The Psychology of Marketing - Essay Example

It is nothing new to say that consumers have a number of objects to which they are either weakly or strongly attached (Wuyts and Geyskens, 2005). The principal pending revelation is what the attachment that exists is and where it comes from. This paper is determined to familiarize the reader with attachment as a construct of consumer behaviour. Insights from self-development literature are combined with those of latest studies about the attachment people have with their possessions so as to step up the understanding of attachment. The Psychology of Marketing Background Several studies have been conducted to identify the base on which to draw ideas regarding attachment as a characteristic of individual-material object relationships. Stacy and Moreau (2006) argue that individuals feel less connected to certain objects than to others. Additional studies requiring participants to list possessions they value according to order of preference deduct that possessions listed topmost form a larger part of the self than the possessions which are lowly listed or not listed at all. It is for this reason that it can be deduced that people have certain possessions that they have a strong attachment towards as compared to others. Another study by Wallendorf and Arnould (1988) on Nigerians and South-western Americans found out that the link between a person and an object can be reflected in the cultural beliefs of the person. Some objects in both communities had been held by individuals as valued possessions. Another social culture study by Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton in 1981 on Chicago residents found that male participants had little attachment to household possessions as compared to females (Prentice, 1987). Researchers have proven it true that the possessions each and every person have are linked to them in some way which is why we buy a commodity that will exhibit the needs and/or wants of each person (Wuyts and Geyskens, 2005). Many measure other people via what they possess, the house they occupy, the car they drive, among other things; which makes the setting up of particular material goals a common thing all through the lives of people. All of us keep certain materials close to us and treasure them even when time has passed since their value was recognized. All this materials that we value pose as a representation of particular things for a given reason, in some cases; the cherished things are usually worth of giving up while in other cases, they represent things in one’s life that are almost or totally impossible, in short, the things we have developed a strong attachment with. Particular possessions are kept to help someone reflect upon their past selves or used as a remembrance of most valued persons or events in their lives. The attachment that exists between human beings and their possessions is a common experience among consumers yet the source of the attachment and what the attachment really is are less understood. At this stage, it is important to view attachment as a human-possession association. The current market place is full of thousands of advertisements every now and then which makes it hard to get to attract the attention of the target client so that they can see your ad(s). In order for this to happen, the marketer must have a detailed understanding of the client so that the advert created speaks a direct and effective message that the client sees as important and not what the marketer sees as important. It is vital for the marketing section of an organization to reach out to the people and inform them that they care about their thoughts and what is significant in their lives. Psychological marketing is better understood if an understanding of the saying “people do not want your product or service” is better too (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, and Waller, 2011). They will always want you to give those answers, solutions, pathways, or secret openings to the desires of their hearts yet they do not want to pay for them. Why do they pay? The answer to this question can only be found in the mind of the buyer; this is why precise knowledge of the real reasons behind the buyer’s preference of a product helps one focus their marketing plan; hence more sales. Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, and Waller (2011) argued that demographics will not provide you with the necessary answers while statistics only give you a picture of your buyers rather than provide you with the details of the customer’s thoughts and feelings as they stare into the camera. The study of customers helps an organization to understand several consumer issues which in turn help to step up their strategic marketing efforts. These include: i. How family, media and culture may influence the psychology of the customer ii. To understand the psychology that reveals how customers think, reason, choose between several choices and feel iii. How consumers behave while they shop and/or make other marketing decisions. Consumer Research The marketing department of any firm is assigned the responsibility of carrying out suitable market research before an organization can be satisfied that it is producing as per the exact requirements of the customer and not what the organization thinks the customer wants (Elliott, Rundle-Thiele, and Waller, 2011). New products are usually associated with risks; market research helps an organization to decrease these risks. It is necessary to make a follow up to a research and ensure it is satisfactorily complete. For instance, customers consuming the Coca Cola product were not ready to let the New Coke replace the traditional coke drink yet Coca Cola went ahead to release the product. This is due to the fact that Coca Cola Company had done a great deal of research which allowed them to know the attachment consumers have with their products will attract them into buying the new coke. The whole of this process involves the search of vital information about these consumer trends, a psychological process called perception. Perception can be defined as a process in which a person receives, selects, organizes and interprets viable data and/or information collected from different sources so that he/she can create a picture of the world that can be defined (Wuyts and Geyskens, 2005). Problem Recognition This involves the identification of the difference that exists between the actual state and the desired state of a person. This difference motivates consumers who will want to know what causes the difference and hence the buying process commences (Himanshu, Mishra and Dhananjay, 2010). The common problem recognition sources include new commodities in the market, marketer-induced and related