Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Assignment
We are all consumers and there is no better way to begin to understand why others purchase
products than to become aware of the influences on our own buying behaviour. During the
first few weeks of the course you are required to keep a journal of your own purchasing
decisions and hand in a short (4-5 page) summary of the decisions made and insights gained
from them.
Goals
Format
You may use any format for recording your purchases you wish, but at a minimum should
include:
• Description of product or services purchased.
• Date of purchase:
• Place of purchase:
• Brand Name: (for each item)
• Price: (for each item)
• Reason for purchase
• Thoughts and feelings associated with the purchase/or while shopping.
• Notes on anything that influenced your purchasing behaviour e.g. Salesperson,
advertising, packaging, friends, store ambience etc.
• Other Descriptive Information:
1
It is not necessary to record everything you buy but you should try for a minimum of 3 entries
per week. In addition to purchases made at stores don't forget ongoing purchases such as
cable, telephone, power or online purchases. Also, don’t forget minor purchases such as a
pack of gum, chocolate bar, coffee etc.
The paper
The paper should analyse five of your purchases during this period, and the influences that
led you to purchase them in relation to consumer behaviour concepts covered in class and in
the text. You should note any patterns in your buying behaviour and also consider the
implications as to how knowledge of your buying behaviour could be useful to marketers.
Where should they promote their product to get your attention? What message should
marketers use to persuade you? The answers to these last two questions can be either for
groups of products or for particular ones. The paper should include a brief introduction as
well as concluding or summary statement. Format should be 4-5 pages double-spaced. Cover
pages are OK but please no binders or folders, or the journal entries themselves.
………………………………………………………………………………………......
This assignment requires you to find a print ad that illustrates the effective use of some of the
ideas, concepts or principles covered in class and submit a brief (2-3 page) discussion of the
underlying principles that make it an effective ad. A copy or photocopy of the ad must also
be submitted. The paper should include a brief introduction as well as concluding or
summary statement. Format should be 2-3 pages double-spaced. Again, cover pages are OK
but please no binders or folders. The assignment is worth 10% of the final grade.
Failure to discuss theory in a substantive way will result in a failing grade. For example,
providing an explanation that “this ad got my attention” is not substantive, even though
“attention” is a concept discussed in class. No knowledge of consumer behaviour is required
to merely identify an ad as attention-getting, and a grade corresponding to this lack of
knowledge would be assigned to such a submission.
2
• What things are in the ad and why, and their positioning or arrangement
• The colour scheme
Assignment will not be accepted for marking if submitted after the end of the semester in
which it is set.