Initially, I had little need for a TV. We (my wife and son) had two perfectly functional TV sets at home, so the idea of another TV represented little value to us as a household unit. Money could have been better spent elsewhere. I was at my shopping center when I noticed in store advertisement for sale on TV’s. Like a moth to the flame, I could not help myself and wandered in for a closer look at this ‘sale’. Because there was no desperate need to have the TV, I could enter negotiations from a position where I would be comfortable walking away from. So, long story short, I ended up securing the TV at a drastically reduced price and on top of the sale...

I was conscious of how the product was marketed at the time of purchase and prior to reading the chapter. Ultimately, securing a good bargain was the biggest influence in me buying the TV, although had it not been for the sale sign at the front of the store, I would not have contemplated entering the store"
Nice example of a situational influence.  Anyone else had a similar experience?

Discussion question: Do you think you are more likely to shop at Aldi’s new outlets? Would you purchase extra items when shopping at the new store layout?

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7th ed.). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill.

Daily Mail Australia (2017). Fresh food in front, eye-level freezers to entice shoppers and a new logo: Aldi stores get $1 BILLION makeover as the German supermarket plans to add up to 200 products to its range. April 17, 2017 Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4418206/Aldi-spends-1-billion-change-store-layout-Australia.html accessed 7/03/2018

 

Chapter three talks about ‘problem recognition’ and how many organisations either try to use problem recognition alongside their ‘solution’, activate problem recognition to create awareness of unknown issues, or to ‘suppress’ problem recognition to ensure consumers do not avoid their products (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Hill & Hawkins, 2014, p. 76-81). 

 

I saw this ad as an act of ‘problem suppression’. By encouraging consumers to ‘be bad and snack well’, they are suggesting that they know the food their offering is unhealthy, but is okay to eat because of the smaller portion size.  

 

I was able to see that they have suppressed the problem that their food is unhealthy, by delivering the message that their portion sizes ‘allow you to be bad while still being good’.  I thought it was a clever way to encourage someone to eat something that isn’t good for them.

 

QUESTION: Have you ever purchased something that wasn’t good for you because the advertising didn’t make you feel guilty about it? 

 

REFERENCES:

 

Neman A. A. (2011, April 20). SnackWell’s Nudges Up the Portion Pack [Image]. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/business/media/21adco.html

 

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7th ed.). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill. 

“Alongside its reputation for good, cheap design, Ikea's distinctive labyrinth has been phenomenally successful with 283 stores in 26 countries and profits of £2.3 billion last year”. (The Daily Mail UK, 2011)

Another example of situational influence within the Ikea store layout are the microcosms of products on the pathway to the register. These are set up in a way which appeals to consumers, enabling them to see how the product or products may look in their home and make their life easier, encouraging them to not only buy one product but the whole range which is displayed. 

Discussion question: Do you think Ikea's store layout is helpful or a hindrance to your shopping experience? 

-Eleanor

The Daily Mail UK, 2011 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1349831/Ikea-design-stores-mazes-stop-shoppers-leaving-end-buying-more.html#ixzz59OmeJnv4 

 

Many times consumers, including myself, use price as an indication of quality. The article that I read, talks about how loyal consumers to this brand were willing to pay MORE for the eggrolls due to their belief that the eggrolls were higher quality than the price offered (Mohan, 2018, para. 7). 

 

I realised that consumers use lower prices and other factors such as common packaging, as surrogate indicators for ‘lower quality’, when the offering may actually be high quality (as the loyal customers recognised). 

 

Research revealed, that once the company adhered to their loyal customers’ comments and suggestions to change the packaging and lift the price, the sales of the brand increased by 11% (Mohan, 2018, para. 8). This proved to me the power of surrogate indicators in determining a consumer’s perception of product quality. 

 

QUESTION: What are some other reasons why consumers would be willing to pay more for an item over its cheaper alternatives?

REFERENCE:

 

Mohan, A. M. (2018, February 10). The power of packaging and the new price point 

revealed. Packaging World. Retrieved from: https://www.packworld.com/article/package-design/redesign/power-packaging-and-right-price-point-revealed

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7th ed.). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill.

Chapter 7 in the textbook discusses product disposal which is the final stage of the products life cycle where it is destroyed, shared, returned or sold (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Hill & Hawkins, 2014, p. 188). It also talks about the importance of understanding disposal in a marketing strategy as disposal can impact on purchasing decisions.  

The article highlighted how disposal can influence purchase decisions and made me think about alternative modes of disposal. It provides an example of families using toy libraries to exchange second hand toys rather than discarding them or purchasing brand new. This creates a second-hand market which organisations can also benefit from (Assadourian, 2013). 

Patagonia, for example, offers a service where used products can be returned and then resold at a cheaper rate through the second-hand market (Assadourian, 2013). I think this is a great idea and really encourages sustainable consumer behaviour. 

Question – Do you think about product disposal when purchasing products and do you purchase second hand? 

Assadourian, E. (2013, December 17). Dear Santa: It’s time to rethink toys. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/christmas-santa-letter-sustainable-workshops-toys

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7th ed.). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill.

This theory can be understood with the example of an advertisement of Nivea Crème for women in the perception. This is used as protecting dry skin and sensitivity to make face fair, bright, and fresh. A video advertisement on YouTube and the Internet shows that moral self perception of consumer behavior theory is being used in practice to motivate customers to believe in the products and purchase for personal use (YouTube, 2013). The video of Nivea Crème usually attempts to develop an understanding of the consumers that is a motivational process used in the consumer behaviour theory. 

Illustration of the Relevant Area of Consumer Behaviour Theory

            The example illustrates the relevant area of consumer behaviour theory through explaining the reasons of the individuals that develop an understanding relevant to the products purchase. The motivation behind the consumers’ own behaviour is the important aspect of the price perception theory in which it drives the buying behaviour. In the price perception theory, the attempt of the marketers is linked to emphasize the quality and value of the money of the customers that appeal them to be potential customers (Han & Hyun, 2015). The low prices in considering as an inherent virtue of the organizations that usually attempt to illustrate about the quality and value of money. 

The price perception theory is implemented to improve believe of consumers about the fair prices charged for the products and services. Online shoppers and Wal Mart are the best examples that follow price perception theory to increase repeat purchasing of the customers. The price perception has capability to influence behaviour of the customers effectively and efficiently (Han & Hyun, 2015). The future purchase of the customers is also determined with the help of price perception theory adopted by the marketers. The use of price perception theory strongly influence the customers and satisfy their needs.

QUESTION

1 What are the main factors that influence the customers to make self decision about any product purchase rather than advertisement?
2 What are the other factors that are also responsible to change the purchasing behaviour of the customers.

 

References
Han, H. & Hyun, S.S. (2015). Customer retention in the medical tourism industry: Impact of quality, satisfaction, trust, and price reasonableness. Tourism Management, 46, 20-29.

YouTube (2013). Face Care Tips By NIVEA: How to care for dry & sensitive skin. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI9S30TmpHU 

 

Over the years Woolworths has probably been the most popular supermarket in Australia. The statistics have proved that their profits have growth by 38% in 2017 in comparison with Coles that just growth by 1.9%. These results have been due to their expansion with the number of stores that Woolworths operate in Australia as they have opened 200 more than Coles in the last years (The new daily, 2018).

