drink”
image.
Conclusion:
As Roux (2009) suggests, the link between individuals and groups is the essence of a
developing consumer resistance trend. Resistance occurs at three different levels: The
individuals’ desire for identity, the individuals’ cultural influences, and finally the individual
functioning in a network or in society as a whole. Individual resistance is function of
situation: “Is the consumer a member of a particular group?” communication: “How is the
resistance passed between individuals?” and finally, practice: “How does consumer consume
when he/she resists your product?”
Due to unacceptable market conditions, and a product non-congruent with the personality of
the consumer or their cultural values, it will be rejected. Their hegemonic character causes
resistance as a consumer trend to occur frequently. It’s a personal way for consumers to
express themselves or to escape the marketing system. It is therefore possible for them to
refuse sales systems. Poster (1992) defined four different axes in the resistance trend:
individual/collective, reformist/radical, products/signs and position in terms of
internal/external marketing institutions.
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Most of the studies conducted focus on the resistance of consumers as a group, not as
individuals. This is the reason why, we’ll try to gain insight about individual consumer
resistance. So far, there are three existing profiles:
Resistance could be manifested by an impersonal logic of the market (Soiffer and
Hermann,1987), or the imposition of cultural patterns (Thiloson and Haytko, 1997) or by
opposition to the invasion of advertising and branding (Rumbo, 2002).
Resistance could be the result of the consumer own culture alongside the code imposed (Firat
and Venkatesh, 1995; Holt, 2002; Maffesoli, 2007)
Resistance appears due to an ethical orientation which reflects the meaning of consumer acts
of purchase and consumption. This could lead to boycott or alternative consumption (Gabriel
ad Lang, 1995).
We can then expect two different forms of reactions from consumers regarding excessive
marketing techniques:
Resistance: because of the three different profiles given above or for some unexpected reason
we’ll find during the study, consumer could completely refuse the product.
Reactance: resisting people might react positively to a certain extend that we have to
determine.
For these reasons we’ve decided to evaluate whether the level of information regarding a
product can lead to consumer resistance. We’ll market one product in two completely
different ways. In the first marketing plan, the product will be presented very simply with the
minimum of promotional information on it. In the second market plan, the product will be
presented with substantial, and certainly too much, elaborate packaging and description.
Regarding the sample, we decided to choose a new alcoholic, ‘health’ drink made with
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champagne entitled ‘reChamp’, in order to measure at what level of information, consumers
would resist to the product. From our diverse class sample we will be able to make some
qualitative analysis regarding cultural resistance as well as resistance to the innovative idea of
the product.
PART 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (Primary Data)
Primary data: Individual Interviews
Objectives of the interviews:
Interviews would permit us to understand in more detail, individual consumer resistance. In
fact, we should be able to measure the level of resistance regarding different criteria in our
sample. By measuring the maximum wording, communication and style of promotion for a
new product, we will know which marketing strategies increase and decrease resistance.
The qualitative research permits us to evaluate whether the level and type of information
regarding a product can lead to consumer resistance. A question which arises is how sensitive
current consumers are to the latest marketing techniques. Therefore we should study the
impact of two differing approaches for reChamp, so that we can explain how resistance is
working on consumers’ decision-making process and find remedies for this trend.
Profile of the interviewees:
The data collection method that we are going to use is a semi-structured interview made of 43
questions. Interviewees are international students from GGSB with an equal representation of
men and women. By choosing “young” people in this multicultural environment, we will have
more clues for understanding the resistance process. Effectively, they all have their own
norms, traditions and culture due to their country-of-origin, and they will almost all be in a
“new” environment. They are confronted with a situation which may lead to resistance
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regarding their cultures, their sensitivity for innovation, and as their choices as potential
postmodern consumers.
Also, our interviewees are completely in accordance with the consumer target of our product.
Effectively, reChamp is typically the sort of drink made for young professionals or students,
who are working hard, but still want to drink, ‘party’ and have fun while being aware of
maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
We understand that by choosing this sample, we only have a representation of resistance in
consumers of a high level of education and only in a certain generation. Despite this, we
assumed that the “young” people included in our sample would be more resistant than an
older generation, due to the explosion of marketing techniques during the last few decades.
Work plan and schedule:
Between 14th November and the 25th November, twelve one-to-one interviews have been
conducted in the school. During 30 minutes on average, we asked questions in accordance
with the depth interview process. All interviews were recorded or filmed at the school: this
permits each group member to conduct an analysis regarding each interviewee. After this we
discussed our own impressions from the different interviews, while giving a greater
consideration to the views of the respective interviewers.
Core components of the interview guide: (see Appendix 4)
The interview guide will help us know what questions to ask and what responses we are
hoping for. It will also dictate the sequence, how to pose questions and follow-up questions.
As we would like to gain insights about consumers’ feelings, motivations, beliefs and
attitudes, we should conduct depth interviews with laddering techniques and symbolic
analysis. The research questions can not be the same as interview questions as this would
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expose our study and change the way consumers react in the interview. Therefore we cannot
ask direct questions such as “are you resistant to that type of marketing strategy?” as this
would ruin the study. Through a laddering approach, we can ask questions about external
phenomena and then concentrate more acutely on personal feelings regarding consumer
resistance. We can attempt to analyze the “symbolic meaning” of our product by comparing it
with its “opposites”. Because for understanding how resistance occurs, we need to learn why
consumers would react.
The interview should begin with a general question about how they are feeling in their present
location. By getting the respondent to talk and feel comfortable expressing their feelings, the
answers regarding resistance will be answered more honestly. Our product would be marketed
and sold in bars, clubs and supermarkets and as these are the places where their resistance
would be expressed. Therefore we have to encourage our interviewees to speak completely
freely about their feelings and attitudes in these situations. The key guidelines are to clarify
what the respondent says and means, get details about their feelings/attitudes and ask about
possible variations. Then in function of interviewees’ answers, we will move on the symbolic
analysis by asking questions about reacting to marketing.
