SOAL-SOAL PSIKOLOGI INDUSTRI DAN ORGANISASI
Pertemuan 22 & 23:
Psikologi Konsumen
1. What did John B. Watson contribute to the study of consumer behavior?
a. He founded the behaviorist school of psychology, and in 1921 applied his ideas
about human behavior to problems in the business world.
b. He proposed that consumer behavior could be conditioned, predicted and
controlled. He brought experimental and survey methods to marketing and
insisted that advertisements focus on style and image, rather than substance and
facts.
2. Describe some of the results of the nationwide survey by the American Association of
Advertising Agencies on popular opinions toward advertising.
a. The results will not make ad agencies happy.
b. Most respondents will avoid products that overwhelm them with advertising (54
percent), their opinions about advertising are more negative than a few years ago
(60 percent), feel the amount of advertising they are exposed to is “out of control”
(61 percent), are interested in ad-blocker products (69 percent), and feel that
advertising detracts from the quality of everyday life (45 percent).
3. What are the advantages of online consumer surveys over surveys conducted by
telephone or in person?
a. Online surveys are a fast and less expensive way to obtain data on consumer
behavior and attitudes.
b. By 2003, almost one-fourth of all market research surveys were carried out
online.
4. Describe how focus groups are conducted. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of
focus groups compared to surveys.
a. Focus groups - a method of surveying public opinion through the paid
participation of 8 to 12 group members who meet to describe their reactions to a
product, or advertisement, or to specific issues. Focus groups need to be
structured differently for different segments of the population. The data collected
are more qualitative than that gathered from surveys.
b. Both members of focus groups and respondents to surveys may distort their
answers.
c. Virtual focus groups conducted online function the same as face-to-face groups,
but with lower cost and greater efficiency, with members less likely to be
influenced by other group members.
5. How did the study by Ernest Dichter on packaged cake mixes influence consumer
research?
a. Ernest Dichter (1907-1992) was a pioneer in the field of motivation research. He
used Freudian psychoanalysis to discover unconscious motivations for neurotic
behavior, applying this technique to analyze consumer behavior - why people buy
a particular product.
b. General Mills offered a new packaged cake mix with everything in it; the
consumer just had to add water. The product did not sell well. Dichter found that
women felt guilty about doing little or no work with the cake mix; he
recommended the company omit the dried egg, and instruct the cooks to add fresh
eggs to the packaged mix. Sales soared. As a result, Dichter’s techniques became
essential tools for studying consumer behavior.
6. If you had the job of observing the behavior of consumers shopping for cookies at
supermarkets in your city, how would you design the project? What problems would you
have to resolve in conducting this research?
a. The most direct way is to site video cameras or place human observers in the
stores.
b. A disadvantage of direct observation is cost and time. There is also the problem of
adequate sampling of shopping behavior. The design must also account for
different types of shoppers found at different times and on different days. There is
also a lack of experimental control over other influencing behaviors.
7. Describe techniques used by consumer psychologists to test reactions to advertising.
a. Aided recall - the most popular technique; determines the extent to which an ad
can be recalled.
b. Recognition - consumers are shown ads and asked if they recognize the ad and
remember where they saw it.
c. Physiological measures to evaluate the effectiveness of a commercial.
d. Sales tests - results of an ad campaign are measured in terms of actual sales and
contrasted with the sales in a control market.
e. Coupon returns - when coupons are returned, they provide a measure of consumer
interest.
8. How effective is the use of coupons in determining effectiveness of newspaper and
magazine ads? What are the advantages of obtaining coupons online compared to cutting
coupons out of the newspaper?
a. Coupons used to purchase a product measure actual buying behavior. However, if
the inducement is positive enough, there is the danger people will respond even
though they are not interested in the product.
b. More people search for coupons online. They provide a major benefit to
marketers and researchers instant personal information about the individual
downloading the coupons.
9. Which appeals are more effective in advertising: positive or negative appeals? Shock or
fear appeals? Give an example of each type.
a. A positive appeal suggests positive consequences for using the product (e.g.,
using soap and then winning a job in an interview).
b. Negative appeals are effective for certain types of products, but they do not work
when the consequences are overly unpleasant. A strong appeal can generate anger
toward the ad (e.g., gruesome automobile accident to promote driving safety).
c. Shock appeals that deliberately startle or offend may work (e.g., a nude couple
embracing as background for an AIDS commercial).