According to Michael Callaghan, an advertising and marketing expert. Woolworths seems to focus more on the physical location as they are based on larger neighbourhoods where the big families are. Also, they are located opposite to service stations where people will have an easy access to their supermarkets (The new daily, 2018).

Another physical surrounding of Woolworths is their supermarket layout. Their products are usually labelled and grouped in different sections so can be easy to find. One last example of physical surrounding is the rustic design of Woolworths that make customers feel like they are in an authentic farmers market. 

 

https://thenewdaily.com.au/money/finance-news/2018/02/23/woolworths-half-year-profit-coles/

My question is, are we always aware of the affect ads have on our emotions, or is it a subconscious effect? Does it affect the consumer behaviour the same if they’re unaware the ad is targeting their emotion? 

The concept of Perception influencing a consumers behaviour is noted, this includes exposure, attention and comprehension of the stimulus. For example, the colour red is a Stimulus determinant which captures the consumer immediate attention. This is noted by its intensity, contrast and position against other products. As quoted in the video and in many consumers’ perception ‘Red car’s go faster’, Red highlighting on online websites such as ebay triggers a reaction from the consumer and more. Consumers do not generally attribute the colour with the seller directly. Red stimulates the consumer to take immediate decisions and commit rash actions, so it is typical for advertising. However it is noted that the color should be used in moderation because an overabundance of it may cause irritation and aggression. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUxDqIeiXt0 – Virginia Tech, The effects of Red on the Consumer Behaviour.

 https://curatti.com/how-to-color-your-brand-color/ - The Proven impact of color on the consumer behavior.

 

I found an advertisement for Sprite that demonstrated a heart-warming scene of a loving bond between a father and his daughter. The advertisement utilised emotions of love with a degree of humour to reveal the lengths a father will go to, to show his affection for his daughter. 

This commercial ‘true love’, encourages consumers to associate Sprite with a positive emotional experience, which has been proclaimed in the past to increase memory recall (Mehta, & Purvis, 2006). From my personal experience, I found this commercial to touch my heart and make me laugh, to the point where I was showing it to other people. 

It is important for an advertisement to evoke an emotional response, as “the process that consumers go through in deciding what brands to buy has a heavy emotion-based dimension to it” (Mehta, & Purvis, 2006, p. 49). When consumers associate a product with a positive emotion, they will be more likely to consider it as a source for a positive experience (Mehta, & Purvis, 2006). 

QUESTION: What was the last advertisement that stuck with you? Why did it stick with you?

 

REFERENCES:

 

Val. S. (2007, September 23). Sprite commercial – true love [Video file]. Retrieved from 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssjmFrQNKBY 

 

Mehta, A., & Purvis, S. C. (2006). Reconsidering recall and emotion in advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 46(1), 46-59. doi: 10.2501/S0021849906060065

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIfiqfE0QOE 

The slogan for the ad campaign is “Ever wondered what life is like at the speed of Bolt?” (optus.com.au). The aim of the ad campaign is to promote to consumers the new faster Optus Network. Competitors may have the same product or service speeds however, by using the surrogate indicator that is celebrity endorsement gives legitimacy to their campaign and leads consumers to believe that this product or service would best suit their needs although competitor pricing could be cheaper or of a similar value because they have put a famous face to their product. 

Do you buy certain products over another simply because they have been endorsed by a celebrity and the product seems more legitimate due to this endorsement? 

 

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour Implications for Marketing Strategy (7^th ed). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill (pp136-137)

Sonya Chapman

Q. What are other examples of operant conditioning that the magazine could adopt to hook and retain repeat buyers?

Quester, P. G., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. I. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ride, NSW: McGraw-Hill Education (Australia).


Fiona Johnstone

According to the article, there has been many studies conducted in the last century which revealed that consumers will gather information from different sources, these sources could be reviews, using a company website, social media, using a face to face conversation with a sales person or simply by recommendations from peers. This information they gather before they make a purchase will influence consumers to make the purchase (Conversion xl, 2017).

In the modern world, online shopping has been a trend as people are having busy lives with a very small spare time to go to a physical place to make a purchase, these particular consumers are getting more comfortable doing online shopping in their homes, as result, this has been a boost for online shopping (Conversion xl, 2017), for consumers who particularly do online shopping they are more likely to search for information online and compare the product with many others, actually “73% of purchase decision begin with a google search” (Conversion xl, 2017).

 

Question:

Consumers buy the magazine because they want to learn how to stay healthy and strong. Daily Green Superfoods Combo is influencing the desired state against the existing state by convincing consumers that their product is a failsafe way of getting all the nutrients your body needs (Quester, p. 153). 

 

References:

Quester, P. G., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. I. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ride, NSW: McGraw-Hill Education (Australia).

Fiona Johnstone

Q. What other factors can health food marketers use to create problem recognition?

When buying any item the consumer will either consciously or subconsciously have some kind of criteria for they are looking in particular product. This is known as an evaluative criteria – which helps the consumer decide on the desired characteristics of a product (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Rao Hill, and Hawkins, 2014, p.224). 

The consumer will also have an idea of an alternative product, this is known as an awareness set. There are three subcategories to an awareness set including: evoked set, Inept set & Inert set (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Rao Hill, and Hawkins, 2014, p.224). 

Evoked Set – the brands you decide to investigate/consider.

Inept Set- the brand you consider completely unworthy of further consideration.

Inert Set- the brands that you are aware of, but feel indifferently towards.  

This theory can be applied to everyday life for a variety of different brands and products e.g. I have found that I do this subconsciously when buying simple household products e.g. Shampoo 

(diagram example meant to be here, is in a separate post on padlet).

 

Sources of information 

Reasons for an individual to choose a certain product may include: 

·         Memories of past, personal experience 

·         Personal sources e.g. family or friends 

·         Independent sources e.g. consumer groups

·         Marketing sources e.g. sales staff, advertising, web

·         Experimental sources e.g. inspection or product trial 

I have found that I select particular products based on previous experiences with a product/ product loyalty. I also find if a friend or family member suggests to try something I am more likely to buy a product I normally wouldn’t. I find it depends on the product as to whether 
 I do an in depth information search on a product e.g. I would do an information search (via web) for a car.

QUESTION

What factors influence or make you choose a particular product? Does everyone subconsciously have a criteria that they follow when buying a product?

- Jess Whyte
 

Despite current marketing approaches, for example Volks Wagon’s Amarok, most independent women don’t want to ask male companions/relatives if they can borrow a ute/SUV so they can go to the tip or take their faithful Labrador to the lake for a swim. These women want bigger cars that are practical enough to transport large items or tow a trailer. 

Holden’s director of marketing and customer service, Mark Harland, believes that if marketers can win over women they will “win the business” (Chambers, 2017). This is because “82% of purchase decisions are influenced by women, however, 87% of women in the automotive purchasing process feel completely misunderstood”.  Mr Harland said that although “strong, independent, self-assured women are driving SUVs”, all SUV commercials are catered to men. Women may appear in these commercials, but they are not in the driver’s seat. 