The questionnaire was divided into two different parts; the first one aimed to measure actual
resistance of the respondent, the second part measured a respondent’s personal perceived
resistance. Every interview (see Appendix 5 for complete interviews) was analyzed based on
the different characteristics of resistance as previously stated. The general views were then
summarized to uncover general reactions to define the particular group. Furthermore views
that were opposite to these reactions were included to uncover main differences. This permits
us to reach a conclusion about the “true” resistance of the respondents, and identify five
resistance profiles and three reactive profiles.
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PART 3: Key results
Buying habits:
The interview respondents are enjoying their time in Grenoble, partying/drinking on average
two times a week, those being mostly on the Fridays and Saturdays. It is considered very
normal to purchase alcohol for pre parties, and these are mostly bought in supermarkets either
whilst doing the routine shopping, or impulsively at night before going out.
Verbatim: Places for buying alcohol
R1: Carrefour Market
R3: Carrefour City
R4: Monoprix
R5: Beer pubs
R8: Night clubs
At this point already there are two different profiles of consumption.
Some of the respondents prefer to drink wine (white or red) or vodka, and are not particularly
loyal to brand as they are not familiar with French wines and therefore use other methods in
selecting the product. One respondent explained a strategy he/she had developed in selecting
wines, by choosing bottles in the 4-5 € range as these had proved to be ‘tasty’ before. More
expensive wine and cheaper wine had all proved to be disappointing in terms of an informal
taste to cost ratio. Other respondents seem to have very strong behaviors regarding specific
alcoholic beverages. The barrier for switching between brands appears to be very low. A low
level of brand loyalty suggests that the sample of international students are finding it difficult
to establish consumption habits in France.
Verbatim: Most common alcohol
R1: “I like Red wine because it looks French”
Specific Brands:
R3: “Rum makes me feel good”
La Havana, La Corona, Smirnoff, Heineken, Médoc
R6: “Beer is really friendly”
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R10: “I like the colour of Rosé”
R12: “Whiskey because it’s strong”
The most common reasons for purchasing alcohol are that it increased social enjoyment as
everyone becomes more relaxed and “open” with one another; also it can be relaxing or
energising. Some respondents considered they had “more fun” when drinking. One subject
also explained that she looks at the alcohol percentage of the product as this affects the
experience, both in taste, which leads to a preference for weaker drinks and getting ‘drunk’,
which leads to a preference for stronger drinks.
Verbatim: Motivations for buying alcohol
R2: “I’m having more fun when I’m drinking at least a glass of alcohol”
R3: “I need to relax a lot because of the school pressure”
R7: “I need to have something in my hand and be part of the group when I’m partying”
R9: “I’ll choose a stronger alcohol if I’m in a “bad” mood”
R12: “I just want to chill out!”
Regarding their past experiences, here again there are two distinguished profiles: A group of
respondents had good experiences with alcohol; in fact they thought it was difficult to
mention just one. One example that was given indicated that the normal drinking patterns
were followed, having wine at the pre-party, then beer in the bar, followed by mixed drinks at
the club. This is normal behavior as wine is perceived as being of a lower quality in bars and
especially in nightclubs as well as being expensive, thus opting for beers and mixed drinks.
There is also a tendency for buying shots in the bars and clubs, as this is perceived to create a
more ‘fun’ experience and greater social unity. Social events such as football games with
friends, New Year’s Eve or friend’s birthdays, also implied a sense of community feeling or a
sense of occasion. It was also suggested that consuming certain types of alcohol helped to
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build different images associated with a particular occasion. Also, respondents remembered
experiences due to the social chemistry of the group created by the alcohol consumption.
Another group of respondents, represented only of women, did not have any good experiences
to talk about. In fact, only bad alcohol experience memories came to their mind. This is very
important to mention because it would affect the degree of resistance regarding our alcohol
based product.
Alcohol attributes:
In terms of choice of an alcohol or another, price and taste are the major factors. Considering
respondents are international students, it’s quite normal to consider price as a major factor.
Buying expensive drinks will lead to feelings of guilt, as money is somewhat scarce. Also
they want to enjoy drinking the product therefore taste is important, but there is a perception
of price equalling taste, again highlighting the concept of a cost/taste balance having to be
maintained. For the taste, respondents look rather for strong alcohol mixes with sweet flavors
than for more light alcohol. Also respondents answered good taste and reasonable/high price
might help for avoid bad hangovers. Certain brands establish a feeling of trust; respondents
feel safer during the consumption process as they believe they’ll avoid bad hangover effect.
Other main attributes considered when buying a type of alcohol are recommendations, bottle
design and the percentage of alcohol.
Verbatim: Alcohol attributes
R3: “The taste should be nice, otherwise I would not drink it”
R4: “The age of the bottle is a very important attribute”
R7: “The price is very important because it permits to avoid a bad taste”
R8: “The price is not necessarily an indicator of good quality, but it makes me feel safer when I’m not buying
the budget option”
R9: “I always have a look to the brand or label because it’s a good indicator: you know what you’re buying”
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R10: “As I’m not in my country of origin, I don’t really have any landmark regarding alcohol: I’m not used to
the local brands or product. For that reason I would have a look to the design of the bottle for making my
choice”
R12: “The degree of alcohol is important because it indicates if I would have a hangover!”
Attributes of alcohol could be related to the personality of some respondents. This is the case
for beer which for one respondent stated: “Suits perfectly my way of seeing the world; relax,
take it easy… everything will be fine”. It was also stated that “the creative side of my
personality influenced [my] purchase of bottles with a nice appearance and design of labels”,
suggesting that the design of a product can be highly influential in purchasing decisions.
Sometimes the attributes are not perceived to be linked directly to the personality, but more
related to the lifestyle, as respondents enjoy partying as being part of the ‘student bubble’. But
a large portion of respondents just did not see any link between the attributes of alcohol they
consume: “in a glass, it looks the same”.
Healthy drink attributes:
If a respondent consumed healthy drinks, generally the attributes concerning healthy drinking
were the same from one respondent to another. The preferences were for smoothies, juices,
“home-made” juice and ‘vitamin water®’. Drinks should be fresh, with a good taste that “give
a sensation of being healthy”. Only one respondent answered that “Ingredients are not
important, it’s just the benefit of the beverage in which I’m interested in”.