10. Describe the impact on consumer behavior of product packaging, product pricing, and the
use of sex in advertisements.
a. Product packaging - consumer attitudes are often shaped by the wrapping within
which a product is offered. The package should reinforce the image of the product
achieved through advertising.
b. Product pricing - the price can be an important influence on buying behavior,
independent of advertising and product quality. Consumers often use price as an
indicator of quality. Rebates are more effective means than lowering prices to
introduce a product.
c. Sex in advertisements - the value has been accepted on faith with little empirical
evidence. It does have attention-getting value. Women read the message, while
men look at the pictures. There is lower recall with a sexy ad.
11. What factors help us remember an ad we have seen? How effective are ads for
prescription medications?
a. We pay more attention to ads in theaters because we are a captive audience.
b. People are more likely to recall an ad they liked rather than disliked. Those that
believe advertising is informative are better able to recall an ad. Racial
identification is an important recall aid for those with identification in Black
culture.
c. Prescription medications ads are effective, especially among the population who
may have one or more of the symptoms being treated.
12. What are the advantages and disadvantages of advertising on the Web?
a. The effectiveness of banner ads is as yet undetermined.
b. Web page complexity has a negative influence on advertising effectiveness. A
high level of perceived interactivity and virtual tours on websites has a positive
effect. Frequent Internet users are more likely to purchase online. Men shop
online more frequently than women.
c. People spend more time on products that are more important, attractive, and
desirable than products seen as merely functional.
d. Web advertising works better for high involvement products.
e. Convenience and price are the most frequently cited reasons for online shopping.
The Web has the potential for being more effective than the other most frequently
used media.
13. How do people who like online shopping differ from those who do not like online
shopping?
a. Those who like online shopping spend more time on the Web. They prefer price
and convenience. Online shoppers are more likely to be men.
14. What kinds of products are people more likely to purchase online? What are they least
likely to buy online?
a. They are most likely to purchase books, CDs, music products, electronic goods,
and entertainment and travel services.
b. They are less likely to buy luxury products or new products or clothing that
shoppers prefer to try on or feel.
15. What is brand placement? How effective is brand placement when targeted at adults? At
children?
a. Brand placement - use of a brand within the context of a story rather than in a
separate commercial. Viewer recall is increased through brand placement using
the leading actor. Brand placement appears effective regardless of age group,
although children may be less likely to recall the brand they had seen.
16. How would you devise an ad campaign for upscale furniture if your target was the
Hispanic consumer? The Black consumer? The Asian-American consumer? What media
would you use for your ads?
a. Hispanic consumers prefer Spanish-language programming. They are attracted to
upscale images and attributes of the products and stores in which they shop.
Hispanics are driven by a strong need to stay in touch with family and friends.
b. Black consumers are attracted to higher quality goods, high-fashion items and
name-brand products. Product loyalty is important. They look to the media
(movies, TV, advertisements) for cues as to which items define success in the
main stream. Family and friends are an important reference point. There is distrust
for other than Black-oriented media.
c. Asians tend to value high quality, established, well-known brand names. Newly
arrived Asian-Americans don’t like to make purchases on credit. They are more
literate and more computer literate.
17. Describe the major differences between the consumer behaviors of Hispanics and Blacks.
a. Blacks are more likely to use family and friends as points of reference.
b. Blacks are more distrustful of any medium they consider White-oriented.
18. What characteristics define the Asian-American population in the United States?
a. Industrious, disciplined, hard-working, eager to achieve a middle-class lifestyle,
educated, literate, and computer literate
19. Do you think it is ethical to advertise to children under the age of 8? Why or why not?
a. The APA reports that ads exploit children, because children under age 8 tend to
assume that what they see and hear is truthful and honest.
b. Parents feel guilt over product nagging from children.
c. Advertisers like to develop materialistic attitudes as early as possible.
d. It can erode their ability to trust in the world.
20. How do gay people appear to differ from non-gay people in their consumer behavior?
a. Gays in Canada are more likely to make consumer purchases from “gay positive”
companies.
b. They tend not to believe in advertising in general and describe most of it as
condescending to homosexuals.