Q. Despite Mr Harland’s comments, why is it that the woman in the following Holden Captiva commercial transporting a small guitar instead of gardening tools, Ikea furniture or surf gear?

https://www.holden.com.au/cars/Equinox?keyword=%2B2018+%2Bholden+%2Bsuv&gclid=CjwKCAjww6XXBRByEiwAM-ZUIGITFfNDAbp3AnJRk6VTtz64aMbtWPjmWMCDJw4QhTzY7bTZghu8jxoCb0MQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CN-Ow-Tl6NoCFcsGvAodwxMBSA


References: 

Amarok (n.d). Tough comes from within. Volkswagen. Retrieved from (2018): https://www.volkswagen.com.au/en/models/amarok.html?&gclid=CjwKCAjww6XXBRByEiwAM-ZUIPH25lR53rZ_6JRQ26jMBQTVBEaohOiE9nLSMtBQBD0AcGxkIxzCMxoCjusQAvD_BwE

Chambers, Pippa (2017). Car marketing to women - 'nail this and you'll win the Holden SUV creative pitch'. Adnews. Retrieved from (2018): http://www.adnews.com.au/news/car-marketing-to-women-nail-this-and-you-ll-win-the-holden-suv-creative-pitch

Equinox (2018). Holden. Retrieved from (2018): https://www.holden.com.au/cars/Equinox?keyword=%2B2018+%2Bholden+%2Bsuv&gclid=CjwKCAjww6XXBRByEiwAM-ZUIGITFfNDAbp3AnJRk6VTtz64aMbtWPjmWMCDJw4QhTzY7bTZghu8jxoCb0MQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CN-Ow-Tl6NoCFcsGvAodwxMBSA

Quester, P. G., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. I. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ride, NSW: McGraw-Hill Education (Australia).

Speechly, Jane (2017). How to Market Cars to Women. Practical Motoring. Retrieved from (2018): https://practicalmotoring.com.au/voices/how-to-market-cars-to-women/


By Fiona Johnstone

Brand personality provides a distinct element of brand image which marketers need to manage through their packaging and advertising, a distinct brand personality can play a key role in the success of a brand.

Do you distinguish certain personalities to certain brands due to the way they are marketed and advertised? Do you purchase products due to them being advertised as more feminine or rugged?


Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour Implications for Marketing Strategy (7^th ed). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill (pp313-314). 

 

Chapter 5 Evaluating and Selecting Alternatives tells us that price is the most widely used surrogate indicator when consumers are choosing a particular product. In most instances, a consumer will conclude that if a product is deemed to be expensive then there will be a direct relationship with that products quality (Quester, Et Al., (2014) p.135). 

 

While price is deemed as the most widely used surrogate indicator, it can also be used due to a lack of knowledge of a particular product or service. As a result I choose to purchase a mid-range product as I have had previous experience with the products and have found them to be a good quality replacement part.

 

In conclusion, although price is a widely used indicator when consumers are purchasing products or services, it should not be the only indicator used. When consumers use only price, it has been found that a less than optimal purchase is made.

 

Question: Have you ever used price as a sole indicator when selecting products, and did this have a negative effect on the purchase?

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education. 

One under-researched impact on consumer behaviour is that of calendrical timing. This is the idea that consumers buying behaviour is influenced by exogenous factors. Consumers often have calendars which are interconnected and influenced by other calendrical events. (Martin,2018) These events can be dependent on calendar cycles or by calendrical timing plights. Calendar cycles can include: annual, bi annual, monthly, weekly and daily. For example, a consumer may be using a annual or semi-annual basis for car rego, or a monthly cycle for contents insurance. These cycles are less likely to be affected by other calendar plights. Timing plights for consumers are based on other types of calendars; these can include natures calendar (rain/ snow etc) to cultural calendars (holidays such as Christmas and Easter). (Martin,2018)

Cultural contributions to calendars have made consumers adapt to the cultural norms of the society. For example, drinking eggnog and eating gingerbread only during December for Christmas. This type of cultural interaction perfect example of the two components of nominal culture: enacted culture and cresive culture. (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Hill and Hawkins, 2014, chapter 16)

Have you ever been unconsciously impacted by cultural calendars to behave or do certain activities during different parts of the year?

                Martin, C. L. (2018). How nature, culture and legal calendars influence the calendrical timing of consumer behaviour. Journal of Customer Behaviour, 15(4),337-368. Doi:10.1362/147539216X14594363340136

Social Identity theory suggests that the more an individual identifies with a group the more likely they are to adapt or conform to the norms of that group. While they may not agree with the standards consumers will attempt to behave in manner that is consistent with the preferences of that group. (Thomas, Jewell & Wiggins, 2015)

(Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Hill and Hawkins, 2014, 700-701) argue this type of behaviour is used by reference groups whose values and perspectives are used by individuals to base her or his currently behaviour of. This type of conformity in a reference group is called normative influence. Normative influence occurs when an individual change their behaviour to either gain favour or avoid sanctions from a group. For example, ordering a certain drink whilst out to earn favour vs not wearing certain fashion items such as fur to avoid teasing or social isolation from the group. 

 

Have you ever been influenced by normative influence to gain favour on avoid sanctions form a reference group?

Jemimah Yow 

Repeat purchase behaviour or brand loyalty is one part of the post purchase processes and aims to increase customer loyalty by rewarding them for doing business with them. It is the degree to which a customer holds a positive attitude towards a brand, company or even event. (Liu, 2007)

 

Brand loyalty can be influenced by several different factors which can include level of competition in the industry, the social benefits of product use and of course the reward scheme offered. (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Hill and Hawkins, 2014, 326-328) suggest that due to the nature of brand loyalty it can inspire both good and bad experiences for the consumer. For example, high levels of loyalty mean a consumer may overlook a higher price point, even if the product quality is much poorer than it was originally. On the opposite side of the spectrum brand loyalty can go beyond the product itself. For example, buying a Thermomix machine also buys a consumer into a ready-made community. Thermomix users often share recipes online, meet up to cook and host or attend demonstrations for other members in the community. 

 

Do you have any brands or products you are loyal to? Why are you loyal to that brand or product?

 

Liu, Y. (2007). The Long-Term Impact of Loyalty Programs on Consumer Purchase Behaviour and Loyalty. Journal of Marketing,71(4), 19-35. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30163995

 

 

Chapter 3 cover the three types of consumer decision processes which are habitual decision making, limited decision making and extended decision making (Quester, Et Al., (2014) p.65). When deciding whether to bank with the institutions currently being scrutinised, the matters may not be identified by individuals who follow the habitual or limited decision making processes as they do not complete an extensive information search as part of their decision making process. An extended decision making consumer would likely be aware of the current situation and factor these results of their information search into their final decision. This process can be described as the concept of purchase involvement and covers factors like the level of concern or having an interest in the purchase process (Quester, Et Al., (2014) p.65).

 

Question: Which kind of decision maker do you fall into? Are you likely to perform information searches prior to making decisions?

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education. 