The decision regarding the consumption of such beverages did yield significant differences
between respondents. Some respondents see themselves as very “healthy” and this is the main
reason why they’re buying such drinks. Some were concerned with sugar content and
calories; they described their consumption as limited due to the number of calories fruit
beverages could contain. Other respondents were not affected by the number of calories in a
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healthy drink, because they consume it for the detox and for it ‘well being’ effect. “It is good
for the body and the vitamins contained strengthen my health, I’ve less stomach pain.”, “It
makes me feel happier with a flow of energy!” Respondents who consumed, generally
understood the principle of balancing ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods. Others admit simply that even if
they’re not “healthy” at all, they would like to improve their consumption habits but
purchasing healthy drinks was for the enjoyment or the taste: “It’s good for mixing with some
alcohol!”
Concept boards:
There were distinctly mixed reactions regarding products; two male respondents stated the
product was more female-orientated while two other respondents said they did not have any
interest in the product as they were not champagne drinkers. The main common negative
point was the price (perceived as too expensive), and resulted in different reactions such as “I
might buy it just for trying it”, or “I’ll buy it probably more as a gift” because “the concept of
the product is funny”. The combination of champagne, a drink that is perceived as hedonistic
and luxurious, with vitamins and fruits which are healthy, did not stimulate a strong purchase
intention with four of the respondents. They stated that added healthy ingredients “destroys
the good taste of champagne” and “champagne should be champagne and nothing else”. One
respondent also highlighted their past experience and knowledge regarding healthy food
consumption for explaining why such product could not be that good. Finally there were
common negative characteristics included too low alcohol percentage and a small bottle.
Despite some respondents noticing significant differences between both products, only two
have just seen benefits of the product and chosen to adopt it completely. Many respondents
could only find minor differences between the concepts and one respondent could not see any
difference at all between the two.
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Product A: (see appendix 6)
The general negative point is that there is not enough information and respondents would not
believe it is a healthy alcoholic drink. “I don’t really know what it is; I’ll probably wait for
extra information made by independent laboratories”. The design was not well received by
two respondents.
One respondent enjoyed the fact that the drink had healthy characteristics, confirmed by the
recommendation from the international health standards agency, and stated “it is perfect for
me”. However it appears that the idea of something being healthy and containing vitamins
result in an unpleasing taste. The positive characteristics of the product were said to the ‘posh’
feeling of the product, “the sparkles on the bottle”, and for some, the healthy portion of the
drink. The package was well received by six respondents.
Product B: (see appendix 7)
When the respondents were given the second concept board to read, the initial response from
three were to laugh at the statements about the product. Although the statements were “over
the top” and “too extreme to be true”, the concept board still created a positive reaction. The
general consensus was that the health benefits of the product are still questionable, it was
perceived to be “fake” and “pure propaganda” due to the Roger Federer’s illusory statement.
However some were willing to try the product. One respondent expressed that he believed it
was better than champagne due to the stated health benefits highlighted. Another respondent,
who was not initially favorable towards the product, reacted positively to the exaggerated
marketing in that it created a willingness to try the product: “it’s really catchy”. Two other
respondents had mildly improved reactions, one stating that “the brand seems to be better”.
Reactions to possible medical benefits:
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With regards to the possibility of medical evidence proving that alcohol was better for your
health than pre-conceived, there was a significantly mixed response. Respondents varied in
terms of belief of the statements and if they did believe, whether or not it would affect their
alcohol consumption. The majority of respondents would require further information in order
to reinforce trust in the statement. This would require information from independent research,
friends and further statements from differing sources. One respondent stated that she would
require an independent laboratory study before believing the information, with specific date
and trials, while another refused to believe any information on the subject as they had had
serious, personal evidence to the contrary.
Some respondents were however more accepting of the information, and in 50% of cases
subjects who had proof the statement were true would increase their alcohol consumption, but
only by a small amount. These respondents generally agreed that the frequency of individual
sessions in which they consumed a small amount of alcohol would increase, but that there
would be no increase in the amount consumed in an individual session. This is due to the fact
that there are a number of other problems associated with heavy drinking as well as the health
applications. The problems mentioned included the inability to perform certain tasks and
activities such as driving and sport, as well as the possibility of alcoholism or weight gain if
the evidence was followed too eagerly.
Verbatim: Initial reactions to statement.
R1: “I don’t mind, I know it’s healthy to have one glass. No I think that even that it is proved not to be too bad, I
won’t change. I’m happy with my consumption.”
R2: “It might increase a little bit. But that’s not the only reason for not consuming. It wouldn’t affect the calories
so alcohol would still be fattening.”
R6: “I think I would consume more frequently, but not higher quantities as I would get really drunk.”
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R9: “Yes… not a lot more because I would be drunk all the time, but definitely more often in the evenings, a few
glasses.”
Feelings in the resistance/reactance process:
This area of the study was very difficult to analyze due to the numerous varieties of responses
regarding the respondents ‘feelings’ when resisting and reacting to marketing. It was only
during this part of the interview that respondents were directly asked about resistance and the
responses did differ greatly from the resistance they showed to the concept boards and health
statement. This highlights the difference between people perceived opinions of their reactions
and their actual spontaneous reactions.
Reasons for resistance:
Feelings of Manipulation: Respondents feel that marketing is attempting to shape their
opinions without consent. They feel subliminally targeted and “brain-washed” into making
unnecessary purchases . One respondent stated that . “marketing is all about manipulation”,
and “if marketing works, it is our own fault for believing it”.
Feelings of loss of Identity: Respondents don’t like to feel marketing affects them as they
want to be an individual. Two respondents both mentioned the same metaphor, stating they
did not want to be a “sheep”. Resisting marketing generates feelings of independence and
highlights the concept of “fighting the establishment”. This was highlighted by one
respondent who resisted marketing when it targeted an age group and another who stated
he/she felt to be fighting a psychological “war” against the marketer.
