Consumer Buying Behavior

Topic 1: Self

1. A marketer of health foods is attempting to segment a certain market on the basis of consumer self-image. Describe the four types of consumer self-image and discuss which one(s) would be most effective for the stated purpose. 2. How do Eastern and Western cultures tend to differ in terms of how people think about the self? 3. List three dimensions by which we can describe the self-concept. 4. Compare and contrast the real versus the ideal self. List three products for which each type of self is likely to be used as a reference point when a purchase is considered. 5. How do feelings about the self influence the specific brands people buy? 6. Define the extended self and provide three examples. 7. Give two examples of sex-typed products. Topic 2: Personality 1. How would you explain the fact that, although no two individuals have identical personalities, personality is sometimes used in consumer research to identify distinct and sizable market segments? 2. Contrast the major characteristics of the following personality theories: a) Freudian theory, b) neo-Freudian theory, and c) trait theory. In your answer, illustrate how each theory is applied to the understanding of consumer behavior. 3. Describe the ABC model of attitudes 4. Describe personality trait theory. Give five examples of how personality traits can be used in consumer research. 5. How do your clothing preferences differ from those of your friends? What personality traits might explain why your preferences are different from those of other people? 6. Describe the id, ego, and superego and tell how they work together according to Freudian theory 7. Define a brand personality and give two examples. 8. We live in a time where many people live frugally; they cut back on visits to restaurants, buy fewer high-end clothes and other luxury goods and hold on to their cars much longer. Are we witnessing a long-term shift in consumer behavior, or do you believe this is just a temporary situation? Topic 3 Attitude

1. Explain a persons attitude toward visiting Disney World in terms of the tricomponent attitude model. 2. Explain how the product manager of a breakfast cereal might change consumer attitudes toward the companys brand by: (a) changing beliefs about the brand; (b) changing beliefs about competing brands; (c) changing the relative evaluation of attributes; and (d) adding an attribute. 3. The Department of Transportation of a large city is planning an advertising campaign that encourages people to switch from private cars to mass transit. Give examples of how the department can use the following strategies to change commuters attitudes: (a) changing the basic motivational function; (b) changing beliefs about public transportation; (c) using self-perception theory; and (d) using cognitive dissonance.

4. What sources influenced your attitudes about this course before classes started? Has your initial attitude changed since the course started? If so, how? 5. Describe a situation in which you acquired an attitude toward a new product through exposure to an advertisement for that product. Describe a situation where you formed an attitude toward a product or brand on the basis of personal influence. Topic 4: Consumer Decision Making 1. List the steps in the model of rational decision making 2. What is purchase momentum, and how does it relate (or not) to the model of rational decision making? 3. Name two ways a consumer problem can arise. 4. Define extensive problem solving, limited problem solving, and routinized response behavior. What are the differences among the three decision-making approaches? What type of decision process would you expect most consumers to follow in their first purchase of a new product or brand in each of the following areas: (a) chewing gum, (b) sugar, (c) mens aftershave lotion, (d) carpeting, (e) paper towels, (f) a cellular telephone, and (g) a luxury car? Explain your answers. 5. Lets assume that this coming summer you are planning to spend a month touring Europe and are, therefore, in need of a good 35mm camera. (a) Develop a list of product attributes that you will use as the purchase criteria in evaluating various 35mm cameras. (b) Distinguish the differences that would occur in your decision process if you were to employ compensatory versus noncompensatory decision rules. 6. Select one of the following product categories: (a) compact disc players, (b) fastfood restaurants, and (c) shampoo, and: (1) write down the brands that constitute your evoked set, (2) identify brands that are not part of your evoked set, and (3) discuss how the brands included in your evoked set differ from those that are not included in terms of important attributes. 7. What role do the evoked set, the inert set and the inept set play in a consumers information search? Why are some brands in consumers evoked set and others in inert and inept set? 8. What are the evaluative criteria and how do they relate to information search? 9. It is often suggested that consumers should engage in relatively extensive external search prior to purchasing an item. However, this view ignores the fact that information search is not free. Redraw on your answer sheet and fill in the perceived costs and benefits of consumer search model.