Theories of Consumer Behavior and Effect of the Media - Research Paper Example

Theories of Consumer Behavior and effect of the Media Media possesses the potential to affect how consumers view diverse aspects of their life. These effects could range from the way they view society to their view on relationships, which could have a significant impact on the behavior of consumers (Walters 18). The availability of the internet and other forms of media today has given infinite opportunities to the marketers in getting across their messages. Use of the media in consumer marketing involves various techniques that create an argument or an image that favors that particular product. This can be seen in the way that films and cinema in general are advertised to induce consumers or groups of consumers to listen to specific points of view about the films, while blocking out other views (Walters 19). This paper seeks to focus on three theories of the media’s effect on consumer behavior. These are two step flow theory, hypodermic needle theory, and cultivation theory. These theories will be considered alongside how they affect cinemagoers. The hypodermic needle theory is also referred to as the magic bullet theory. This theoretical model implies that mass media portends a powerful, immediate, and direct effect on audiences (East et al 121). This was especially so in the 40s and 50s, during which cinema attendances were at their peak, and several factors contributed to the media’s strong effects during this period. First, television and radio saw a fast rise and increased popularity among consumers. In addition, the persuasion industry, which consists of propaganda and advertising, also saw an increase in use. This theory contends that it is possible for mass media to influence a large and diverse group in society through uniformly “injecting” them with specific and appropriate messages to trigger the response they desire (East et al 122). In the cinema industry, this theory suggests a direct and powerful informational flow between the sender and the receiver. It graphically suggests whatever message the cinema company sends out is the bullet that is fired from the media that takes the place of a gun into the mind of the consumer (East et al 122). The hypodermic needle analogy is used to show how the messages from the media are directly injected into a passive consumer base, whose opinions are immediately influenced by the implied message. In this case, the media communicates an idea about a film that is consumed by the audience who have no power to resist message’s impact (East et al 122). This theory was especially relevant during the 40s and 50s when film critics did not yet have a way to get their opinions out to the public efficiently. However, with the advent of the internet, this theory does not have as much effect on studying film consumer behavior because the audience has a way to validate the message they are getting from the media (East et al 123). However, in this model, the cinema-goers have no way to escape the message’s effects, which means that the message the cinema company puts across about their film will be taken as the truth. The audience is passive and has a lot of information “injected” into them. This gets to the point that they end up believing what they are told about a specific film because they do not have another information source from which to get information. However, this theory has seen less impact with the emergence of film critics and their role as opinion leaders. The two-step flow theory states that media indirectly affects consumers through the influence of opinion leaders. Most people, including cinemagoers, are influenced second-hand by media via opinion leaders and their personal influence. This theoretical model contends that opinion leaders in the media affect the manner in which consumers will form their behavior (Weimann 98). These opinion leaders are first exposed to media content, which they then interpret according to their personal opinion. These opinions then infiltrate the general public consumers who are then turned to opinion followers. This is very visible in the cinema industry where movie critics gain their influence via elite media, rather than mass media in the mainstream. Social influence, in this context, is formed and re-formed via opinions and ideals of each elite group of media, in this case various magazine and internet publications. The opposing opinions and ideals of every specific media group, in combination with sources in the mass media, will form and re-form the ideas of cinemagoers (Weimann 98). Thus, these opinions and their leading influence is basically one of the primary persuasion. The two-step flow theoretical model asserts that, information from media moves in two distinct stages. The opinion leaders, in this case film critics, pay close attention to mass media trends and the messages it puts across, receive the information, and analyze it (Weimann 99). These film critics act as opinion leaders and pass on what they interpret about the cinema films, in addition to the actual content, in the media. This involves film synopsis and critical reviews about what they think of the film. Personal influence is a term that was coined in reference to the intervening process between the direct message from the media and the ultimate reaction of the consumer/audience to the message. Film critics as opinion leaders in the cinema industry are very influential in changing the consumer’s behaviors and attitudes. In addition, according to the theory, the opinion leaders are similar to the people that they influence (Weimann 99). In this case, film critics are individuals who are also cinemagoers. This theoretical model greatly improves the understanding of how the decision making of cinemagoers is affected and influenced by mass media. It allows us to refine the capability to predict how media messages from film critics will influence the behavior of the audience, as well as helping to understand why various campaigns in the media may have failed. When the film critics in their role as opinion leaders fail to study the information that is passed on to the public about films (Weimann 100), as well as the manner in which it is passed on, their ability to be opinion leaders will fail because their opinion does not resonate with the audience. Finally, the cultivation theory holds that TV shapes the consumer’s social reality concepts. TV and other mass media outlets have a long-term effect that is indirect, gradual, and small, but significant and cumulative (Shrum 61). TV has a powerful role in shaping the way viewers see reality and the combined effects of exposure to TV for viewers over a period of time acts to shape how they perceive social reality, and this has an effect on the entire culture, as well. The film companies cultivates values and attitudes that are already there in contemporary culture The media then propagates and maintains these values amongst members of these cultures. Mostly, these attitudes and beliefs are the ones that are present in the films that the companies will later release (Shrum 62). For example, the media may advertise a film using aspects of violence and sex, which the society is already familiar with, which ensures that the consumers will take to films that cover these two themes. Works Cited East, Robert. Wright, Malcolm. & Vanhuele, Marc. Consumer Behaviour: Applications in Marketing. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2008. Print. Shrum, Liam. J. J. The Psychology of Entertainment Media, 2nd Edition, Taylor & Francis, 2012, Internet resource Weimann, Gabriel. The Influentials: People Who Influence People. Albany, NY: State Univ. of New York Press, 1994. Print. Walters, Charles. G. Consumer Behavior: Theory and Practice. Homewood, Ill: Irwin, 1974. Print. Read More