Motivatie (H 5)
1.
Why are motivations the driving force behind consumer behavior?
Answer:
Motivations are the driving force that impels consumers to act. This driving force is
produced by a state of tension, which exists as the result of an unfulfilled need. Therefore,
individuals consciously and subconsciously take on behaviors that they anticipate will
fulfill their needs and relieve them from the state of stress they feel. Consumers take on
behaviors to satisfy their needs based on their individual thinking and learning, as well as
their perceptions. Marketers must view motivation as the force that induces consumption.
2.
Need-driven human activity never ceases. Why is this?
Answer:
Need-driven human activity never ceases due to the following reasons:
a. many needs are never fully satisfied – they continually impel actions designed to
attain or maintain satisfaction.
b. as needs become satisfied, new and higher-order needs emerge that cause tension
and induce activity.
c. people who achieve their goals set new and higher goals for themselves.
Perceptie (H 7)
3. What is the difference between selective attention and perceptual defense?
Answer:
Selective attention is when consumers exercise a great deal of selectivity in terms of the
attention they give to commercial stimuli. They have a heightened awareness of stimuli
that meet their needs or interests and minimal awareness for stimuli irrelevant to their
needs. Consumers are more likely to notice ads about products that are of interest to them
and disregard those that are not.
Perceptual defense is when consumers subconsciously screen out stimuli that they find
psychologically threatening, even though exposure has already taken place. Furthermore,
consumers sometimes unconsciously distort information that is not consistent with their
needs, values and beliefs.
How do marketers try to make sure their customers don’t jump to the wrong conclusions?
4.
Answer:
When using commercials regarding the product or service, marketers are careful to give
their most persuasive argument first to try to instill certain positive beliefs about the
product or service before consumers jump to the wrong conclusions.
5.
What are the types of perceived risk consumers have to deal with?
Answer:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
functional risk: that the product will not perform as expected
physical risk: risk to oneself or others
financial risk: that the product will not be worth the cost
social risk: that the product choice may result in social embarrassment
psychological risk: the risk that a poor product choice will bruise the consumer’s ego
There are many ways consumers handle risk. Identify and discuss about three methods.
Consumers seek information about the products through word of mouth, salespeople,
media, consumer reports, and other product information resources. The more information
consumers have about their product, the more predictable the probable consequences, thus
the lower the perceived risk.
Consumers are brand loyal: consumers avoid risk by remaining brand loyal to a brand
with which they are satisfied instead of trying new or untried brands.
Consumers buy the most expensive model: when in doubt, consumers often feel that the
most expensive model is probably the best in terms of quality, that is, they equate price
with quality.
Leren en betrokkenheid (H 8)
7. How do some marketers make use of the concept of stimulus generalization?
Answer:
Some marketers introduce imitative “me too” products that succeed in the market.
Consumers confuse them with the original product they have seen advertised. Also,
private label manufacturers try to make their packaging closely resemble the national
brand leaders in hope of confusing customers. Such products result in millions of lost
sales for well-positioned and extensively advertised brands.
Marketers also make use of stimulus generalization when they create product line, form,
and category extensions. When marketers present new versions of their products to
consumers, their hope is that consumers will generalize their previous positive
experiences with the brand to include the brand’s new products. This is also the concept
behind family branding and licensing.
8.
Talk about the three systems or memory storehouses, and how information is stored.
Answer:
There are three stages where information processing occurs. They are three separate and
sequential stages.
The first is called the sensory store, in which all data comes through our senses which
receive fragmented pieces of information and transmit it to the brain in parallel. The
image of a sensory input lasts for a second or two in the mind’s sensory store. If it is not
processed immediately, it is lost immediately.
The second stage is the short-term store, which is known as working memory. This is the
stage where information is processed and held for just a brief period. Information in the
short-term store undergoes the process known as rehearsal, and then is transferred to the
long-term store. This transfer process takes 2 to 10 seconds, and if the information is not
rehearsed, it is lost in 30 seconds or less.
The final stage is the long-term store which retains information for relatively long periods
of time. Even though some information may be lost in a few minutes, most information
that makes it to long-term stores lasts for extended periods of time, sometimes up to years.
9.
What is the Elaboration Likelihood Model?
Answer:
The ELM suggests that a person’s level of involvement during message processing is a
critical factor in determining which route to persuasion is likely to be effective. For
example, as the message becomes more personally relevant, people are more willing to
expend the cognitive effort required to process the message arguments. Thus, when
involvement is high, consumers follow the central route and base their attitudes or choices
on the message arguments. When involvement is low, they follow the peripheral route and
rely heavily on other message elements to form attitudes or make product choices.
Attituden (H 9)
10. Discuss the three components of the tricomponent attitude model.
Answer:
The first component of the model is the cognitive component—the knowledge and
perceptions that are acquired through direct experience with the attitude object. This
knowledge takes the form of beliefs about the attitude object.
The second component, the affective component, is the consumer’s emotions or feelings
about a product or brand. These emotions capture the consumer’s global assessment of the
attitude object.
The third component is the conative component. It is concerned with the likelihood or
tendency that an individual will undertake a specific action or behave in a particular way
with regard to the attitude object.
11.
What are the four main influencers of attitudes?
Answer:
The primary influencer of consumer attitudes is the consumer’s direct experience while
trying and evaluating products.
Another major influencer is family and friends and admired individuals. The family
provides us with our basic values and beliefs that we refer to as adults.
The third influencer is highly focused direct marketing. These programs target smaller
consumer niches with carefully personalized offerings and messages that understand their
specific needs and desires.
The final influence on consumer attitudes is mass media. TV, magazines, newspapers and
radio expose people to new ideas, products and opinions which provide an important
source of information that influences consumer attitudes.
12.
How can marketers utilize the knowledge function to influence the basic motivational
function?
Answer:
Individuals have a strong need to know and understand the people and things they
encounter. The consumer’s need to know is a cognitive need, so marketers need to focus
on how they position the product in an attempt to satisfy that need to know and improve
the consumer’s attitude toward the brand. Marketers need to point out how their product is
superior to other products and point out the attributes in comparison with other brands.
13.
How is it possible for marketers to persuade regular cola drinkers to become diet cola
drinkers?
Answer:
Marketers can try to change the relative evaluation of attributes. When a product category
is divided according to distinct product features or benefits, in this case, taste and calorie
differences, marketers should take the opportunity to persuade consumers to cross over, or
prefer the one version of the product, the diet cola, over the other version by bringing out
the new features and benefits of that product choice.
14.
What is cognitive dissonance and when does it happen?
Answer:
Cognitive dissonance is discomfort that occurs when a consumer holds conflicting
thoughts about a belief or an attitude object. Usually consumers make purchase decisions
and then feel that other brands could have satisfied their needs better. Cognitive
dissonance can happen before or after the purchase. When it happens after the purchase
takes place, it is known as postpurchase dissonance.