Even though, online shopping has become very popular over the years, there are still many consumers who prefer shop in retail outlets rather than online (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Rao Hill, and Hawkins, 2014 p. 156). This is because some consumers prefer the social side of shopping and they like try on the product before making a purchase(Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Rao Hill, and Hawkins, 2014 p. 156). Some consumers also have issues about using their credit card details online (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Rao Hill, and Hawkins, 2014 p. 156).  

How has online shopping impact the way you shop? Do you still shop online, or do you prefer to shop in an outlet? Why or why not?

Kaytlin Langdon
Reference List
Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D (2014).          Consumer  Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7th ed.). Sydney:      Irwin-McGraw Hill.
Ward, M. R., & Lee, M. J. (2000). Internet shopping, consumer search and product branding. Journal of product & brand management, 9(1), 6-20.

(Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Hill & Hawkins, 2014, p. 424 – 445)

I found the chapter very valuable in understanding how a business may identify the segment that meet the product or service profile and from there build up the marketing strategy. It is quite often that businesses or entrepreneurs have great ideas and a product or service in mind, they think is new, a novelty, or an improved version of similar product, etc. 

There is always a rush associated with launching a new business, often because there has been a financial outlay and the entrepreneurs need to get to market as soon as possible to recoup, or because the fear that someone else might be about to launch a similar business.

It is important for a new business to decide on the stereotypical customer, both in their mind and to define the ideal customer within the Business plan. The Household life cycle is a important place to start building the Business.

Levitt argues (1975, p. 19) the industry begins with the customer and his needs, not the patent, materials or selling skills.
Question:
If you start your own business, do you know who your customers will be? If so, what proof do you have?
Reference:
Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S., and Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7^th ed.). Chapter 13 Household Structure and Consumption Behavior (pp. 424-445) Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill.

Levitt, T (n.d.) Marketing Myopia. Retrieved from     https://faculty.mu.edu.sa/public/uploads/1358138639.7579Marketing%20Myopia.pdf

Jose Alejandro Cabrera Angeles (Alex Cabrera)

According to Bakshi (2012), women were found to be more dominant during the problem recognition and information search stage for “traditional” female products like home furnishing and appliances. On the other hand, men were found to be more dominant in the information search stage for male dominated products like cars, television sets, razors, etc (Bakshi, 2012). Furthermore, men tended to go to the most relevant cue while women will tend to comprehend all information available (Bakshi, 2012). This is because females are more subjective, instinctive, comprehensive, and relational processing while men are more logical, analytical, selective and item-specific processing (Bakshi, 2012). When it comes to decision making, women use other people’s opinions to help make their own decision while men use other people’s decisions to help them form their own opinion (Bakshi, 2012).

 

Question: Do you think these gender decision-making trends are still the same today? Why or why not?

Kaytlin Langdon
Reference List
Bakshi, S. (2012). Impact of gender on consumer purchase behaviour. Journal of          Research in Commerce and Management, 1(9), 1-8.

Last week I went shopping with my mum, who is part of generation baby boomer, while I am generation Y. After learning about how demographic factors influence buying behaviour, I noticed our differences in light of consumer behaviour theory. I was interested in clothing, while my mum wanted homeware. According to Parmert (2013), Generation Y is significantly more interested in clothing, and the success of retail chains such as Hennes & Mauritz and Zara are largely based on sales to younger customers. Another finding is that Baby boomers value customer service more than Generation Y does (Parment, 2013, p. 196). Generation Y has a higher social risk (worry what peers think about their purchase) profiling themselves through purchases in their social environment (Parment, 2013, p. 197). Changes in society such as demographics, create changes in market needs such as products and services. Marketers need to understand these changes to devise new or improve existing) strategies to account for these movements (Quester et al (2016, p. 384).  

Have you notices changes in consumer behaviour between different generations?

 

References

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7th ed.). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill.

 

Parment., A. (2013), Generation Y vs. Baby Boomers: Shopping behaviour, buyer involvement and implications for retailing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services (20)2, 189-199 Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096969891200149X

Martina Akouri

At a restaurant I often order a meal and later regret my choice, when I look at the menu again. I feel post purchase dissonance. Because I love good food and the decision of what to order is important to me and I am an anxious person, I am more likely to experience post-purchase dissonance (Quester et al, 2014, p. 205). When I read the article ‘’The Simple Way To Minimize Buyer’s Remorse” (Carvalho, 2013), I realised that the simple act of closing the menu and handing it back to the waiter minimises buyer’s remorse. It is about removing the choices once a decision has been made, to improve customer satisfaction. I noticed at fine dining restaurants often the waiter congratulates me on making an excellent choice, which makes me feel better.

When did you feel post purchase dissonance? What tactics do you think companies use to reduce buyer’s remorse? 

 

Carvalho, J., (2013). The Simple Way To Minimize Buyer’s Remorse.

Retrieved from: https://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/buyers-remorse.htm#

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7th ed.). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill.

Martina Akouri

Women and younger consumers have been found in making socially responsible purchases than men and older consumers, socially responsible products are those that are environmentally friendly and have minimum negative social impact in communities (e.g. child labor, underpay wages, slavery, etc.)

Coca Cola and Pepsi has been exposed for their marketing tactics in countries and communities with low socioeconomic levels, soft drinks or flavored sugar-water drinks cost practically nothing to produce or buy yet have turned those companies in multi billion industries. The marketing campaigns are known to target children and poor communities where soft drinks are cheaper to buy than water or milk. (African and Latin-American communities). Whilst health issues and impact to health systems started to being address in developed countries (Sugar Tax, soda caps, etc.) while under- developed countries obesity and overweight remains a constant due to economic access to sugary drinks, nearly 70 percent of African and Hispanic Americans regularly drink sugar sweetened sodas, (Nestle 2015 p. 186) and their habits are strongly influenced by television advertising, especially when commercials feature celebrities of their own race or ethnicity.

Do you consider social responsible companies when making your purchase decision?
Reference

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S., and Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7^th ed.). Chapter 5 Evaluating and selecting alternatives (pp. 144-146) Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill.

 

Nestle, M., & Baer, N. (2015). Soda politics : taking on big soda (and winning). Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au

Jose Alejandro Cabrera Angeles

Recently, coffee company Moccona teamed up with popular pyjama retailer Peter Alexander to give a makeover to their packaging – bringing out a range of four different jar designs that represents different types of Moccona customers (Mitchelhill-Miller, 2018). The most fascinating part of this campaign, though, is the incorporation of the concept of upcycling into their advertising. As well as introducing these new designs to consumers, Moccona also offers different uses for their packaging after use that complements each design(Mitchelhill-Miller, 2018) – such as using the cupcakes jar to store cookies. Moccona also encourages the consumer to come up with other uses for their left over Moccona jar. 

In the consumer decision process, product use and disposal are important factors when making purchase decisions. A product that is has unappealing packaging, is hard to dispose of, or unrecyclable can turn consumers off purchase (Quester, 2015, pp. 188-191). Moccona has utilised the knowledge of  their consumers' post-purchase activities to differentiate themselves in the market.

Do campaigns like Moccona’s make you think about or change the way you look at product disposal? 