products, the needs and wants of consumers and the discontent of consumers towards a certain product or service. Problem recognition is a motivational process, thus the internal psychological process here is motivation. A motive is an aspect that requires action, and thus it requires a motive for a customer to identify the difference between certain products. Segmentation This is a process that is carried out to identify the types of consumers that exist with respect to their needs (Himanshu, Mishra and Dhananjay, 2010). A good illustration can be found in the automobile industry where one customer will go for safety and low consumption, while others will choose a car based on speed and performance. Marketing has three ways in which it can be approached: the undifferentiated strategy treats all consumers same working in a monopolistic market. The concentrated strategy is where a single firm makes a choice of one segment from several and leaves the others to competitors (Raphaelle and Gilles, 2010). An example is where airlines have targeted consumers who are sensitive of market prices. Many of the airline companies will choose to provide costly tickets that provide the customer with many benefits and comfort. In addition, these airlines will have empty seats due to the high prices, thus they will try to fill up these seats with customers that are price sensitive and can buy several weeks earlier and stay over. In order to differentiate the types of consumers, Fleura, Giana, and Arnould (2010) argue that an organization can employ a number of variables and thus, for instance, soft drinks can be differentiated by: i. Heavy consumers vs. Light consumers ii. The preference of taste to low calories iii. Preference of coke taste to no-coke taste iv. Sensitivity of price – the customers are not willing to just pay for a brand name. The Psychological Marketing Plan A marketer should be able to penetrate the eyes of the consumer so that they can provide the customer with what they want to see, for example in an advert. A psychological marketing plan for an organization usually focuses on the mind of the customer/buyer where every aspect is integrated into a well-designed timetable so that maximum product impact can be created as well as maximum buzz about the organization (Raphaelle and Gilles, 2010). One suitable example of why simply asking customers what they want cannot work can be seen where men dream of owning an expensive car only because they feel it is a great machine and fun to drive. On the other hand, women like to wear expensive perfume only because they love to feel female and smell perfect. This is however not the real reason behind the choice of the buyer – the unseen motivation of the buyer. It is believed that the unseen motivation of the buyers is same: both the man and the woman want to buy these possessions to look good so that they can attract the opposite sex, win their approval, attention and their admiration (Wuyts and Geyskens, 2005). This can be seen in video adverts which involve an attractive female and a handsome male in a private romantic environment. These types of advertisements usually work because the message they convey focuses on an unseen yet strong desire that motivates the females to purchase the perfume – this is their psychological hot button. According to Raphaelle and Gilles (2010), the four types of psychological hot buttons include needs, wants, desires and fears. Here, it is believed that people buy the assurance of satisfaction and not just the product. The four satisfaction types include: i. Needs – these are the stuffs one thinks they should have, usually basic motivations. ii. Wants – these are the things that one would not mind having but are not a necessity and thus can be neglected. It is vital for the marketer to recognize the difference that exists between the wants and needs of the customer for each requires a different marketing strategy. iii. Fears – these are the things we do not want to see happening. Fears are usually associated with a consideration of possible negative outcomes which motivates the organization to make wise decisions (Stacy and Moreau, 2006). A buyer has to establish equilibrium between fears, needs and wants before making a decision on which item to buy. Two fears exist; the status quo fear where one is interested in a product because they are afraid of the current situation and that if not addressed it will get worse, while the other type of fear is as a result of making a mistake when choosing a problem solution. According to Stacy and Moreau (2006), the first fear requires the marketer to stimulate the fear in the consumers in the ad message and the second fear involves offering customers with assurances that they have reached the right place to satisfy their expectations. iv. Desires – this can sometimes be compared to daydreams which only represent the things one hopes for, for instance wealth, happiness etc. Meeting desires is rare yet they remain to be powerful motivators (Wuyts and Geyskens, 2005). Conclusion Every commodity has at least a link that seduces the customer to part ways with their cash to return for the assurance of satisfaction. A good marketer is one who knows what he/she is selling and can guarantee consumers of continued satisfactions, for instance, Gillette marketer knows he/she is selling clean shaves and not blades, Betty Crocker knows it sells “Gee, mom, this cake is great!” and not cake mix etc., making this industries dominant in their respective fields. For a psychological marketing plan to be successful, the organization needs to identify the exact inner motivation of your customers and the precise way in which your commodities can meet the expectations of the customer. A key saying to keep in mind is that people do not want to willingly buy your products/services; instead they want to buy them because they have a feeling or rather thought that your product can fulfil a certain need, want, desire or fear. References Elliott, G., Rundle-Thiele, S. & Waller, D. (2011) Marketing, John Wiley & Sons, Australia. Fleura, B., Giana, M.E. & Arnould, E.J. (2010) The liquid relationship to possessions. Journal of Consumer Research. The University of Chicago Press, Vol. 39 (3), pp. 510-529. Himanshu, M., Mishra, A. & Dhananjay N. (2010) How Salary Receipt Affects Consumers' Regulatory Motivations and Product Preferences, Journal of Marketing, American Marketing Association, vol. 74, no. 5. Prelinger, E. (1959) "Extensions and Structure of the Self," The Journal of Psychology, no. 47, pp. 13-23. Prentice, D.A. (1987) "Psychological Correspondence of Possessions, Attitudes, and Values," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 53, pp. 993-1003. 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