Consumer Motivation

Consumer Motivation
Motivation is the driving force within individuals that
impels them to action. This driving portion is produced
by state of tension, which exists as the result of an
unfulfilled need. Individuals strive both consciously and
subconsciously to reduce this tension selecting goals
and subsequent behavior that they anticipate will fulfill
their needs and thus relieve them of the tension they
feel.



It is the drive to satisfy needs and wants,
both physiological and psychological,
through the purchase and use of products
and services
Motivation Process
Needs
Innate needs (Primary needs or motives)
Eg: Food, water, sleep etc.
PRODUCTS: Medicines, mineral water, etc
Acquired needs(Secondary needs or motives)
Eg: self esteem, prestige, affection, etc
PRODUCTS: clothing, furniture, cars, etc

Extrinsic need
Intrinsic need
Goals
Goals are the sought after results of
motivated behavior.
Generic Goals: these are the general classes or categories of goals that
consumers see as a means to fulfill their needs.
Eg: a consumer wants to purchase a cell phone

Product- specific Goals: these are those specifically branded products and
services that consumers select for goal fulfillment.

Eg: a consumer wants to purchase only Samsung handset
Positive and Negative Motivation
Driving force towards some object or
condition is POSITIVE MOTIVATION
Driving force away from some object or
condition is NEGATIVE MOTIVATION
Eg: a person may be compelled towards a restaurant to fulfill a
hunger need, and away from 2 wheeler transportation to
fulfill a safety need
The selection of Goal:
Approach Object: a positive goal is one toward which behavior is directed; thus,
it is often referred to as an APPROACH OBJECT.


Avoidance Object: a negative goal is one from which behavior is directed away
and is referred to as AVOIDANCE OBJECT.

EXAMPLE





A middle aged woman with a positive goal to stay fit may join
a health club to work out regularly.
Approach
object
Whereas her husband, who views getting fat as a negative
goal, joins health club to guide his exercise.
Avoidance
object
Rational versus emotional
motives
Rational motives: rationality implies that a consumer
behaves rationally by carefully considering all alternatives and
choosing the one which gives him the greatest utility.

Eg: size, weight, price, etc.

Emotional motives: emotional motives imply the
selection of goals according to personal or subjective criteria.

Eg: pride, affection, status, fear, etc.
The Dynamics of Motivation
1. Many needs are never fully satisfied, they continually impel
actions designed to attain or maintain satisfaction.

2. As needs become satisfied, new and higher-order needs
emerge that cause tension and induce activity.

3. People who achieve their goals set new and higher goals for
themselves.
Needs are never fully satisfied
Most human needs are never fully or permanently satisfied.

E.g.: at fairly regular intervals throughout each day individuals
experience hunger needs that must be satisfied.
New needs emerge as old needs are
satisfied
As soon as a consumer fulfills his lower order
needs simultaneously higher order needs
emerge.

Success and failure influence goals
Individuals who successfully achieve their goals usually
set new and higher goals for themselves; i.e they raise
their LEVELS OF ASPIRATION. This can be due to the
fact that their success in reaching lower goals makes
them more confident of their ability to reach higher
goals.




Conversely, those who do not reach their goals
sometimes lower their LEVELS OF ASPIRATION
Substitute goals
When an individual cannot attain a specific
goal or type of goal that he or she anticipates
will satisfy certain needs, behavior may be
directed to a SUBSTITUTE GOAL.

Example :

www.pptmart.com
Frustration
Failure to achieve a goal often results in feelings of
frustration . At one time or other, everyone has
experienced the frustration that comes from the
inability to attain a goal.
BARRIERS in attainment of goals:
Personal : limited physical resources or financial
resources.
Physical or social environment : a sudden
cancellation of holidays postpones
your much awaited trip.
Defense Mechanisms
Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological strategies
brought into play by various entities to cope with reality and to
maintain self-image.

Types of Defense Mechanisms:
Aggression
Rationalization
Regression
Withdrawal
Projection
Daydreaming
Identification
Repression

Multiplicity of needs and variation
of goals
A consumers behavior often fulfills more than one need. In
fact it is likely that specific goals are selected because they
fulfill several needs.

Eg: we buy clothing for protection and for a certain degree of
modesty ; in addition, our clothing fulfills a wide range of
personal and social needs such as acceptance or ego needs.
Arousal of Motives
Physiological arousal: bodily needs at any one
specific moment in time are based on the individuals
physiological condition at that time.
Eg: a drop in blood sugar level or stomach contractions
will trigger awareness of a hunger need.


Emotional arousal: sometimes daydreaming
results in the arousal or stimulation of latent needs.
Eg: a young man who dreams of being a famous novelist
may enroll in a writing workshop.

Maslows Theory of Hierarchy of
Needs