References

Mitchelhill-Miller, H. (2018). Sleep AND Wake Up In Style With These Moccona & Peter Alexander Coffee Jars.   Retrieved from https://www.hit.com.au/scoopla/food/sleep-and-wake-up-in-style-with-these-moccona-peter-alexander-coffee-jars?station=2day

Quester, P. G. (2015). Consumer behaviour : implications for marketing strategy (7th edition. ed.). North Ryde, New South Wales: McGraw-Hill Education Australia Pty Ltd. 


Molly Goldrick

Today women make till 80% of decisions about their household consuming, for her a real product is the one which makes her life safer, simpler and more beautiful. As consumer she is willing to take the time and effort in order to collect a lot of information to decrease the risk during the purchase process, marketing researches have summarized the gender gap by saying: Men go shopping to buy what they want… Women go shopping to find out what they want... (“Online Shopping Gender Gap” n.d.)

I am aware of the marketing campaign aimed to more empowered women, better informed and changes to traditional stereotypes, however marketing aimed to men I believe has not changed in comparison with marketing for women.

Question:

How would you describe yourself as consumer, are you impulsive, do you research, are you an emotional consumer, etc.? 
Reference

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S., and Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy (7^th ed.). Chapter 12 Australasian society: demographics and lifestyles, Gender (pp. 389) Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill.

 

Mihic, S., Radjenovic, D., Supic, D. (2013) Metalurgia International, Consumer Behaviour – Building Marketing Strategy Vol. 18(8), pp.116-120 retrieved from: https://primo.csu.edu.au/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=proquest1549923516&context=PC&vid=61CSU_INST:61CSU&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&tab=Everything&lang=en

 

Online Shopping Gender Gap. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://hypesavings.com/author/store-manager-hypesavings-com/

Jose Alejandro Cabrera Angeles

The discussion question is, when have you seen a product backfire or pulled from the market because of cultural beliefs? What were the specifics, what went wrong and what wasn’t accepted?   

With a staggering 922,827 people passing through the Royal Easter Show Sydney, (Sydney Royal Easter Show, 2017), show bags prices are released in advance as the largest crowd in a decade attended the 2017 show.

With a range of show bags varying from $4.00 to $30.00 in price, (The guardian, 2017) and an expectation of more than 1.4 million show bags expected to be taken home,(The Sydney Morning Herald, 2016), situational influence is a key factor in generating sales.

As discussed in Chapter 2 the purchase situation is relative to where the product selection and purchase occurs, (Quester et al, 2014). In the event of the Easter show where adults are often accompanied by children the preference of the children is likely to influence the product purchase choice, (Quester et al, 2014). 

Six of the official top 10 show bags for 2017 were either kids programs, movies and preference of foods including, Frozen, Bertie Beetle and Shopkins, (Kembrey et al, 2016), as event marketers are well aware of the situation influence children will impose on adults whilst browsing through the show bag pavilion at the Royal Easter Show 2017.

How have other events use the marketing strategy; situation influence to influence consumer behaviour of the attendees?

Sydney Royal Easter Show. (April 21, 2017).The last 14 day Sydney Royal Easter Show attracts best crowds in more than a decade. Retrieved from http://www.eastershow.com.au/content-hub/press-releases/2017/the-last-14-day-sydney-royal-easter-show-attracts-best-crowds-in-more-than-a-decade/

Rodie. C. (Sun 16, 2017). The Guardian: Rip- off rides and bags of landfill: Sydney’s Easter Show is not work it. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/16/rip-off-rides-and-bags-of-landfill-sydneys-easter-show-is-not-worth-it 

Kembrey, M. (Feb 25, 2016). The Sydney Morning Herald: Top Ten Sydney Royal Easter Showbags Revealed. Retrieved from https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/top-ten-sydney-royal-easter-showbags-revealed-20160224-gn254x.html

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour Implications for Marketing Strategy (7^th ed). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill (p40). 

Brand personality occurs when a set of human characteristics are incorporated within the marketing strategy associating those particular characteristics with the brand, (Quester et al, 2014)

For example Lorna Jane commercial; Lorna Jane: Fitspiration II projects a range of human characteristics such as femineity, strength, empowerment, motivation and feeling good. With the use of quotes, actresses, music and phrases the commercial engages the audience with likened personality or aspects of personality to its branding. 

This marketing strategy aims to influence its consumers or targeted market group by coupling brand and human persona through advertisements, packaging and branding to increase revenue, (Quester et al, 2014).

Lorna Jane branding is designed to, “Encourage women to achieve their best through active living and ultimately reach their full potential”, (Lorna Jane, 2018) the brand promotes personality traits of being fit, healthy and active, (Lorna Jane, 2018).

Consumers assign personalities to brands in response to the advertisements and packing, this can enables marketers to develop a distinct element of brand or brand personality allowing differentiation in the market and interpreting the success of the brand. Lorna Jane branding is designed to appeal to women who want to feel empowered, motivated, strong and inspired.

What brands do you purchase due to the association our both your own and the brands personality characteristics?

Jane. L. (2018).  Lorna Jane Active Living, Our Founder. Retrieved from https://www.lornajane.com.au/about/philosophy

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour Implications for Marketing Strategy (7th ed). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill (p313- 314).

In the process of evaluating and selecting alternatives for purchase of choice, often price is a surrogate indicator as consumers use this attribute to affiliate quality and worth, (Quester et al , 2014).

Recently I was shopping at Coles supermarket and found myself opting out of purchasing meat here as the price was lower than that of the local butcher I go too, assuming that the quality of the meat must not be a good. This heuristics is directly reflective of my market belief associating low price with low quality, (Quester et al 2014). 

After conducting research I found that in 2017, The Roy Morgan Single Source Survey which included 12,000 grocery buyers results showed that 50.8% of The Australian Fresh Meat market share was owned by Coles and Woolworths, (Morgan, 2017). Comparatively, butchers and markets are holding only 24% of the market, (Morgan, 2017). Also a large range of meats sold in supermarkets are of higher animal welfare standards and display certified labelling from a range of welfare standards such as; RSPCA Approved, Australian Certified Organic and Pastured Proof, (Potter, 2017).

Commonly consumers lack the market knowledge or training to make accurate evaluations among products and brand and find themselves utilising surrogate indicators to guide their purchasing behaviours,

What purchases have you made based upon on a singular surrogate indicator opposed to market knowledge or training?

Morgan. R. (2018). Roy Morgan; It’s official: Majority of fresh meat now bought at Coles & Woolworths. Retrieved from https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7562-supermarket-currency-report-fresh-meat-december-2017-201804130556

Potter. A. (2017) Choice; Ethical Meat, Understanding meat welfare labels at the supermarket. Retrieved from https://www.choice.com.au/food-and-drink/meat-fish-and-eggs/meat/articles/buying-ethical-meat

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour Implications for Marketing Strategy (7^th ed). Sydney: Irwin-McGraw Hill (p131-132). 

This means that companies must now place strong focus on social media marketing activities, implementing strategy that goes beyond purely advertising and includes direct interaction with their audience – and, most importantly, handling direct feedback from consumers in a satisfactory manner.