Feelings of unreliability and lack of trust: Respondents generally agreed that if the marketing
message was not believable or not correctly substantiated then they resisted. Reasons for not
23
trusting marketing varied, but included the use of too much information and not enough
information. Also humor that was not directly related to the product/ marketing message
could increase resistance; although it did help respondents to recall the particular
advertisement.
Natural resistance: a number of respondents mentioned that they ignored the majority of
marketing messages as part of a routine. Ways in which this occurred included changing the
TV station when advertisements started or turning off the sound on the radio respectively.
This resistance could be as simple as switching to another activity or thought pattern when
marketing messages are displayed. Respondents mentioned a lack of “focus” or
“concentration” when interrupted by marketing messages. This could be linked to a form of
subconscious resistance, in which too many messages lead to a psychological, unconscious
desire to block the information.
Feeling of Annoyance: If marketing is annoying either its design or message, it will lead to
high active resistance. This can occur if marketing is too repetitive or forceful or has some
aspect which is aggravating. Despite this however, some respondents did suggest they
remembered annoying marketing message more than neutral ones.
Reasons for reaction:
Perceived trust and value: If a brand is established and trusted, its marketing messages are
more likely to be believed according to respondents. Trust was a recurring theme when it
came to reacting or resisting. This trust was developed from past experiences with the brand
combined with a good amount of information. Brands that could include evidence (scientific,
medical, etc.) were also more trusted.
Constructive humor: If a brand successfully incorporated humor into its messages while
remaining relevant, this would act as a good reason for reacting and encouraging purchase
24
intention in some respondents. Almost all respondents believed humor helped to recall the
marketing message, but this did not always lead to reaction or resistance.
Marketing Techniques: Intelligent and unique ways of presenting a marketing message would
create a more positive perception of a brand from the respondents than traditional marketing.
This would help by increasing the interest in the message while making the respondent feel
slightly more unique due to the new way of receiving information.
Verbatim: Initial responses to the question: Why do the respondents resist?
R3: “Yeah… Hahaha… you’ve got to look beyond the product to where it’s coming from, and the external
information and then you can resist not to buy it.”
R4: “Of course I resist, because I know that marketers often don’t tell the truth as they want their product to be
sold whatever it is.”
R7: I… I resist, not all the time but generally. It depends on the advert or technique. So many adverts are boring
and annoying.”
PART 4: CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS:
Conclusion:
Feelings of manipulation, loss of identity or annoyance, lack of trust and natural resistance are
the different profiles identified through this study. reChamp permits to highlight main reasons
of resistance and reactance regarding different marketing strategies. Thanks to this study we
could conclude that people are more likely to react to independent scientific information
proves sustain by media, rumors or their relatives rather than to opinion leader. An effective
marketing strategy should not contain “too much” information: one or two trusted scientific
statements, well communicated through internet and social media, may have a significantly
25
greater impact than a large, highly expensive advertising campaign with a famous celebrity.
Effectively reactance is mainly based on the perceived trust and value that the brand is able to
establish with the consumer. Making the customer feeling unique and different from the
society he/she belongs helps to appeal to the non-conformist attitude of many postmodern
consumers; this will on effect lead to greater reactance to a marketing strategy.
Recommendations:
There are three main points to take in consideration for any further study regarding resistance.
First of all, we chose reChamp to ensure that respondents would not be aware that we would
like to measure their resistance. However we faced a problem with some of the respondents
because they were not interested in Champagne because it is not very usual purchase in some
of the countries of respondents. For further studies, what might be suggested is that
respondents who do not have cultural knowledge of the product be removed from the sample.
Conducting such a study amongst only international students who are restricted by budget,
creates a negative bias towards the product unrelated to the forms of resistance investigated in
this study. Effectively, it’s hard to gain insights in the resistance/reactance process when the
price appears as one of the major negative points regarding the product. Moreover, it would
be interesting to measure the level of resistance in other samples with regards to disposable
income or occupation. We could therefore see if there is a correlation between the level of
resistance and occupation/revenue.
Finally, we only tested resistance for medical statements and for sports role models as well as
the level of information. It might be interesting to see how the results could be affected if we
replace Roger Federer with a famous actor or a famous politician etc.
26
Appendixes:
1.
2.
3.
27
4. Interview:
Interview guideline & questions
Below are the questions, which should be asked during the interview. Please respect the following
procedure.
General rules:
Ask only the highlighted questions.
Give the interviewee as much time as he/she wants for answering.
Be sure in his/her answer, you will have the details next to the letters.
Introduce the interview in order to state the general objective of the study:
Hello, today we would like to understand the leisure habits of international students in Grenoble and
investigate their reactions towards consumer products.
As you are a student at GGSB, your contribution to our study might be really useful for us. In order to
keep track of our interview and gain further understanding, I will record the survey. But don’t worry,
your participation in this study is completely anonymous and we will analyze results as a whole. So
relax and keep in mind that there is not right or wrong answer! You can also stop the interview at any
time. Is that ok for you?
It will take approximately 30 minutes for you and me to go through this guide (show the guide) during
the study. I hope you will enjoy it, and if anything is wrong during the process, please let me know!
Questions:
1. Are you enjoying your time in Grenoble?
2. Despite the fact we have a lot of work here, do you have time to party/go out for a drink?
3. How many parties are you going to every week on average?
28
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
Do you usually buy alcohol for taking to parties?
Where do you buy alcohol?
Do you have a preferred place in Grenoble for buying alcohol?
At what time of day are you usually going to buy alcohol?
Do you always buy the same alcohol?
Which alcohol do you usually buy?
What do you think is the main reason for taking and consuming alcohol at parties?
Would you like to share your best experience when you consumed alcoholic beverages with
me?
When was it?
Where was it?
With which type of alcoholic beverage?
Have you adopted any habits from this experience regarding your choice of alcoholic
beverage?
Think about the last alcohol purchase you made. What is the most important characteristic of
this drink for you?
Why is this characteristic so important? What are the consequences of this characteristic on
you with regards to feelings and emotions? What happens when you drink this type of
alcoholic beverage?
And why is this consequence important to you? How does this consequence relate to your
personality?
Think about the last healthy purchase you made. What is the most important characteristic of
this drink/food for you?
