The Effects of Brand Relationship Norms on Consumer Attitudes and Behavior - Essay Example

?CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Question In this case, trait theory was used to explain phone usage differences; looking through the chapter do you think there are other individual characteristics that could also be used to better explain mobile phone usage? The trait theory is very appropriately applied to explain the differences amongst individual phone usage; however, there is an array of other individual characteristics that can also be used to explain mobile phone usage. These characteristics are categorized according to their intrinsic and extrinsic relationship to personality. Factors that are more intrinsic to individuals’ personalities are their activities, interests and opinions towards mobile phones, these characteristics determine lifestyle of people by relating the AIO variables directly with their consumption habits. a. Consumer activities enable the marketer to determine how people spend their time as well as what activities they prefer to engage in. In regard to mobile phones, marketers can determine from a sample of mobile phone users about what activities/sports/habits they engage into, how they spend leisure time, what features of a mobile phone are utilized during busy schedule. The information obtained can be used to determine a link between the categories. For instance, all busy professional people use organizer, WAP services, and mobile banking features; hang out or shop when they are free; do swimming, read morning newspaper and play chess. b. Interest category determines what things and images are of importance to consumers. It enables marketers to identify the areas of interest of their consumers. For e.g. one fourth of the individuals show interest in networking. c. Opinions category enable the marketer to determine how consumers view themselves and what opinions they hold about others in their surroundings. It is more a self/social concept. This helps marketers identify how consumers view and evaluate objects, other people and themselves in a social setting (Aggarwal, 2004). For e.g. most of the people shares the idea that mobile usage amongst students must be monitored and rules must be established for limiting the use in educational premises. By soliciting consumer responses over the above mentioned categories, marketers can develop consumer profiles that possess similar activities, interest and opinions towards mobile phone usage. Marketers can also determine consumer mobile phone usage by evaluating situational use of a mobile phone. Thereby, marketers can highlight different situations in which multifaceted features mobile phone can be used; or they can identify different features that offer effective mobile usage in odd/urgent situations. For instance, if a consumer is lost somewhere, a mobile phone can be used as a tracker. In any urgency, such as baby birth, the father (consumer) may use mobile-ticketing for quick reservation of his flight. In turmoil or instable unsafe situations, consumers may relay on conducting mobile banking for payments rather than physically performing transactions. Motivation & involvement and attitude are other individual extrinsic factors that could potentially explain mobile phone usage. Motivation and involvement of a consumer in a product depends upon his motives for using a product. Motives are those internal factors that derive energy and active engagement of a consumer in product usage. Consequently, it also determines its usage of that product. For instance the motivation of a business man to use blackberry is high than that of a teenager. Attitude refers to evaluative judgments that a consumer holds towards anything under consideration. Attitude is a combination of and based on, a consumer’s experience, knowledge, perception and cognitive skills. It changes the way different consumers see and evaluate a situation (Edell, & Burke, 1987). Different people evaluate products differently in different situations (Hawkins, & Mothersbaugh, 2009). It can sustain marketers’ knowledge of mobile phone usage; provided it is used with other variables. For instance, a consumer may evaluate mobile banking as speedy way for easing transactions while other consumer may evaluate it as unsafe and non reliable based on his little knowledge, exposure or experience of the feature. Question #2 Why is it important that marketers have an understanding of personality traits and how they affect consumer behavior? It is important for marketers to understand personality traits because personality is one the individual intrinsic characteristic that determines behavior. Personality can influence consumption of many products to some or great extent however; its influence over consumption increases with products that identifies with individual and the products that possess social visibility, like, clothing, accessories, hairstyle, shoes etc, and so personality has significant implication for marketers (Wells, Ponting, & Peattie, 2010). Individuals consume products that tend to fit with their personality (Varadarajan, & Menon, 1988). This is not because people find products matching their personality but it’s the underlying image of the product that is matched with consumers’ personality and self image. For example, being adventurous, challenging and energetic are personality traits, accordingly an adventurous person would relate the adventurous image of the person consuming mountain dew with himself, so this image motivates such a person to prefer dew over other products and thus directing his behavior. Besides all the influence and sway that personality holds over consumption of certain products, it is worth mentioning here that personality has little or no impact over consumption of many products that people consume in routine life; this is not because personality is a weak determinant of consumer behavior and usage patterns, instead, there are other factors rather than personality, that could manipulate consumption of different products in different situations. Question #3 In this chapter three main types of personalities were discussed, Freudian theory, Neo-Freudian theory and trait theory. Why do you think trait theory has proven to be popular approach to understand consumer behavior? Before elaborating trait theory, one should first take a brief idea of Freudian and Neo-Freudian theory of personality. Freudian theory reveals a concept that the key motivations of an individual’s behavior are unconscious by nature, and that the behavior is the consequential product of a person’s raw need (id), his approach to reality (ego) and morality (superego) (Bagozzi, & Dholakia, 1999). When a person fails to determine the resultant behavior out of id, ego and superego, he applies defense mechanisms to reach an action. Neo-Freudian theory argues that personality is the result of intrinsic deficiencies/ efficiencies for love and affection that develop with social interactions. These are categorized under compliant, aggressive and detached orientations of people (Gardner, 1985). Trait theory explains that individuals have inherent stable characteristics that could influence or eventually could determine their behavior (Neal, Quester, & Hawkins, 2004). However, the degree to which different people posses these characteristics differ significantly. These differences amongst people justify their individual personalities. The