Consumer Behavior

Faisal K. Qureishi

Influencing Buyer Behavior

Psychological Factors

Motivation

Motives: Drives (originating from needs)

that lead to a certain, goal-directed
behavior

Kinds of Motives
Rational
Psychogenic

Some Psychogenic Motives

Ernest Dichters research found:

Consumers resist prunes because prunes are

wrinkled looking and remind people of old
age.
Men smoke cigars as an adult version of
thumb sucking.
Women prefer vegetable oil to animal fats
because the latter arouse a sense of guilt over
killing animals.
Women dont trust cake mixes unless they
require adding an egg, because this helps
them feel they are giving birth.

Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud proposed that human

behavior is an outcome of the conflict of
three psychological forces:

Id
Ego
Super ego

Psychoanalysis

Id is the immature, selfish part of our selves

which motivates us to indulge in carnal
pleasures and satisfy base desires
Super ego is the societys moral code or
ethics
Ego is the rational force of our brain which
tries to find a balance between the
conflicting forces of Id and Super ego

Marketing & Psychoanalysis

Id as the target of various marketing

messages
Associating product use or brand image with
sexual themes
Appealing to the rational self (ego) thru
attribute positioning
Societal marketing campaigns appeal to the
super ego; so do NGOs, television channels
etc.

Ads targeting Id

Ads targeting the rational self

(ego)

Ads targeting the Super Ego

The Triple Appeal

Since ads directly targeting the id are often

viewed with distaste by moral gatekeepers
in a society, sometimes an ad could do the
same by presenting an image that conforms
to the expectations of the super ego,
satisfies the ego, and yet managers to
stimulate forces of the id.
Such ads are termed Triple Appeal Ads

Triple Appeal Ads

Influencing Consumer Behavior

Herzbergs Theory
Dissatisfiers (Points of Parity)
Satisfiers (Points of Difference)

Influencing Consumer Behavior

Learning
Behavioral: Observation, Modeling
Cognitive: Making Associations, Drawing
Inferences
Reinforcement: Negative, Positive

Beliefs and Attitudes

Belief: e.g. Hummer is a big, powerful car
Attitude: e.g. I like big, powerful cars

The Consumer Decision Process

Consumer Roles
Initiator
Influencer
Decider
Buyer
User

Reference Group

A set of people with whom individuals

compare themselves to guide their
attitudes, knowledge and/or behavior

Types of groups

Aspirational
Associative
Dissociative

Types of influences

Informational
Normative
Identification

Consumption Situations and Reference Group Influence

Situation
A friend mentions that
Banana Republic has a
good selection of suits
At several friends
homes, Tapal
Danedar Tea is served
Ayeshas friend got rid
of Acne using Neutrogena

I
Behavioral Response
N
Needing a new suit
F
Ali visits a Banana Republic storeO
R
M
Mrs. Siddiqi decides to give
A
Tapal Danedar a try
T
I
O
Ayesha buys a Neutrogena
N
Acne Soap Bar
A
L

Normative
Two neighbors joke
about Alis car being
dirty
Mrs. Siddiqis sister-inlaw comments that the
curtains in the living
room are getting old
An ad stresses that Even
your friends wont tell you
If you have bad breathethey will just ignore you

Ali washes and

waxes his car

N
O
R
Mrs. Siddiqi replaces the
M
curtains
A
T
I
V
Ayesha buys the recommended E
mouthwash

Identification

I
Overtime, Ali notices that
Ali believes that a
D
successful executives
conservative image is
E
dress conservatively
appropriate for executives
N
and develops a similar
T
wardrobe
I
F
Mrs. Siddiqi sees an ad showing Mrs Siddiqi purchases a Coach
I
smart, trendy women using
Handbag
C
Coach Handbags
A
Ayesha decides that green tea is
T
One of Ayeshas friends whos a good for her figure and starts using it I
fashion model regularly
O
consumes green tea
N

Four Types of Buying Behavior

High Involvement

Low Involvement

Significant Differences
between Brands

Complex buying
behavior

Variety-seeking
buying behavior

Few Differences between

Brands

Dissonance-reducing
buying behavior

Habitual buying
behavior

The Buying Decision Process

Post-purchase Behavior

Post-purchase Satisfaction
Disappointed
Satisfied
Delighted

Post-purchase Actions
Re-buy
Endorse
Switch

Describing Innovation
Types based on Novelty

A continuous innovation-Has limited effect on

existing consumption pattern e.g. annual editions of
cars, new variants of a shampoo
Dynamically continuous innovation-Has a
pronounced effect on consumption practices and
often involves technology e.g. from Desktop
monitors to LCDs, from regular cell phones to
Androids
Discontinuous innovation- so new we did not know
anything like it before e.g. first introduction of
products like cell phones, computers, internet etc.

Innovation
Types Based on properties offered
Functional- New with utilitarian benefits
(A car with EFI system)
Aesthetic-Appeals to artistic sensory
needs (Slim design ACs)
Symbolic- Has new social meaning
(Sheesha)

Adoption decision process

The High Effort Hierarchy of Effects
12-2

Awareness

Information

Attitude

collection

formation

Trial

Adoption

The Low Effort Hierarchy of Effects

Awareness

Trial

Attitude

Adoption

Formation

Reinforces self-concept

Copyright 2001 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights

The Adoption Process

12-4
%
A
D
O
P
T
I
O
N

T1
Groups
Characteristic

Innovators
2.5%

T2

T3

T4

Early adopters Early majority

Late majority
13.5%

Venturesome Respectable

34%

Deliberate

34%

Skeptical

T5
Laggards
16%

Traditional

Source: T. Bowles, Does Classifying People by Lifestyle Really Help the

Advertiser? European Research, February 1988, pp.17-24.