Why is this characteristic so important? What are the consequences of this characteristic on
you with regards to feelings and emotions? What happens when you consume this type of
healthy item?
And why is this consequence important to you? How does this consequence relate to your
personality?
I would like you to now take a few minutes and have a look at this product. Please show
concept board number 1 to the interviewee.
What are your spontaneous reactions toward this product?
What do you think about it? Try to gain insights by asking why?
What do you consider as the positive characteristics of this product?
What do you consider as the negative characteristics of this product?
I would like you to now take a few minutes and have a look to this product. Please show
concept board number 2 to the interviewee.
What are your spontaneous reactions toward this product?
What do you think about it? Try to gain insights by asking why?
What do you consider as the positive characteristics of this product?
What do you consider as the negative characteristics of this product?
If strong evidence emerges from scientific studies suggesting that alcoholic beverages such as
wine, champagne, beer, soft drinks etc. are not nearly as bad for your health as they have
often been portrayed to be, and may have some major health benefits, what would happen to
your consumption of these items?
Do you think it could have any effect on the number of your purchases you make? If yes, why?
Do you think it means you will consume more or less in one sitting? Why?
Do you think you would be resistant to the information? Why?
In general, do you think you resist or you react to the different marketing strategies?
29
37. Why and when are you resistant to Marketing for a product?
38. Why and when do you react to Marketing?
39. Could you give me the three main reasons that would make you resist the marketing message
for a product or service?
40. Could you give me the three main reasons that would make you react to the marketing
message for a product or service?
41. How do you feel when you react to the marketing strategy for a specific product?
42. How do you feel when you resist to the marketing strategy for a specific product?
43. Do you consider that it is important for the modern consumer to resist or to react to marketing
messages and strategies? Why?
Conclusion:
Thank you very much for your time!
5. Complete Interviews
1. Yes absolutely!
3. At the supermarche
5. Wine
7. All the time I have good experiences,
there are good parties in Grenoble
9. Where was it?
11. Do you take any habits from this
experience regarding alcohol?
13. I have no knowledge about wine, wines
in a certain price range are normally
good, but I also look for a nice outer
appearance, and the bottle has to fit into
the fridge, I like fancy bottles with
picture of vineyards, something very
French, with things written in French
15. I do not like flavored water, do not buy
health drinks, I’m not so health
conscious actually..
17. And why is this consequence important
to whom of you? How this consequence
relates to your personality?
19. I would never buy it!
2. Yes, a lot
4. Intermarche because it is bigger, but
supermarhce is closer so it is more
convenient
6. It’s tasty and cheap
8. I can’t really remember one in particular.
10. With which type of alcohol?
12. Probably the price, I normally buy wines
in the 3-4euro range, as I have realized
these are the best wines. If you buy
cheaper ones they are never good, and if
you buy more expensive ones, these are
not really that great either.
14. I do not live on a budget exactly so that’s
not really the reason.. I have a creative
side, so I like the esthetics of a bottle. If
I don’t know how to decide on
something, I try to find a way of making
choices in a similar way in general in my
life, so it’s the same with wine, I don’t
think there’s any reason to pay more than
3-4euro for a good wine
16. Why is this attribute so important? What
are the consequences of having this
attribute in a tis drink? What happens
when you drink this type of ‘healthy’
drink with this attribute?
18. I would like you now to take a few
minutes and have a look to this product.
Please give the concept board number 1
to the interviewee.
20. I think it’s destroying the good taste of
champagne with fruits and vitamins, I
would rather just drink normal
champagne, besides it’s a too low
30
21. The bottle is quite nice.
22.
23. I would like you now to take a few
minutes and have a look to this product.
Please give the concept board number 2
to the interviewee.
24.
25. What do you think about it? Try to gain
insights by asking Why?
26.
27. I don’t believe it is tasty
28.
29. No
31. Not really resist, no
33. If I cannot believe in the quality of a
product, the marketing does not matter, if
the product is of good quality then good
marketing would increase the possibility
of purchasing it
35. If it is annoying, the ad is everywhere, if
it has awful design and you have to see
it, if it is obvious that you cannot believe
the facts stated in the ad
37. If I remember ads, it must have given me
good feelings, strong emotions will
normally make you remember, but not if
it is around the average
39. Yeah of course, marketing is all about
manipulation, it won’t work every time,
but very often it does work. So people
should oppose it.
41. 3 parties
43. Around 8 o’clock spontaneously, or
when I do my normal shopping
30.
32.
34.
1.
3.
5.
7.
2.
4.
6.
8.
Yes very much
One party a week normally
Casino or Carrefour
Around five-six, when I do my shopping
9. Wine, I like white and red the most
alcohol percentage like beer, I like a
higher percentage in my drinks.
It’s diluting the champagne, mixing juice
and fruits and vitamins and alcohol, I do
not see the connection between alcohol
and health drinks, anyways it is still
unhealthy
Some of the claims are quite funny and
nice, there might be a reason to taste it
actually, I like the last statement –
although it cannot be true but it’s still
funny…
I start to believe it is better than real
champagne because of the health
benefits, not because of the taste though..
I would not change my consumption, if I
imagine myself staying at home, I would
not drink by myself. One glass of wine
would never be unhealthy but if you
drink alcohol regularly, you could get
addicted so I wouldn’t be persuaded to
drink more often
I don’t think there would be a change
Yeah sometimes I do
When it’s funny, I like to be amused
36. If it is fascinating and I have never heard
of the product, or I really enjoy the
marketing,
38. I just want them to stop doing it, I don’t
want to see or hear it..
40.
42. Yes
44. Normally yes, I usually buy wine, I like
all types, red, white, rose..
Yes most of the time
Yes pretty much everytime
The supermarkets are best
Well I normally buy wine, not always
same brand though
10. It’s nice, cheap, and more fun at parties,
31
11. I don’t remember haha.. The Halloween
party was best party, there were lots of
people, good music, just a lot of fun
13. First I went to a pre party in town, at a
girl’s apartment, then Saxo, and then
Villa Bayard
15. When I go out I usually drink beer,
because wine is shitty in bars, and the
rest is so expensive
17. Student’s lifestyle on a budget, I still
want to go out, but then you buy more
since it’s cheap, but then you get a
headache sometimes since the quality
isn’t that great. On the other hand you
feel bad if you are buying expensive
drinks
19. I do not buy health drinks, but I buy
fruits and yoghurts, also to make
smoothies, it’s more fresh and tastes
really good
21. Well I’m not always a healthy person,
sometimes I am, depends on the day you
ask me.. I try to be, I go jogging from
time to time, and play some sports.
