Marketing Mix Stimuli of Dulux - Essay Example

? Consumer Behaviour Contents Contents 2 Introduction 4 Marketing Mix Stimuli of Dulux 4 Concept of Marketing Mix Stimuli 4 The Case of Dulux 5 Products 5 Brands 6 Advertisements 6 Packaging 6 Point-of-Purchase Display 7 Impact of Marketing Mix Stimuli of Dulux on Consumer Cognitive Responses 8 Conceptual Understanding of Cognitive Response 8 Models of Cognitive Response Behaviour 9 The Case of Dulux 10 Conceptual Understanding of Affective Response 11 Models of Affective Response Behaviour 11 The Case of Dulux 12 Impact of Marketing Mix Stimuli of Dulux on Consumer Behavioural Responses 14 Conceptual Understanding of Behavioural Response 14 The Process of Instrumental Conditioning in shaping Consumer Behaviour 15 The Case of Dulux 16 Conclusions 17 References 18 Introduction The paper focuses on to study the impact of the marketing mix elements of a Consumer Branded Company on the Consumer Behaviour approaches pertaining to Cognitive, Affective and Behavioural responses. It specifically aims at integrating both theoretical and practical approaches to render a holistic understanding of the probable impacts. The paper in this connection aims to focus on a consumer branded company like Dulux. Marketing mix elements of the company would be studied along different parameters related to product, brand, advertising among others top reflect their impacts upon the buying behaviour of the consumers in the global paint market. Marketing Mix Stimuli of Dulux Concept of Marketing Mix Stimuli Marketing Mix of any Consumer Brand is generally constituted of parameters like Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Each of the different elements related to the Marketing Mix create a different stimulus on the consumer pattern and behaviour. Designing of specific attributes related to the marketing mix elements tends to considerably influence the psychological, behavioural and the social and cultural elements of the purchaser and thereby governs the decision-making process related to purchases. The influence of marketing mix on the consumer decision making process finally gives rises to different types of stimuli related to the choice for a particular brand, the amount of products to be procured, timings and the process of procuring such products among others (Lantos, 2010, p.314). The set of marketing stimulus generated owing to the composition of such different marketing mix elements leading to the emergence of final purchase decisions is reflected in terms of the S-O-R or the Stimulus-Organism-Response Model as is rendered below. Figure 1 (Lantos, 2010, p.314) The Case of Dulux The study of the marketing mix stimuli for Dulux would be conducted based on analysing the efficacy and the impact of the consumer brand depending on parameters related to product, brands, advertisements, packaging and point-of-purchase displays. Analysis of the brand depending on the above parameters would contribute in getting a holistic picture of the marketing mix element of the consumer brand. Products The product range of Dulux encompasses several sub-products that contribute in the painting and designing of both the interior and exterior parts of a building. Different types of paints and colour solutions are rendered for the same that in turn help the consumer to choose from a wide array of different products. Similarly other products for the designing of walls and other wooden products are also featured by the company (Dulux, 2012). Brands The marketing mix of Dulux again is constituted by a host of different brands that in turn contribute in offering a total paint solution to the customer in terms of best colours, coatings, textures and also in rendering refinishing products for needs of painting an automobile. The range of aesthetic beauty coupled with finishing products for timber and automobiles contribute in creating avid consumer attention (Dulux, n.d.). Advertisements The advertisements of Dulux focus on creating a high sense of consumer appeal through the process of rendering considerable creativity and innovation. Advertisements of the colour company tend to more focus on relating the personality of the consumer market for such to the attributes of creativity and innovation than hinting on the functionality of the colour product. Use of a sheepdog in the advertisements of Dulux adds value to the same in exciting consumer interest (Webb, 2011, p.138). Packaging Dulux focusing on to provide customers with environment friendly paint and colour products thereby endeavours to enhance the parameter of environmental sustainability through the issue of greener packs. The new type of packaging introduced by the company focus on rendering a 2.5 litre pouch that can be refilled having a tamper free cap rested on it. Thus through the above activity generated through the rendering of such innovate consumer packs the company focuses on to sustain its potential market share in the paint industry (Chadwick, 2012). Figure 2 (Chadwick, 2012) Point-of-Purchase Display The company focuses on rendering and enhancing on the parameter of innovation while presenting weather-coat and texture products. In