major breakthrough of trait theory lies in its predetermined clear qualitative descriptions of different characteristics (i.e. inventory of characteristics) that make up personality. Unlike trait theory, Freudian and Neo-Freudian theories offer a relatively vague idea and a feeble approach to measure individual personality. Instead, trait theory offers a simple method for scoring personality across well defined subjective characteristics. This method is easy to use and measure; therefore, it is preferred by most of the researchers. Besides its usefulness for researchers, trait theory is effective in determining consumer behavior because the characteristic approach it uses is helpful in determining relationship with consumption patterns of people and their respective behavior. Marketers can identify an array of characteristics that embodies a unique consumer personality profile; which is very useful in drawing correspondence with his behavior. For instance, a person who ranks high over innovativeness, style, novelty seeking and prestige; defines himself as a person of who is value conscious and seeks after exclusive brands. Question #4: This case mentioned self-concept. Explain the make-up of self image. Self concept of a person is his evaluation of consistent behavior against the appraisals, values, expressions and images established in his social surroundings. A self concept can be established around anything, a trait, habit, possessions, abilities, and even his creations. There is an entire structure in which a person develops, maintains and updates his self image. This structure exists due to an individual’s social interactions. The self image structure comprises of the following images: i. Actual self is the First and foremost component of self image and it refers to as how a person perceives himself in reality. ii. Ideal self is the second component of self image structure; it determines how a person wants/likes to be preferably. iii. Social self which describes how others actually perceive a person. iv. Ideal social self refers to how a person wants to be seen by others. v. Expressive self is an ideal or actual social image that is developed by people in a particular situation. These components of the self component determines that self image is not restricted to individual evaluations of repeated behavior in isolation rather it is a complete analysis of oneself relative to idealized behavior as well as behaviors of subjects of a society. Unlike, personality self image is more attractive for marketers as it provides more authentic descriptions of consumers themselves. The reason behind is that consumers can project better who they are or aspire to be. Moreover, self concept provides firsthand knowledge about consumers without manipulation of traits across researchers predetermined characteristics inventories. Furthermore, it is important to add that although self concept/image is acclimatized or modified around ideas that are consistent with already established self image, however, there is a strong tendency of individuals to reject the ideas or suggestions that are deemed to be conflicting with predetermined self image. This strength of consistency of self image underlines its significance to marketers to determine and maneuver consumer behavior. Because individuals purchase, consume and dispose products in a way that is consistent with their self image. Question #5: Explain your own words how marketers can make use of concepts like personality and self concept better market products like perfumes or cars. (I have chosen car to market by using personality and self-concept.) For marketing products like perfumes/cars, marketers can definitely make use of personality and self-concept of their target market. Since the two products offer self identification of consumers in a social setting; and they also have a visibility, exclusivity and individuality aspect which enables people to enhance or even reinforce their shared image. Marketers must first position the car around an image that is consistent with the product’s inherent features and the personality & self concept of the target market that they want to serve (Tsang, Ho, & Liang, 2004). For instance, if the car is a luxurious, high priced, offering high quality and performance, innovative design, contemporary technology, outstanding and premium features; such a car is positioned as upscale first-rate product. This car exhibits a personality of a contemporary composed man, middle aged, belonging to elite social class; an achiever and a successful person. People who possess such personality and imagery of themselves, the primary target market, will go after purchasing this car. Moreover, although un-matched with the projected car imagery (secondary target market), many people who aspire to be a person like the owner of the car presented in the advertisement, also get attracted to the car and want to get identified with such a car in future. Many of the potential consumers may upgrade their purchasing power and just for the sake of satisfying their aspirations they purchase the car. Many of the people may not be in need of a car because they already have some other luxury car, but for the sake of gratification of self image’s consistency and conspicuous consumption, they dispose their current and purchase the new car. To further add relevance between the product imagery and the target market personality and self concept, the marketers must make use of proper AIOs from psychographic approach to exhibit certain activities, put on view such interests and opinions that go in sync with the target market. This is just inkling about how a car can be marketed using personality and self-concept (Mooij, 2000). Above and beyond all this, appropriate response may not be triggered out of the target market unless the projected image is communicated through most appropriate means and media for promotion. References Aggarwal, P 2004, ‘The Effects of Brand Relationship Norms on Consumer Attitudes and Behavior’, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 87-101. Edell, J, & Burke, M 1987, ‘The Power of Feelings in Understanding Advertising Effects’, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 431-433. Gardner, M 1985, ‘Mood States and Consumer Behavior: A Critical Review’, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 281-300. Hawkins, D & Mothersbaugh, D 2009, Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy, McGraw-Hill, New York. Mooij, M 2000, ‘The future is predictable for international marketers: Converging incomes lead to diverging consumer behaviour’, International Marketing Review, vol. 17, no. 2, pp.103 – 113. Neal, C, Quester, P, & Hawkins, D 2004, Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. McGraw-Hill Irwin, Australia Tsang, M, Ho, S, & Liang, T 2004, ‘Consumer Attitudes Toward Mobile Advertising: An Empirical Study’, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 65-78. Varadarajan, R & Menon, A 1988, ‘Cause-Related Marketing: A Coalignment of Marketing Strategy and Corporate Philanthropy’, The Journal of Marketing, Vol. 52, No. 3, pp. 58-74 Wells, V, Ponting, C, & Peattie, K 2010, ‘Behaviour and climate change: Consumer perceptions of responsibility’, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 27, no. 7-8, pp. 808-833 Bagozzi, R & Dholakia, U 1999, ‘Goal Setting and Goal Striving in Consumer Behavior,’ The Journal of Marketing, Vol. 63, pp. 19-32. Read More