23. It sounds disgusting, and it’s expensive
25. I like the bottle, the bottle is nice
27. I would like you now to take a few
minutes and have a look to this product.
Please give the concept board number 2
to the interviewee. (Laughing when
reading)
29. It seems a little fake, the last statement is
too much out there, too extreme
31. It’s too expensive, and I don’t believe it
since there are so many positive things
about it, it’s over the top actually
33. I think it would remain the same
35. Depends on who is making the
statements, I would be skeptical, there
are so many other experiences that prove
it is unhealthy, so only one saying the
opposite would not change it
37. When it is marketed at younger people
39. If it goes against my morals, or overly
besides it tastes good
12. Halloween, well the Friday before
14. First I had wine at the pre party, then
beer in the bar, then gin tonic at the club
16. The mood I am in sort of dictates what I
like to drink, so it can be different
alcohol, price is also a factor
18. I think it represent lifestyle rather than
personality really, just what I like to do
as a student, the student lifestyle
20. Fresh is healthy and tasty, so you feel
better for eating it
22. I would like you now to take a few
minutes and have a look to this product.
Please give the concept board number 1
to the interviewee.
24. People would know if they drink it, it’s
not healthy
26. It’s expensive, it doesn’t seem suitable, it
doesn’t fit, kind of a strange mix of
alcohol and fruits
28. A lot of propaganda!
30. It’s proved by the international health
center, that’s pretty good
32. It would maybe change a little, I would
probably drink more if it wasn’t
unhealthy, but I would still feel bad and
unproductive the next day..
34. I would maybe drink a little, maybe one
more day of drinking a week, you know
a glass of wine with dinner more often
36. Yeah, I resist when there is more info,
more blabla, but I react positively to
healthy attributes
38. I react more if it is unfavorable, negative
associations will be bigger than positive
ones, when it is against morals and
standards I will definitely react
40. Funny ads would induce positive
32
selling if it is too much out there, or if
they are saying something that’s not
possible
41. I don’t really listen to ads, maybe if it’s
really funny. Normally I don’t remember
them
43. No not really, there are too many ads out
there, if they are still working it is our
fault that they are still out there. We
should stop believing everything that’s
said about products.
1.
3.
5.
7.
Yes very much
I would say probably 2 parties a week
Casino spar, general store, Carrefour
Sometimes I buy it with my general
shopping, or before going out
9. Wine, vodka
11. All of them.. haha there are so many
good memories!
13. In Nice
15. I do stupid stuff when I drink, I dance
lots, and then spend the next day in bed
17. I want to enjoy drinking the product, so I
want to know how it will affect me, how
fast I will get drunk so I want to know
the strength of the drink, besides I don’t
like too strong drinks
19. That it is healthy and fresh, has a god
taste
21. Well I am aiming to be healthy, to have a
healthy lifestyle
23. It’s perfect for me! I’m happy its healthy,
I like the vitamins in it
25. I like the design and that it is healthy,
I’m happy with the taste, nice design, it’s
posh, I like champagne so that makes it
appealing
27.
29. The vitamins are exaggerated, I think
it’s bullshit, I don’t really believe it
31. It’s like an over-reaction, it’s too much. I
would go more for the first one, it’s more
simple and honest
33. Maybe 1 bottle extra a week
35. I would be suspicious, and do research
reactions, if I think it is untrue from
personal experience or knowledge
42. I will be like “I’m not going to buy that”,
I won’t care about it or waste energy on
it
2. Yes!
4. Yes
6. Casino
8. No it changes quite a bit
10. To get drunk, to have a good time at the
parties
12. August
14. Wine, mojito, shots, apple juice and
vodka,
16. Type and taste, alcohol percentage
18. I won’t like it if it is too strong, I like to
party, I am pretty easy going and like to
have a good time so I guess in a way it
relates to my personality
20. I feel healthier if it is fresh, if I eat fresh
vegetables I feel more energized,
22.
24. I like the sparkles on the bottle, it’s shiny
and nice, a bit expensive though, and a
small bottle
26. Low alcohol percentage, expensive, nice
28. (Laughing when reading) It is a good
intro, the same as before
30. It is the same as before, just with more
marketing of the positive sides
32. Maybe I would start having a glass of
wine with meals more often, but I won’t
be wasted every day, it’s enough with the
weekends
34. I want to be healthy, so I would probably
follow suggestions concerning healthy
behavior
36. I’m not really reacting to marketing,
33
on my own, I would also see where it
was published, and check what other
people think about it
37. When the marketing is too extreme, or if
they market products with low or normal
prices with exaggerated marketing
statements
39. Could you give me the three main
reasons that make you resist to a product,
service or to a marketing strategy?
41. It depends on the product, it’s a bot
difficult to say
43. It is important, it affects sales for
companies, if there are boring ads, it
doesn’t happen often that I react, nice ads
make me go to the store
1. Enjoying time in Grenoble, but a lot of work to
do
2. Yes
3. At the beginning of the semester parties on
Saturday and Friday, but due to Q1. It’s more
every 2 weeks
4.Yes
5. In supermarkets
6. Yes, Carrefour Market
7. Just before the parties
8. Yes
9. Beer and Rum
10. Having fun and something in my hands to be
part of the group
11. Could remember only bad experience
12. /
13. /
14. /
15. /
16.The design and the brand
17. Increase the level of trust and reduce the fear
of getting a strong hangover
18. See question 17
19. Don’t buy making them myself
20. /
21. /
22. /
maybe to some special offers, if look at
quality and price it is a good offering
38. I react to funny ads, depends if it is
product I like or use, may try it once if
I’m normally a user of that type of
product, if it is a lower price but
marketing is the same, or if my favorite
stars are in the ad, or the product has a
really good word of mouth
40. Could you give me the three main
reasons that make you react to a product,
service or to a marketing strategy?