a recent point-of-purchase ensemble the company to largely impact the purchase behaviour of the consumers to procure its Woodcare products has devised a four sided point-of-purchase display unit to help the consumers gain an enhanced view of the attributes and the benefits attached to the different products marketed (Dulux Trade Woodcare, 2012). Figure 3 Impact of Marketing Mix Stimuli of Dulux on Consumer Cognitive Responses Conceptual Understanding of Cognitive Response The concept of Cognitive Responses hold to the responses reflected from an individual’s end when one is exposed to a certain specific mode of communication. The individual may tend to associate the communication rendered by the medium to memories of events or actions previously gained or one may tend to recognise and relate or evaluate the images reflected or also generate potent ideas. The responses gained from an individual to a certain message or piece of information can be dealt in the cognitive front in mainly three ways. Responses from the individual or individuals can be gained in the form of ‘Counterarguments’ where one tends to argue on the message conveyed by the medium. Here the perceptual understanding of the individual draws conflicts to the beliefs or thoughts expressed in the message. Again responses gained can be on a highly positive note such that which tends to ‘Support’ the beliefs or thoughts expressed in the message rendered. Finally the individual may also tend to totally ‘Derogate’ or negate to the thoughts or idea expressed in the message and as such draws a mentality of attacking the source of the specific message (Hoyer and Maclnnis, 2008, p.127). Models of Cognitive Response Behaviour The process of Cognition in an individual is gained along three stages such that where in the first phase the Attention of the individual is attracted to a specific product or service rendered through the use of a potential message. The Attention gained in by the individual contributes in the generation of a specific Desire or Interest for gaining the product or service which finally leads to directing the individual to reflect an Action in either buying or rejecting the same. However in the current scenario of complex advertisements the model of Consumer Behavioural process has also gained significant transition from the Attention-Interest-Desire-Attention (AIDA) phase to the Memory Modelling process. The new model focuses on three stages such that it moves along the paths in where the individual first gains exposure to the medium of the message. The first stage is essentially divided into two subsections such that it reflects on the parameter of ‘Before’ and ‘After’ relating to the Experience gained. ‘Before Experience’ stage generates Perceptions while ‘After Experience’ stage generates Experiences which then further move on to the third and final stage in generation of respective Effects. In this stage the Perceptions gained by an individual contributes in the generation of expectancies and anticipation of feelings that would be gained in after availing the product or service while Memory contributes in attaching the interest of the person to the particular Brand such that the person starts interrelating the attributes of the product or service to his or her personality (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2007, p.311-312). This Memory Model of Cognitive Responses in Consumer Behavioural process can be highlighted as follows. Figure 4 (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2007, p.312) The Case of Dulux In a recent advertising campaign Dulux focused on to highlight the manner of creating difference through the mode of spreading or designing the environment with colours. The advertising campaign is supported by featuring a two minute video footage where the global ad event of the company carried out in different cities of countries like United Kingdom, France, Latin American nation Brazil and India were shown. In each of the different cities community and building walls that were faded and colourless were selected such that the local community were handed over Dulux paints to colour the walls and thereby create a sense of difference from the earlier state. Dulux took resort to this advertising strategy to relate the colour brand with the idea to transform or to generate a cue to the target community in a sense to create a difference (Whitehead, 2010). Impact of Marketing Mix Stimuli of Dulux on Consumer Affective Responses Conceptual Understanding of Affective Response The parameter of Affective Response is observed to generate a larger impact or influence on the behavioural attributes of a consumer thereby directing him or her to procure or avail a product or service. The Affective Responses generate a larger mode of impact than Cognitive approaches in that it tends to enhance the level of emotion in the minds of the consumers relating to the product or service. These emotional constructs enhanced in the consumer’s mindset contribute in creating the attitude in them to procure the product or to avail the service thus generated. Affective Responses generated by advertisements thus contribute