Cognitive and Behavioral Approach in Creating a Successful Message - Essay Example

?Introduction The growth of new media has changed the way media products are produced and consumed, as mobile phones, the internet, and social networking media have increasingly become the default news channels for many urban Asians. This is the research topic that I expound in this essay with particular focus on its implications. To address this issue, I concentrate on understanding why the new media have become so influential in changing the way products are produced and consumed. I take the particular case of Apple Incorporated focusing on its differentiation strategy for its advantage of creating highly innovative products that consistently create a substantial market share. To understand this further, I supplement my discussion with reference from combined cognitive behavioral theory in communication and mass media. In this essay, I will be discussing the importance of cognitive and behavioral approach in creating a successful message direct to the audience, which must have been the case Apple used in order to generate future substantial market share particularly in urban populations in Asia. In this paper, I am able to argue that the advancement of effective communication channel from the new media creates a successful integration of information, which makes cognitive and behavioral appeal so appealing and effective. Cognitive and Behavioral theory Cognitive and behavioral theories have their focus on psychology of individuals. Marketing products is remarkably about trying to understand customers’ behaviors, especially on their buying behaviors. These are all observable activities that marketers for many years considered important information prior to creating product or service offerings. These can all be measured or observed as behavioral psychology focuses on observable behaviors (Feldman, 2006). However, down deeper in understanding what are the things going on prior to a certain behavior, some experts believe that customers or people in general have internal mental processes, so this is the point of cognitive theory (Feldman, 2006). One therefore could not be able to understand the internal mental processes within a person, unless a certain behavior which is believed to be a certain output is observed. Marketers for many years have tried to understand the complex human behavior in order to integrate product or service offerings that have messages to make sense with its target audience when already out in the market. However, today, companies like Apple Incorporated have been trying to create a need for their product and service offerings for the belief that there must be something unconscious needs in everyone that require to be unleashed, which could only be realized when a person finally would come to consider seeing something to motivate such unconsciousness. Sigmund Freud believed that our behavior is motivated by the unconscious, a part of us that we are not actually aware (Feldman, 2006). Apple Incorporated in its goal to innovate possibilities tries to impress us with its fresh innovation. We can actually live without smartphones, but Apple is trying to reach such unconsciousness in us, by creating it to a point that we must live to a necessary luxury. Apple is therefore successful in creating a need for its product offerings, as its innovation has become one of the leading products out in the market today. Apple therefore has been successful in reaching the unconscious part in its prospective and target customers, in a way that could be proven from the actual behavior of consumers towards its product offerings, but this could be applicable in other parts of the world somewhere, for the mean time. In Asia, the potential market such as Indonesia and India are still price conscious and would be willing to invest in products that could satisfy such criterion, but it cannot be denied Apple has become a personal choice even if the price of its offerings was not comparable to other related products in its industry (Arakali and Master, 2012). In this case, I am trying to construct the idea that in order to be effective in conveying successful information, one must be able to understand with considerable balance on the idea behind cognitive and behavioral theory, which in the case of Apple has been successfully integrated with its marketing efforts, that could be proven by the actual behavior consumers have on its product offerings. The new media One important impact of the new media in our lives today is their ability to bring us fast forward to the new information. Today, especially in urban areas, particularly in Asia, people from time to time are not left behind from the prevailing trend of knowing what is new. The reason is the point that information could be around almost everywhere today. In the internet, the advanced face of social networking has not only brought us the chance to interact or socialize, but above all, it led us to maximize the potential of such technology for other concerns and our advantage. In fact, many people from social networking sites are already engaged in creating a business, for in such a way, they could place themselves in the international market while their products or service offerings remain local. For this reason, I would like to expound the point that the growth of new media has changed the way media products are produced and consumed. For example, buying a fresh flower via credit card or PayPal account has been made possible through online transactions, and on-time delivery is possible even if you placed such order at the other part of the world. The point of this example is to show that the actual production of products would become more sophisticated as there would be associated speed of transactions involved, as the market potentially grow global through the internet. Thus, in order to cater a huge market, the power of technology integrated within the new media has led marketers to undergo complex organisation process. If the buyer is in Thailand and would want to order something from eBay, the said company has actually major connections in the country in order to make on-time production or delivery possible (Collier, 2011). The same case happens why Apple Incorporated has successfully promoted its product offerings and this is due to the powerful force of the new media. As the social networks continuously grow, and the associated number of their users moves in an upward spiral, Apple maximizes the opportunity to make its products known to all. One important strategy it potentially used is to create relevant blogs associated with its service offerings. With the full potential and promise of the internet, Apple has made this possible. They could tap different bloggers around the world for a pay in response to telling something good about their product offerings. For example, there are many freelance writers over the internet nowadays, and trying to make a substantial income from blogging activities. Some bloggers have their sites and open them for content blogging for a pay. Apple potentially used these people, just to be able to maximize the popularity of its service offerings, aside from major headlines we usually come across from various reputable online news sites (Kresh, 2007, p.204). Blogs could be everywhere around the internet world and anyone from anytime could come across them. Some of these blogs contain information about Apple together with its product offerings. In fact, some of them could become a powerful source of information, telling us anything about the offerings from technical specs to other associated opinions. The internet accessible via laptop, smartphones or everywhere in a wifi-zone has become a huge help for people especially those who are deciding to purchase a product, but prior to initiating that would be requiring opinion from other people. This is the reason why review sites have become popular marketing arena, because it is not just a place to earn especially among writers, but a perfect place for everyone to inquire more information about a certain service or product offerings (Racherla, 2008). The way information conveyed to its target audience has therefore been revolutionized, which was certainly made possible by employing the new media. The new media and cognitive and behavioral theory of communication I have discussed so far about the probable use of cognitive and behavioral theory in conveying information, by taking the case on how Apple creates a substantial demand or needs for its product offerings. Now, it is good to integrate this concept together with the existence of the new media. As already stated, Apple might have successfully created a need for its offerings by understanding human’s complex cognitive and behavioral aspects. However, advancing whatever information it has could not basically go global at a fast-pace without the aid of a highly revolutionized system of communication within the mass media. Conclusion In this paper, I was able to discuss the importance of understanding cognitive and behavioral theory as this could be integrated with how to convey information. The message should therefore create a powerful force to unravel the unconscious, and if successful, this could be remarkably tested by seeing the desired behavior from the target audience. In addition, I was also able to explore the idea about the new media and how it revolutionized the system of communication across the globe. Understanding this, one therefore could say that the advancement of effective communication channel from the new media creates a successful integration of information, which makes cognitive and behavioral appeal so appealing and effective References Arakali, H., and Master, F. (2012). Investors in Apple Inc have a one-word answer for those who wonder whether this corporate juggernaut can maintain its phenomenal momentum in the years ahead: Asia. [online]. Available from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/27/us-apple-markets-idUSTRE80Q07C20120127 [Accessed 28th October 2012]. Collier, M. (2011). eBay For Dummies. 7th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Feldman, R. S. (2006). Essentials of Understanding Psychology. 7th ed. New York, NY: McMcGraw Hill. Kresh, D. (2007). The Whole Digital Library Handbook. ALA Editions. Racherla, P. (2008). Factors Influencing Consumers’ Trust Perceptions of Online Product Reviews: A Study of the Tourism and Hospitality Online Product Reviews Systems. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest. Read More