 Research indicates that companies with a positive social media presence can increase brand loyalty considerably (Erdoğmuş & Cicek, 2012). This can be reflected through companies like Netflix, who gained eight million Facebook followers in one year (Letki, 2016) after successfully implementing a relationship marketing strategy (Quester, 2015, pp. 203-204) that allowed them to break down the consumer-company relationship barrier engage with consumers on a personal level.

In contrast, companies can see a strong negative impact if they fall short of what is deemed satisfactory by consumer. United Airlines, for instance, has a notoriously tumultuous relationship with social media – from their customer service issues being exposed to the scrutinization of the seemingly dismissive response to their transgressions (Ohlheiser, 2017). In their latest scandal, in which a dog died on one of their flights, negative mentions on social media increased to 140% and approval of the airline has dropped to 52% (Sweeney, 2018).

Does the way a brand acts on social media impact your attitude towards them in any way? 

 

References

Erdoğmuş, İ. E., & Cicek, M. (2012). The impact of social media marketing on brand loyalty. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 58, 1353-1360. 

Letki, G. (2016). How Netflix is Winning Social Media- Case Study.   Retrieved from https://brand24.com/blog/how-netflix-is-winning-social-media-case-study/

Ohlheiser, A. (2017). The full timeline of how social media turned United into the biggest story in the country.   Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/04/11/the-full-timeline-of-how-social-media-turned-united-into-the-biggest-story-in-the-country/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1cb69b71c4b5

Quester, P. G. (2015). Consumer behaviour : implications for marketing strategy (7th edition. ed.). North Ryde, New South Wales: McGraw-Hill Education Australia Pty Ltd.

Sweeney, E. (2018). United Airlines sees 140% increase in negative social chatter after dog dies on flight.   Retrieved from https://www.marketingdive.com/news/united-airlines-sees-140-increase-in-negative-social-chatter-after-dog-die/519180/

 

There are at least 5 pharmacies in my local area that I can count from the top of my head. However, I choose to shop at Priceline Pharmacy 90% of the time. It certainly isn’t the closest pharmacy to me, or the easiest to access, but I always prefer Priceline’s Sister Club to other loyalty programs that I am involved in. 

 

The Priceline Sister Club allows you to gain ‘freebies’ and cash-back vouchers that increase in value with the more you spend. There are many different rewards including a quarterly reward (given as a voucher to spend in store), a birthday reward (where you are emailed a $ off voucher), secret sales, exclusive events and competitions ("Sister Club", 2018). As a consumer I prefer to buy into loyalty programs like this, as I know that in doing so I can save money in future. 

 

Question: As a consumer, what do you look for in a loyalty program? Are you drawn to discounts and cash back vouchers or are you motivated by other perks?

References:

Sister Club. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.priceline.com.au/sister-club

 

Zhang, Y., & Liu, F. (2017). The Formation of Brand Loyalty: A Partial Dual-Factor Explanation. Journal Of International Consumer Marketing, 29(4), 239-249. doi: 10.1080/08961530.2017.1303416

Perception is the process in which an individual processes and interprets stimuli (Quester, 2015, p. 224). Companies within the supplements industry have used the positive benefits of complementary medicine to position themselves as the face of health and wellness. This image has also allowed the industry to engage with holistic living demographics, presenting themselves as a safe alternative to “mainstream” medicine. 

As previously mentioned, many products introduced by the supplements industry have been proven to be ineffective. Research has indicated that the knowledge of product ineffectiveness had little to no effect on consumers perception on vitamins and supplements, however, when consumers were presented with the idea that use of some products can cause potential harm - a stark contrast to the healthy image that the industry supposedly represents – consumers stopped using those products immediately (Tilburt, Emanuel, & Miller, 2008), highlighting the impact perceptions have on consumption habits. 

Have you ever had a perception of a product, service or company that changed? What caused this change in perception?

References

Quester, P. G. (2015). Consumer behaviour : implications for marketing strategy (7th edition. ed.). North Ryde, New South Wales: McGraw-Hill Education Australia Pty Ltd.

Tilburt, J. C., Emanuel, E. J., & Miller, F. G. (2008). Does the Evidence Make a Difference in Consumer Behavior? Sales of Supplements Before and After Publication of Negative Research Results. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 23(9), 1495-1498. doi:10.1007/s11606-008-0704-z

Wang, M. T., Gamble, G., Bolland, M. J., & Grey, A. (2014). Press releases issued by supplements industry organisations and non-industry organisations in response to publication of clinical research findings: a case-control study. PloS one, 9(7), e101533. 

Disposal of goods is the final stage of a product use, when the consumer returns, trades in or destroys the product or it container. (Pascale Quester, 2013)

Traditionally I have disposed of items via only 2 methods. Economic value and ridding. It is interesting for me to reflect on disposal of goods and consider that it is part of the purchasing process. 

For Nespresso capsules, I do not recycle them based on no economic value. But if the marketing campaign/messaging included messaging relating to:

75% of the aluminium, ever produced, is still in circulation. Additionally, recycling aluminium saves around 95% of CO2 emissions associated with primary production. Nespresso.com/sustainability (2018)

Then it is not about recycling for their company profits and no economic gain for me. It is about environmental impact and being apart of a feel-good movement.

Have you ever changed your purchasing decision based on disposal of lower economic value items? Eg not a car resale value.

Nespresso.com/sustainability (2018)

Pascale Quester, S. P., Sally Rao Hill, Foula Kopanidis. (2013). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. 
Iain Fab

I want to go on a holiday, input criteria, search trusted and review options. Adjust options if required until a decision can be made and the search terminates.

Additionally, this source of information is perceived to be personal and independent sources (Pascale Quester, 2013).

Until I read this information, I had always trusted trip advisor. Now I question if the suggested results are actually in alignment with my criteria, or a paid for search result by a hotel chain.

Has this subject changed your purchasing processes?

 

Pascale Quester, S. P., Sally Rao Hill, Foula Kopanidis. (2013). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. Iain Faber

She wanted me to hop on the net and find the best one and make sure it’s the best price. Sure.

We travelled to a local home maker centre, which has 3 brick and mortar major retailers. So she could experience the products and use her evaluative criteria (Pascale Quester, 2013). As she is old school and like to touch and feel. But that doesn’t align with her, hop on the net request.

So, phone in hand, wandering a store and thanking the sales people for their time, but we were fine. Nan selected her model and make. So now online to ensure best price. The retailer next door had a special for $100 cheaper, same model etc.

My nan is like the 75% of multi channel shoppers. Search online and buy in a store(Pascale Quester, 2013).

Surprisingly, I was the only person I could see actively comparing prices in the brick an mortar store. Does anyone else do this? Or do you complete pre work?

 

 

 

 

Pascale Quester, S. P., Sally Rao Hill, Foula Kopanidis. (2013). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy.

A good example of a brand that acknowledges national differences and ensures their marketing mix is adapted is McDonalds (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Hill and Hawkins, 2014, 326-328). I came across an article which highlighted how McDonalds keeps the brand recognisable by maintaining the original meaning and identity whilst changing their products, size preferences and segmentation to adapt to different countries (Gadson, 2014). In Japan for example, McDonalds is targeted to young children and adults whilst in America its primary target market is children. McDonalds also considers translation and the name of the restaurant is adjusted in Japan for the appropriate Japanese script (Gadson, 2014). 