42. I won’t be upset really, I just don’t care
about it
23. It’s funny and it looks nice
24. It looks good but I’ll wait for scientific proofs
25. Vitamins and fruit insight
26. The price
27. /
28. It looks nicer!
29. The association with Roger Federer is
original
30. The design is better
31. The price
32. Remember my past experience, my
consumption would not increase
33. No
34. /
35.Maybe I’ll wait for other research or other
similar products made by different brands
36. Resist
37. When there is too much media coverage
38.
39. The product content and the design
40. Brand awareness and word of mouth
41. I feel like a sheep!
42. I feel clever
43. Yes as a person, but no as a future marketing
professional!
34
1. Enjoying time in Grenoble
2. Yes
3. Parties twice a week
4. Yes
5. In both supermarkets and club
6. Yes, Monoprix or Carrefour City
7. Just before the parties
8. No
9. Beer, vodka, cocktails
10. Relaxing
11. Yes
12. Last weekend
13. Beer pub with friends
14. Beer
15. Very calories concern and also the taste
16. The number of calories and the percentage of
alcohol
17. Because of my gain weight during my first
year of uni
18. /
19. Very calories concern
20. Because as this is fruit you’re willing to
consume more and to have more calories at the
end
21. Because of my past experience
22. /
1. Enjoying time in Grenoble but really tired due
to work pressure
2. Yes and no
3. Parties on Saturday
4. No
5. /
6. /
7. /
8. /
9. /
10. /
11. /
12. /
13. /
23. I’ll reject it, cannot believe that could exist
24. Too much, and regarding what I know from
healthy product, I’m pretty sure it’s not!
25. Maybe the can is nice
26. Too much “healthy” pretending for being
true, and if it’s really, you’ll tend to consume
more because it’s mixed with fruits, and so you’ll
have more calories
27. /
28. I might consider it as a gift
29. Too expensive
30. Design
31. The price
32. No, it’s impossible
33. No because of my own experience with
alcoholic beverage: I know you can gain a lot of
weight by drinking alcohol so I would limit my
consumption
34. /
35. I’ll wait a lot of extra scientific researches
36. Resist
37. Because of the ethics values of the brand, if
the packaging is not eco friendly
38. If there are some tangible healthy attributes
39. See question 37
40. If there is a link with a charity event
41. I feel superior because I would be aware that
I’m reacting!
42. I feel responsible
43./
23. I’ll buy it
24. It’s funny
25. I like the colour and the recipe is original
26. The price
27. /
28. I like Roger Federer
29. The bottle looks very classic and chic
30. It’s more differentiate than what you can find
usually already in the market
31. The price
32. Yes
33. Yes it will increase, I believe science
34. I’ll consume the sae amount but more
frequently
35. No I’ll react
35
14. /
15. No
16. Taste and price
17. I’m a student so don’t have that much budget
but would like to consume good things
18. /
19. The bottle design
20. I’m not in my own country, I don’t know the
brand here, so I’m making my choices in
function of the bottle design
21. /
22. /
1. Enjoying time in Grenoble
2. Yes
3. Parties once twice a week
4. Yes
5. In supermarkets
6. Monoprix
7. Just before the parties
8. Yes
9. Beer and Vodka
10. Social aspect associated and relax
11. During a session of low consumption of beer,
during a friend’s birthday in a nightclub in India.
Did not feel that the alcohol had any particular
effect on the evening but the social chemistry of
the group.
12. See question 11
13. See question 11
14. See question 11
15. /
16. Beer
17. Pleasant, relaxed sensation; the subject feels
he is a relaxed, “chilled out” person and
18. Beer reflects and exemplifies this
characteristic
19. The subject is vegetarian, so he regularly
makes healthy purchases of fruit and vegetables.
20. Despite this however, don’t think about the
health aspects when he purchases food or drinks.
21. Decisions are driven solely by the taste and
enjoyment.
22. /
36. React
37. Resist if the product is very bad for my health
even with a small consumption
38. Almost all the time
39. Unhealthy attributes
40. Good promotion, understanding of the
marketing strategy
41. /
42. /
43. /
23. Simple product
24. Target woman
25. /
26. /
27. /
28. Interesting and catchy, but don’t like
champagne
29. Attractive for people who likes both
champagne and healthy product
30. Permits to reach a combination of two
different segments
31. Too expensive and hardly believable
information
32.No
33. Able to manage my alcohol consumption
34. Would try it only for free
35. Yes
36. Yes I might
37. If use of traditional marketing attributes
because it’s boring
38. Innovative ways of using marketing
39. /
40. /
41. /
42. /
43. /
36
1. Enjoying time in Grenoble but under a great
deal of pressure reaching the end of the semester
2. Yes
3. Big parties 2/3 times a month, and
restaurant/pub once a week
4. Yes
5. In supermarkets or pub
6. Beer pub
7. Just before the parties
8. Yes
9. Beer
10. Relax and open
11. Beers during football games with friends
12. /
13. /
14. /
15. /
16. Price
17. Sense of community with beer
18. Remind me my country of origin
19. Smoothies in a bar
20. Understand the balance in the diet
21. Reflect my healthy habits
22. /
1. Enjoying time in Grenoble but under a great
deal of pressure reaching the end of the semester
2. Yes
3. Big parties 2/3 times a month, and
restaurant/pub once a week
4. Yes
5. In supermarkets
6. Carrefour
7. Just before the parties
8. Yes
9. Wine and beer
10. Relax and open
11. New Year 2010
12. /
13. /
14. /
15. /
16. Correspond with the type of event
17. Celebration spirit
18. /
19. Don’t like that
20. /
21. /
22. /
23. Interesting
24. New
25. The colour
26. Added heath ingredients
27. /
28. Preference for this one
29. Taste better than the previous one
30. Nice
31. Don’t believe the information
32. Yes
33. Yes
34. Yes
35. Wait for further information
36. Resist
37. Depends on the market highlighted, refuse to
be manipulated
38. /
39. /
40. /
41. /
42. /
43. /
23. It’s funny
24. Innovative association
25. Easy to carry
26. Looks chemical
27. /
28. I like it more than the other
29. Should taste better than the previous one
30. Looks good
31. Don’t believe the information
32. Yes
33. Yes
34. Yes
35. Wait for further information
36. Resist
37. Depends on the market highlighted and want
to have control in the decision making process
38. /
39. /
40. /
41. /
42. /
43. /
37
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Once or twice a week
4. If it’s houseparty yes
5. Mostly at Carrefour or the specialized beer
shop close to school
6. Specialized beer shop close to school
7. Somewhere at night from 8.00pm
8. No, I buy most of the time beer, sometimes
champagne or whiskey
9. You come loose, it keeps you awake and it
brings joy
10. No
11. /
12. /
13. /
14. /
15. /
16. Joy, size of the bottles, satisfaction and good
taste
17. Taste is important for the enjoyment and the
size of the bottle are important to don’t carry too
much. The consequences of the attributes give
you satisfaction and a good night. If you don’t
drink don’t get opened up that much. You find
yourself more relaxed and your emotions are
more influent.
