Applying of Actors into Advertising for Successful Positioning of a Brand That Meets Consumer Needs - Literature review Example

Consumer Behavior Name Course Tutor University Date Define the several types of actors in detail relating each actor to a different example. According to Kama (2012), perception refers to the ability of a human being to recognize and interprets stimuli. Perceptions are created by the first impressions of an object. The consumer thereafter interprets it to form a meaningful picture according to their needs and experiences. The perceived image will then influence the consumer’s decision to buy or use the product. For instance a consumer’s perception about a shopping store can be influenced by the store environment, range of products, good customer service, eye catching shelf positioning and other factors like the distance of the store from home. Self concept refers to an individual’s thoughts and feelings about themselves. There are different dimensions of self concept. This includes the actual self concept which refers to a personal perception of oneself that is how you feel about yourself, the ideal self concept which is to how one would like to be perceived by others and how one presents themselves to others also known as social self. A consumer’s decision to use a product or service can therefore be influenced by how they perceive themselves or would like to be perceived by others (Sirgy 1982). Motivation refers to the processes that compel people to behave in a certain way. This occurs through activation of a need that a consumer wishes to satisfy. The need can either be conscious or subconscious, either way it causes some kind of tension or urge in a consumer to satisfying the need and move from his present state to an ideal state (Motivation and affect, p.93). The urge is also referred to a drive. Once the need is met the tension is reduced. For instance thirst is a need that arouses tension that can be reduced by intake of different kind of drinks. Montgomery (p.28) asserts that personality refers to an individual’s consistency in responding to the surrounding environment. This is determined by a combination of a person’s biological or genetic traits, social environment and other external influences. A consumer is likely to buy or use a product that suits his personally. For instance a consumer is likely to be attracted to a product advertisement that fits his/her social and cultural environment. Finally, Baggozi etal (1999, p184) define Emotions as the readiness of the mind that arises from personal thoughts or from appraisals from events. Emotions can encourage or discourage an individual to take certain actions. Consumers have anticipatory emotions towards a service or a product. The anticipation further triggers the intentions, plans and decision making in achieving the set goal. Advantages and disadvantages of the actors For successful positioning of a successful brand that meets consumer needs, producers and advertisers take advantage of the above mentioned psychological factors to predict their buying behaviors. Though this actors have been used for years to predict consumer behavior they have both their merits and demerits. The advantage of using motivation to predict consumer behavior is that advertisement for a product or service can be used to appeal on needs shared by a large segment of people considering the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It is however difficult to put validity to a product or service across people from different cultures which is a major disadvantage. Also, it is difficult to measure the level of satisfaction of a consumer( Motivation and Affect pg. 100-102). Emotions on the other hand can be used in improving a product or service. Consumer’s emotions can be translated as consumer which is valued by advertisers and producers. Its main demerit however is that it is hard to measure emotions especially when there is mixed emotion ( Bagozzi,1999). The advantage of consumer perception to predict consumer behavior is that it is easy to manipulate a consumer’s perfection through exposure. Through advertisement a consumer is exposed to enough information about a product or service thus making it comfortable for them to buy or use it. Some of its drawbacks include that’s it is hard to sell risk perception to a consumer (Kazmi, 2012).For instance if a product or service is expensive than the competitors product convincing the consumer is difficult. Also, creating perception is not a onetime thing the producer or marketer has to continue giving more information after the first purchase for a permanent perception and loyalty. Personality plays an important role in predicting consumer motivation. This is due to the static nature of peoples traits and therefore it is easy to segment and market goods and services. Finally, the merits of Self concept include increasing the level of brand recall. This is achieved through marketing products and services that are similar to a consumers self concept. Additionally, through fantasy marketing, consumers can buy products that are similar to their ideal self (Sirgy 1982). Its demerit however is that self concept is dynamic and changes depending on different situations faced by consumers. Select two contrasting actors’ types and explain how a brand can overcome each of the disadvantages you listed above. As indicated above measuring of consumer emotions is not easy due to their affective nature. To effectively measure emotions it is important to first distinguish emotion from other states. Emotion theorists suggested the Differential emotional scale (DES) as one way of measuring emotion. According to the scale emotions are based on certain facial expressions. They include interest, surprise, enjoyment, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust, content, fear, shame and guilt. A brand can therefore focus on facial expression of consumers during or consumption to determine their