Not taking cultural differences into account can result in issues for the organisation working internationally. Brands may get lost in translation and one example is Microsoft Vista which means scenic views in most countries but frumpy women in Latvian (Arno, 2012). 

Question – Do you think that Marketing Strategies, particularly advertising should be standardised across cultures? 

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education.

 

Gadson, G. (2014, November 5). What is the secret to McDonald’s global branding success? Maistro. Retrieved from:  https://www.maistro.com/blogs/secret-mcdonalds-global-branding-success/

 

Arno, C. (2012, September 14). Seven avoidable mistakes in global marketing. Econsultancy. Retrieved from: https://econsultancy.com/blog/10699-seven-avoidable-mistakes-in-global-marketing

 

 

The TV commercial Do What You Love produced by Defence Jobs Australia is a great example of using motivation and emotional arousal as their marketing strategy. The commercial is directed at women and shows a variety of highly stimulating activities including travel, speed boats, flying, children and action sports with the message of do what you love highlighted throughout. The ad has created emotional arousal the engages consumers towards an awaiting experience which is related to hedonic motivation described by Kaczmarek (2018) as inclination to create actions that result in arousing experiences such as being able to combine what you love with your career.

 

Does this advertisement create emotional arousal for you? If so what emotion does it trigger? 

 

 

Defence Jobs Australia. (2015, June 9). Do What You Love - TVC - See The World [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXXqdYDJ9mU 

 

Kaczmarek, L. D. (2018). Hedonic Motivation. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, 1-3. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_524-1 

 

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D. (2014) Consumer behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. 7th ed. Sydney: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education Pty Ltd. 

 

This year Telstra launched a marketing campaign to promote and reframe the strength of its mobile network. The approach consists of “contextual, topical and pop culture” communications displayed throughout Australian metro areas on billboards, transport services, shopping precincts and all social and digital media platforms (B&T, 2018).

 

The advertising uses phrases such as “Australia’s fastest mobile network. Thrive on.” (B&T, 2018) which directly compares it to their competitors and creates the image for the consumer that Telstra is able to deliver great network services across all Australian cities. Consumers thrive on being able to connect to others at fast speeds and Telstra have successfully shown their audience they are listening.

 

What is a brand that resonates strongly with you? And why?

 

 

Karadeniz, M. (2009). Product Positioning Strategy in Marketing Management. Journal of Naval Science and Engineering, 5, 2, 98-110. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bb29/313e60da4282e48f739a1e2644fb3e93d2b2.pdf 

 

B&T (2018). B&T. Retrieved from http://www.bandt.com.au/advertising/telstra-spruiks-strength-mobile-network-playful-campaign-monkeys-rga-sydney 

 

 

The Microsoft advertisement highlights to potential consumers that leading a modern lifestyle, in which the consumers are consistently connected to technology is not always fulfilling; this is the problem. The advertisement then claims that Microsoft is able to provide technology which is fast, reliable and fit for purpose whilst ensuring the consumer continues to lead a positive, healthy and fulfilled lifestyle. This demonstrates the use of problem recognition in action by alerting the consumer to their current state, being that which is disconnected, and assuring the consumer that it is able to provide a solution, being technology which allows the consumer to fulfil their technological needs whilst remaining connected to their lifestyle and personal circumstances. 

 

Does technology make you feel disconnected from your surrounds? If so, do you think a technological device would be able to make you feel less disconnected, or would it add to that disconnection?

 

 

Al Zwad. (2010, October 11). New Microsoft Windows 7 Mobile Phone Ad - "Really"

 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-mo_Qpy6eM&feature=youtu.be 

 

Goodman, J & Newman, S. (2003) Understand Customer Behaviour and Complaints. Quality Progress 36,1, 51.

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Rao Hill, S. and Hawkins, D. (2014) Consumer behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. 7th ed. Sydney: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education Pty Ltd. 

Recently on TV I have noticed an ad which uses this method of advertising, smoking. Though I don’t smoke and never have, I found this ad quite effective as it is a reminder for those who don’t smoke of why they don’t and not to start the habit. While for those who do smoke it creates a new fear to encourage them to stop.

Most smoking ads show the most negative or worst effects of smoking in a visual display of images, which is disturbing to the viewer and creates fear in the viewers as they do not want to experience the same negative effects. But, people have become more and more tolerant or numb to visual scare tactics with smoking (the images on cigarette boxes). Hence this smoking ad creates a different kind fear, as it isn’t a fear for the negative effects smoking can cause an individual for example lung cancer, it is targeted at parents who smoke and the fear that it may result in their death leaving their kids without a parent. The fear is that smoking will kill or disable parents resulting in their kids having no parent/s. The message targets smokers with kids to encourage them stop not for themselves but for their kids, this kind of ad presents the risks of smoking in a different way, which may encourage or scare people into quitting. 

QUESTION

Do these kind of ads scare you enough to change a certain behaviour or habit you have? 
Jess Whyte

I found it interesting in the article to learn how a lot of fast food companies use red and yellow in their branding and how these colours have become associated with bad food (Watson, 2015). When it comes to promoting McDonalds’s healthy food range, they have moved away from the red and yellow and use colours such as green which is associated with nature and represents natural or healthy foods (Watson, 2015). 

It was interesting to learn that between 62-90% of decisions are influenced by colour and that it takes 90 seconds for someone to decide whether they like the brand or not. So, it is really important that marketers consider the colours they use in their brand and advertising (Watson, 2015). 

Question: How do colours influence your purchasing decisions? 

 

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education.

                                    

Watson, G. (2015, August 24).  Blue for trust, red for passion: how to pick a colour scheme for your brand. The Guardian. Retreievd from https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/aug/24/how-pick-colour-scheme-for-brand

Attitude changes towards the McDonald’s brand can be attributed to the roll out of a few key concepts. Create your taste burgers which were introduced in 2014 in Sydney, allowing consumers to customize their own burgers (The Advertiser, 2017). A concept that had previously been absolutely foreign to Maccas. This was Coupled this with introducing table service and burgers served on “hipster style boards” and baskets(The Advertiser, 2017). 

The nail in the coffin for the consumer attitude swing was the “It’s a little bit fancy” campaign which depicted the restaurants new gourmet range of burgers. The burgers were something completely new made from high quality and fresh ingredients and signified a cornerstone for the business. Sales have risen by 9.9% year by year since 2016 (Canning, 2016). 

Question: Can you think of any other organisations that may employed similar techniques to save struggling performance?

Hugh Campbell

References 

Canning , S. (2016). Revealed: How McDonald’s got just a little bit fancy. Retrieved 17 May, 2018, from https://mumbrella.com.au/revealed-mcdonalds-said-no-noodles-got-just-little-bit-fancy-397460

Brook, B. (2017). Success of posh burgers are leading to a big Maccas growth. Retrieved 17 May, 2018, from http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/thesourcesa/success-of-posh-burgers-are-leading-to-a-big-maccas-growth/news-story/aa421442910f4104de9c59f7801a43cd

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education.