in drawing the emotional experiences of an individual related to the using of a particular product or service that thereby contributes in enhancing the interests of the person to again avail the same and thereby to enjoy the experience. Where positive emotional responses contribute in increasing the level of interest of the consumers to the product or service negative emotions on the contrary happen to create distract the interest of the consumer in procuring the same (Hoyer and Maclnnis, 2008, p.138). Models of Affective Response Behaviour The most appropriate model that focuses on highlighting the emotional responses in an individual that in turn would reinforce the attitude of the people to procure or avail a product or service is known to be the Means-End Chain model. This model focuses on drawing interconnectedness between the Means that focus on creating the interest or desire in an individual to avail an experience, the consequences resulting from such an interest or desire gained in and finally the behavioural attributes of the person responsible for gaining the product or service to avail the needed experience. Thus the Means-End chain relates two ends the ‘Means’ and ‘Ends’ in the consumer psychology related to procuring a product or service. More especially the ‘Ends’ in the model for Affective Responses relate to the Personal Values of the individual consumer. Thus herein the marketers of a product or service tend to focus on meshing the attributes of the product or service to the behavioural attributes of the larger target market through the creation of advertisements that in turn hint on the emotional responses. Having related the product and the personal attributes and in raising the emotions of the people to the product or service the marketer then tends to reach the same to the end consumer to help the latter find an end to the means gained (Sulzmaier, 2001, p.72-74). The Means-End Chain Analysis can be depicted by the following diagram. Figure 5 (Sulzmaier, 2001, p.72-74) The Case of Dulux The latest marketing campaign of Dulux tends to focus on linking the product or the physical attributes to the emotional and value sets of the people composing the target market to thereby enhance the interests and the desires of the people in procuring the colour brand. The marketing campaign run by the colour brand company, Dulux is known as ‘Home Improvement by Dulux’ that has added the tagline of ‘Let’s Colour’ relating the physical attributes of the different colours and designs presented in by Dulux to the emotional and value constructs of the people. In the marketing campaign, Dulux tends to act as a facilitator that contributes in helping the people transform their present living styles. Examples are set in where the colour world enhances the living relationship of a young couple while again in another transforming or rendering a jungle look into the room of children to help in enhancing their involvement to the same. Through the help of such visual appeals, Dulux gains the ability to potentially influence the consumer mindset and psychology at the global level (Smith, 2012). The pictorial representation of the above discussion can be rendered as follows. Figure 6 (The Drum, 2012) Impact of Marketing Mix Stimuli of Dulux on Consumer Behavioural Responses Conceptual Understanding of Behavioural Response The stages of gaining Cognitive and Affective understanding of consumer responses being met the paper now focuses on understanding the different Behavioural responses of the consumers and how the marketers can govern such in enhancing the marketing efforts of goods and services. The Behavioural Stage also referred to as the Conative Stage in contrast to the Cognitive Stage focuses more on hinting the behavioural attributes of the people to the specific brand of the Consumer Product or Service. Consumers around the world are generally found to reflect two types of feelings: Positive or Negative to the specific consumer brand. A positive attitude reflected by the consumer to the specific brand focuses on reinstating or reinforcing their desire to purchase and evaluate the product or service and thereby in enjoying the experience gained while a negative attitude tends to cease the consumer’s interest in availing the same or otherwise such behaviours reflected by the individual contributing in rejecting the offer. Consumers further reflect other two reactions that in turn precede the activities of finally adopting or procuring the product or concept or totally rejecting the same. These reactions relate to the process of trying samples of the product generated by the marketer in the Trial process through which the end consumer potentially evaluates the same to understand the benefits and related risks. In turn the consumer gains satisfaction from evaluating the samples rendered the individual focuses on adopting the same or rejecting in cases where the evaluation process generates considerable dissatisfaction. Similarly the buying process of the consumers are also influenced by the word-of-mouth process such that the person gets influenced by others dwelling in a particular social community to thereby