emotions(Richins 1997) The scale however focuses so much on negative emotions and therefore not reliable. Alternatively, a brand can use the Pleasure, Arousal, Dominance (P.A.D) scale. Although this scale does not measure emotions per se it shows the pleasure, arousal or dominance elicited by a stimuli which in this case is a good or a service. The PAD scale is however not reliable as it cannot infer emotions like anger and disappointment. Finally, a brand can measure emotional responses using advertisements. Although they are vicarious, advertisements have been known to induce emotions. The elicited emotions measure the interest, boredom or sceptics of the consumer towards a product (Richins, 1997) they are further used to predict the perception of the consumer. A brand can therefore strive to create advertisements that induce positive emotions to the consumers and thus encouraging consumption. Consumer risk perception is created by uncertainty and fear of unfavourable consequences. These consequences can be social, financial or functional depending on different individuals. Financial issues can be related to a product or service not giving consumer value for their money. Social risk perception on the other hand is associated with an individual ruining or losing social image due to purchasing or using a certain product. To reduced perceived risk, a brand should increase certainty to the consumer. This can be done by offering enough information to the consumer. This can be done through marketing communication channels like television advertisement or brochures. Post purchase risk strategies can also be applied; these include Consumers being assured to be refunded their money or a replacement/exchange of products (Fearne and Hornibrook). These help to assure a consumer of a producer’s liability in case of unsatisfactory purchases. The above strategy can also couple up as a pre purchase strategy as offering the information to the consumer prior to purchase can influence the consumer to purchase goods or services. Additionally, a brand should continue reinforcing the first perception portrayed to the consumer. As indicated the first impression of a product or service can help manipulate a consumer to use it. However, this could be experimental for the consumer. The producer should therefore strive to create a lasting perception to the consumer. This can be achieved by repeated perception reinforcement after the first purchase through constant offering of information to the consumer. The consumer will intern have a lasting perception of the product and probable loyalty. Using the example of Zara (fashion brand) explain which actor type is most desirable to the brand and why. According to Fan and Lopez (2009), Zara Fashion is the most successful brand that operates in 59 countries. As a brand its main aim is to democratize by offering affordable latest fashions and deliver to its customers in the shortest time possible. In order to create democracy in fashion Zara should embrace self concept in its brand positioning and segmentation. Consumers have a tendency of using product that reflects their perceived image. Self concept is created through the reactions of other people like friends and family towards an individual (Grathwol and Grubb). Positive compliments and reinforcement from these people strengthens individuals self concept. The individual therefore strives to seek objects that trigger this recognition. Therefore the consumer response offered at Zara at the point of purchase about the kind of garments they would want should be acted upon. By delivering products that suits consumers needs will help them maintain self concept. Further, a consumer’s ideal self can be achieved by using a product that has a symbolic meaning and have social recognition in a consumer’s society. One enhances personal social image by using and being associated with products with a desirable social meaning (Grathwol and Grubb 1967, p.24). A product is therefore used as a symbol to communicate a message to significant people. In order to convey the desired message it should be outstanding. As a brand that offers medium quality fashion, Zara should strive to produce the trending and unique fashions. For instance, some consumers desire clothes worn buy celebrities but cannot afford them. Zara can bridge that gap by producing similar fashion in lower prices. That would enable its consumers to get the desirable reactions. In conclusion, it has been developed that self concept is a motivator to consumer behavior, In order to maintain and to enhance self concept an individual will purchase products that are symbolic and self reflecting References Bagozzi .R, Gopinath. M, & Nyer, P 1999. ‘The role of Emotions in Marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing science’. Volume 27, No.2, pages 184-206 Fan. Y, Lopez C. 2009. ‘Internationalization of the Spanish Brand Zara’: Journal of fashion marketing management’. Pgs 279-296 Fearne. A, Hornbrook. S. A, ‘The management of perceived Risk: A multi-tier case study of a UK retail beef supply chain’. Department og agricultural sciences, Wye. Grathwohl. H.L,& Grubb. E. L,1967. ‘consumer self-concept, symbolism and market behaviour. Theoretical approach’. Journal of marketing, Vol 31, pp. 22-27. Handa, M, Khare Arpita, 2009. ‘Role of individual self concept and brand personality congruence in determining brand choice.’ Innovative marketing, volume 5, Issue 4 pgs 63-69 Kazmi. S. Q, 2012. ‘Consumer Perception and Buying Decisions (The Pasta Study).’ International Journal of Advancements in Research & Technology, Volume 1, Issue 6, November-2012 Montgomery Jolene. ‘The role that personality and motivation play in consumer Behaviour: A case study on HSBC.’ Richins. M. L. 1997, ‘Measuring emotions in the consumption experience’. Journal of Consumer Research; 24, pgs 127-146. Sirgy, Joseph. M, 1982. ‘Self- concept in consumer Behavior: A critical Review.’ Journal of consumer research. Read More