The Role of Motivation in the Behavior of the Consumer - Assignment Example

Marketing Assignment Affiliation Question Motivation is considered as the dynamic force behind action and perception. This dynamic force is brought about by a condition of uncomfortable tautness that exists due to a dissatisfied need. Every person has desires, wants, and needs. A person’s subconscious drive to minimize needs induced by tautness results in behavior that they anticipate will fulfill needs and therefore result to a more contented internal state. Motivation can either be negative or positive. Concisely what motivation does is to reduce physical pain and increase pleasure and through this the needs of the consumer are met. Therefore the behavior of the consumer is determined by the motivation he or she gets. Question 2 Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs is described in the form of a pyramid with the most essential levels of needs situated at the bottom while at the top is the need for self-actualization. The most basic and fundamental four levels of the pyramid comprise of deficiency needs as termed by Maslow, they include security, friendship and love, esteem, and physiological needs. If these needs are not met with the exemption of the essential physiological need, there might be no physical sign, but the person will feel tense and anxious. This theory proposes that the most essential needs should be met before the person strongly desires the higher level or secondary needs (Patrick, 2003). Question 3 Consumer involvement is the degree of data processing or level of significance that a customer accords to a product. The level of involvement has a very important impact on the behavior of the consumer. High involvement purchasing decisions are always the dream of a marketer as in this level consumers as the buying decisions are informed and planned. This is because the buyer purchases the product since it is important to them, therefore he or she concentrates on the features and warranties, and the price is not an issue. However, low involvement buying decisions are those that are formulated without planning, and they come about if one spots a product and they impress them. To increase customer involvement, marketers should select the correct customers, select pilots that fit into the present culture and should be aware of what consumers look for in their products (Michaelidou & Dibb, 2008). Question 4 The self-image comprises of three dissimilar dimensions, that is the real self, the ideal self, and the self-esteem. The self-esteem refers to the positivity to an individual’s self-concept. Marketing communications may influence the self-esteem of an individual. Low self-esteem is when a person thinks they cannot do a task while high self-esteem is the opposite and individuals may tend to think more of themselves. The ideal self refers to the idea of how we would love to be. Partially the ideal self is shaped by the features of our culture. Products may assist an individual to extend to the ideal self and might be viewed as an element of turning out to be something more. Finally, the real self means the abilities that we truly have and products can be reliable with the actual self. Question 5 Elaboration likelihood model is a structure for understanding attitude development and change with regard to services and products. Elaboration in this setting refers to the effort one makes to accept, evaluate, and remember a message. Individuals express either low or high elaboration when they come into contact with a persuasive message. Hence, the level of elaboration determines the processing path the message takes, either peripheral or central. Central is where the audience tends to care more about the message while the peripheral is when the audience takes less attention to the message. This model is significant to marketing communication as it enables the marketers to understand the changes and developments in attitudes. Through this, they will know how to persuade the consumers through their messages (Booth-Butterfield & Welbourne, 2002). Question 6 Cognitive dissonance denotes to a situation comprising of conflicting behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes. This brings about a feeling of uneasiness leading to an adjustment in one of the behavior, beliefs, or attitudes to minimize the uneasiness and reinstate balance. Cognitive dissonance happens when individuals are challenged with information that is not consistent with their beliefs. Marketers benefit from dissonance through framing their marketing to induce cognitive dissonance in the manner that the most obvious and easiest way to minimize dissonance is to purchase the product (Stone & Cooper, 2001). Question 7 Beliefs are the large number of verbal or mental statements that replicate an individual’s specific assessment and knowledge of something. Furthermore, values are forms of beliefs that vary from other beliefs in five techniques. First of all, they are quite few. They function as a guide for, traditionally suitable behavior, are accepted widely by society, are hard to change, and are not tied to particular situations or objects. Moreover, values and beliefs are guides to behavior. Finally, customs are the culturally or traditionally approved methods to act. They are symbolic and are acceptable and usual ways of behaving. Question 8 There are quite a number of major cultural elements that global marketers must consider when designing products, implementing distribution systems, and developing promotions in foreign markets. They include language, religion, traditions, and symbols, thought processes, beliefs, and values. Marketers should be aware that the cultures have been in existent for quite a long time, and their products or services cannot change that. Therefore, marketers should ensure they use the residents when dealing with language issues and also make sure their products do not have any imagery that might be unpleasant to the local culture. Through this then they can be sure of attracting numerous consumers. Question 9 A reference group comprises of groups or individuals that inspire our behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and opinions. They often act as our inspiration and role models. They are important to marketers as they influence how customers interpret information and come up with buying decisions. There are two types of reference groups the normative and comparative reference group. The normative influences your values, attitudes, and norms by interacting directly with the consumers. These are friends, associates, teachers, parents, and siblings. While the comparative are individuals that we tend to compare ourselves with and strive to be like them. These are heroes and celebrities. The group that is most influential is the normative as they are the immediate persons to the consumers, and they have a great potential of determining their behaviors. Question 10 Evoked set is a group of related products that a prospective customer is positively familiar with when they are thoughtful of making an acquisition. Marketers can move their products to the category of an evoked set through the use of advertising methods that will be able to be recalled when a consumer thinks of a certain product. This can be the use of music so that when consumers see your product they recall the music, and this will increase sales and the product will gradually become an evoked set. When products are dropped from being an evoked set, marketers should look at the products that have surpassed them and look at what made them drop. Through this, they will know what to change to and how to re-evaluate their brands to return them to being an evoked set. References Booth-Butterfield, S., & Welbourne, J. (2002). The elaboration likelihood model. The Persuasion Handbook: …, 1–5. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=lsF8zLomQOoC&oi=fnd&pg=PA155&dq=The+Elaboration+Likelihood+Model&ots=3-BU51H3xS&sig=9XUe68EDg6vFYGzSLNtqjCjRqM0 Michaelidou, N., & Dibb, S. (2008). Consumer involvement: a new perspective. The Marketing Review. http://doi.org/10.1362/146934708X290403 Patrick, A. (2003). Maslow ’ s Hierarchy of Needs : Does It Apply In A Collectivist Culture. Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 8(2), 143–161. Retrieved from http://proxy.grenoble-em.com/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy.grenoble-em.com/docview/203916225?accountid=42864 Stone, J., & Cooper, J. (2001). A Self-Standards Model of Cognitive Dissonance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 37(3), 228–243. http://doi.org/10.1006/jesp.2000.1446 Read More