procure the goods and services. Thus specific demonstrations and sampling programs are continually formulated by the marketers to influence the purchasing behaviour or responses of the consumers (Belch, Belch and Purani, 2010, p.193-195). The Process of Instrumental Conditioning in shaping Consumer Behaviour The principle of Instrumental or Operational Conditioning relates to a theoretical underpinning where the individual is subjected or exposed to a set of stimuli to contribute to the formation of a particular set of responses. Herein the individual is required to perform in an active sphere within the task environment such that the category or style of responses reflected from the individual’s end focus on generating the reinforcements gained. A positive response generated by the individual when exposed to the stimulus set contributes in generating a positive set of reinforcement while negative set of responses reflected by the individual contributes in generating negative reinforcements. Positive set of reinforcements are generally attributed as rewards while negative set of reinforcements are related to as punishments. The concept of Operational or Instrumental Conditioning related to the marketing activities reflects to the different set of benefits obtained by the consumer in gaining the product or service. Benefits gained on procuring the product or availing the service enhancers the interest of the consumer to repurchase the same. Similarly the repeat purchases related to an individual may also tend to occur in that the marketer relates attractive coupons, discounts, promotional samples and the like to enhance the interests of the consumer in gaining the product. Again negative reinforcement strategy can also be used by companies through the creation of advertisements that reflect on how the consumer on availing the product or service can help avoid the emergence of negative consequences. However in that the consumer having availed the product or service for once faces a stream of negative consequences or difficulties the same tends to dissuade the individual from availing the product or service at a future period (Belch and Belch, 2008, p.125). The process of Instrumental Conditioning related to marketing can be reflected through the use of the following diagram. Figure 7 (Belch and Belch, 2008, p.125) The Case of Dulux The marketing and promotional campaign of Dulux observed reflects that the company took resort to a sustainable price mix and also based on the strategy of rendering mailers and calls to them thereby convincing the people about the special benefits they ought to receive from such purchases. Similarly the company also worked to render free samples of paint brushes to enhance the mode of persuading the people to avail the paint products. In addition to the use of the image of the sheepdog to reinstate the message that how the consumers were important to the company and also on the quality parameters of the product this program also encouraged the purchasers to negotiate the pricing. These parameters incorporated contributed in enhancing the comfort level of the consumers thereby encouraging repeat purchases. The use of the online promotional program of the company to help the consumers decide on the colour contrasts through the designing of self wallpapers further enhanced on the parameter of relationship building (Smith and Zook, 2011, p.99). Conclusions The paper focused on integrating the theoretical understanding of concepts related to consumer behaviour and thereby relating the same to a consumer brand company. In that it focuses on how the stimulus rendered in by the different marketing mixes of the company chosen tends to influence the different consumer behavioural processes related to Cognitive or Perceptual, Affective or Emotional and finally the Purchase Decision processes of the individual consumers. Consumer Brand chosen as Dulux thereby reflects in how the marketing mixes related to marketing, advertising, promotional and packaging parameters influence or affect the purchasing behaviour of the consumers in the global target market for paints. It is observed that the company tends to gain potential success in all the three different layers pertaining to Cognitive, Affective and Behavioural to thereby gain on in market shares and consumer loyalty. Integration of theory with practical considerations taken from the global paint industry and especially Dulux thereby helps in gaining a holistic understanding of the consumer behaviour approach to the paint products and concepts rendered by the company. References Belch, G., Belch, M., 2008. Advertising and Promotion, 6/E. New York: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Belch, G., Belch, M., and Purani, K., 2009. Advertising and Promotion. New York: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Chadwick, P., 2012. Dulux trials flexible paint pouches in Homebase stores [Online]. Available at: http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/markets/dulux-trials-flexible-paint-pouches/ [Accessed November 30, 2012]. Dukux, 2012. All Products [Online]. 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