18. /
19. Most important attribute when buying a
healthy drink is the taste and healthy effect.
Ingredients are not important.
23. The viewer is quit triggered and want to try
and maybe buy the product. It sounds like a good
combination.
24. The statements cannot be all true and the
comparisons with people look a bit weird. There
is a lot of information but the viewer would not
resist it. Maybe buy it, let’s see if it is true what
they say.
25. The positive things are that it’s healthy and
some of the slogans are funny and trigger the
viewer.
26. Negative characteristic is that there cannot be
champagne with all of those vitamins in in. And
the label is a negative thing
27. /
28. There is not enough information and the
person would not believe it is a healthy alcoholic
drink. It cannot be true that all the vitamins are
included in the drink.
29./
30. I’m curious!
31. Negative factor is that there is no information
and the label is not nice. The person would resist
this advertisement.
32. Probably
33. A little bit more
34. /
35. If I believe it is scientifically proven I would
believe it and react to it.
36. Yes I do. The commercials is see everyday
again, I resist to those. But the very good
emotional bonding commercials like the Audi
commercials make me react and trigger me very
much
37. By an overkill of the same commercials of
telemarketing commercials?
38. But the very good emotional bonding
commercials like the Audi commercials make the
person react and trigger the person very much.
39. Too much of the same, when commercials are
trying to make you believe something stupid.
40. When the commercial is smooth, bonds with
you, makes you want to have the product.
41. I don’t know I just ignore it.
38
20. /
21. /
42. It makes me happy; it makes me want to buy
it.
43. When looking at advertisements of
commercials people should look beyond the
products and look where is coming from and
when products have bad influence on the
environment they should resist the products
22. /
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Once or twice a week
4. If it is a houseparty, yes
5. Mostly in the supermarket. Otherwise night
store
6. No
7. When going to the supermarket
8. Most of the time wine. Trying to use different
brands
9. Wine
10. To have fun, good taste and enjoyment
11. /
12. /
13. /
14. /
15. /
16. It is social related, satisfaction, good taste
17. You feel relaxed, gives fun, reflects on the
enjoyment of the night
18. See question 17
19. When buying and drinking healthy drinks it
does contribute to the healthy well-being and the
body should be treated carefully. If you take care
of your body it gives improvements in the long
term
20. /
21. /
22. /
1. Yes
23. The brand seems to be very good
24. /
25. It is covering more than one target and it os
satisfying the needs from different segments
26. The product is not aimed on a specific focus
group. It looks very commercial and there is too
much information. I would resist because of the
amount of information.
27. /
28. It’s a party champagne which is served in
fancy clubs. The positive characteristic is the
package.
29. /
30. The positive characteristic is the package
31. The negative characteristic is the design
32. It would probably more
33. A little bit more
34. /
35. Usually don’t listen to such information,
don’t really pay attention, so not sure about the
reaction
36. Resistance occurs toward products which are
over commercialized/advertized.
37. With a well design, good code and name, I’ll
react positively
38. When I react I feel like the brand is getting
my attention
39. /
40. /
41.I feel I have lost the war against marketers
42. It’s a war between the brand and the
consumer
43. /
23. Nothing to say
39
2. Yes
3. Once or twice a week only in the weekend
4. Yes
5. Mostly in the supermarkets
6. Carrefour
7. Day of the party
8. Yes
9. Always whiskey and always the same brand
10. To have fun, good taste, people smile, you
get relaxed
11. No
12. /
13. /
14. /
15. /
16. The quality
17. See question 10
18. See question 10
19. Sometimes smoothies, but I made them
myself normally
20. The contribution of the healthy drinks is the
feeling of felling better but it also contributes to
the general well being. It is good for the body?
The vitamins strengthen the health and there is
less stomach pain. It also gives a contribution to
the happiness. There also comes a flow of energy
and enlightening
21. See question 20
22. /
6. Product A:
24. Too much information, can’t believe the
statements
25. It is marketed as healthy
26. It is a weird combination of vitamins
champagne and fruits
27. /
28. The same but with less information. Would
maybe try it first but not buy it. I would buy the
drink only in a bar when everyone is drinking it.
If everyone is not drinking it, I’ll not buy it.
People who can effort this drink would not buy
this because they would rather spend their money
on pure champagne or fruit drinks
29. /
30. Less Information. It looks more reliable
31. Price and how can it be beneficial for the
body?
32. It would probably more
33. A little bit more
34. When scientist really can proof alcoholic
drinks can delivery certain benefits on the
general health well being there will be bought
more drinks. But its must be totally checked
35. Normally I don’t really listen to such
information. So can resist or react…
36. Marketers are always trying to sell things, so
resistance will be there almost all the time. I can
be trigged by some very cool advertisements
37. See question 36
38. Only when it is really getting my attention
39. If I don’t believe it
40. /
41. I have the feeling marketers are trying to sell
me things with their lies
42. See question 41
43. /
40
7. Product B:
41
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