What are some other products where sales can be influenced by bringing the problem to the consumers attention?
Renee Piddington
References
Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanis, F., Roa Hill, S., & Hawkins, D. I. (2014) Consumer Behaviour Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde NSW: McGraw-Hill Education (Australia) Pty Ltd.

Can you recognise any reference groups that currently affect your personal buying behaviour?
Renee Piddington
References       

Blackwell, R., D'Souza, C., Taghian, M., Miniard, P., & Engle, J. (2006) Consumer Behaviour an Asia Pacific Approach. Melbourne, Victoria: Thompson Learning.     

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanis, F., Roa Hill, S., & Hawkins, D. I. (2014) Consumer Behaviour Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde NSW: McGraw-Hill Education (Australia) Pty Ltd.

Can you think of other companies who have successfully used conditioning to make sales?
Renee Piddington
References
      

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanis, F., Roa Hill, S., & Hawkins, D. I. (2014) Consumer Behaviour Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde NSW: McGraw-Hill Education (Australia) Pty Ltd.

An example of this is seen in the marketing of Hasbro’s ‘Rose Petal Cottage’ which is essentially a play house for girls. The advert opens with “now there is a place where her dreams have room to grow” as a little girl is the focus point of the shot. The ad claims the cottage is “a place of her very own where she can decorate” as it shows the young lady playing with the toy kitchen appliances and moving around toy furniture (mwb1973, 2007). The advertisement effectively paints the picture of what is considered a traditional female role in the home and markets it to the children as an area to play and grow in. on the contrast adds for boys tend to be emasculated and voiced over with a harsh male voice. 

Do you recall the last toy advertisement that you saw? Can you now see how the ad may have been tailored to appeal to and pushed towards one specific gender?

 

References

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education.

 

For example, Save The Children’s “Help Save a Child’s Life” advertisement. I remember when this ad came out in 2015, and the immediate effect that it had on me. The ad highlights the contaminated water that children in third world countries are forced to drink in order to stay alive… showing images of sick, malnourished and starving children. The advertisement poses a question to the viewer – “If you could, you’d give a child clean water… wouldn’t you? And that’s the simple thing that we want you to do today”.  I found that the combination of the upsetting images, and putting the responsibility back on to the viewer were highly effective in creating an urgent call for action. Although this purchase doesn’t involve the acquisition of a physical product, the buyer is left with a sense of gratification knowing that they have made a difference to these children’s lives.

 

Question: Can you think of an instance where an advertisement has had a profound effect on your emotions? What was it and how did it make you feel?

References:

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy(7th ed., p. 501). Sydney: McGraw-Hill Education.

 

Save The Children. (2015). Help Save A Child's Life[Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yI839-i0n8

- Abbie Sceresini

This ad in particular reinforces a certain “persona” that is taken on when consuming their product. The song even states “open up a little happiness today, so I can be someone new… so I can feel something new”. Coca Cola do not only suggest that their product can make you feel something, they also suggest that their product can make you BE a particular someone. 

Coca Cola have built their product up to be a metaphoric bottle of “happiness”. However, without all of this advertising, it would be just another soft drink on the supermarket shelf. Without this conditioning, we most likely wouldn’t experience the emotions that we now so widely associate with their product. 

Question: When you view a Coca Cola advertisement, what does it make you feel? And does it inspire you to consume their product?

References:

Coca Cola. (2009). Coca Cola Australian Summer Commercial[Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlpZRK2Yfd0

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy(7th ed., p. 501). Sydney: McGraw-Hill Education.

- Abbie Sceresini

Apple expanding its market penetration through the use of a marketing mix consisting of value, innovation and convenience is a compelling example of market segmentation through product differentiation. Quester et al (2014) posit that in order to be successful a new product must solve a customer problem (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Hill & Hawkins, 2014, p. 13). Apple helped to solve the issue of consumers for whom value is a driver but who also value quality and brand association, by adding a value driven product and strategy to its existing marketing mix and product range.  

Question: Do you think more product and service providers could increase their target segments by using product differentiation such as Apple's two-tiered quality and pricing strategy?

-Eleanor

Worstall, T. (2013) Apple's Market Segmentation Difficulties With The New iPhones, Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/10/20/apples-market-segmentation-difficulties-with-the-new-iphones/#2503c6b11d09 

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education.

In 2018 Heinz was accused of misleading consumers over a range of children’s snack foods which were marketed as healthy, wholesome and 99% fruit and vegetables despite comprising more than 60% sugar. The consumer watchdog claimed the packaging of the products conveyed a range of false and misleading statements, including that the products were beneficial to toddlers' health (Whitbourn, 2018, para. 3).

Packaging of snack foods which are marketed as healthy using stimulus categorization, or assumed knowledge such as ‘fruit is healthy’, can use perception to influence the consumer decision making process. Research suggests that packaging information is subject to miscomprehension, such as whether the product is ‘fresh’, ‘pure’ or ‘natural’, which is interpreted by the consumer (Quester, Pettigrew, Kopanidis, Hill, & Hawkins, 2014, p. 240). Stimulus categorization is often used in the packaging of children’s snack foods, which incorporate wholesome images such as fruit, vegetable and whole grains. However, consumers can be misled by the perception that products which display healthy foods on the packaging are healthy options.

Question: Do you think it was misleading or deceptive of Heinz to market a product which was obviously not healthy with packaging suggesting that is was? Why/why not?

References: 

Whitbourn, M. (2018). Heinz misled consumers over health benefits of children's snack, Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from: https://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/heinz-misled-consumers-over-health-benefits-of-children-s-snack-20180319-p4z551.html

M. R. Solomon (1999). Consumer behavior: buying, having, and being. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 

Obviously the advert is aiming to influence teenagers and adolescents venturing into teenage hood by portraying facets of life that are considered to be normal for individuals in those age brackets. The brand very intelligently shakes this image up by throwing their beverage in the mix and making it the focal point and pretty much the reason for the positive experiences.  

Question: Can you see how this advertisement is tailored to influence young people through its depiction of norms and values and can you think of any other marketers that utilise this strategy?

References

Quester, P., Pettigrew, S., Kopanidis, F., Hill, S. R., & Hawkins, D. (2014). Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy. North Ryde: Australia: McGraw-Hill Education.

CocaCola Australia. 2015, September 7. Share a Coke This Summer. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDmBe4d1vEc

 

Research has proven that there is no real difference between drinking the A1 or A2 protein in milk, some say in fact that the promotion of A2 milk is simply ‘very clever marketing’ (Hynes, 2014). It costs two and a half times more than other milk on the market (The Checkout, 2015). A2’s website shows minimal supportive evidence, claims such as ‘recent research suggests that the A1 protein in regular cow’s milk might cause tummy discomfort in some of us, if that’s you A2 Milk may help’ (A2 milk n.d.) does not provide hard facts to its customers.  

 

This company demonstrates consumer behaviour theory present, as it shows consumers have been receptive to classical conditioning. Classical conditioning could be believed to be present for this product, as it has elicited a response from its consumers. This response being to purchase for health benefits, regardless of research proving this is not the case. The below advertisement shows this message being suggested, stating that A2 Milk ‘Will change everything’. 

 

Can you think of a product you have been enticed to buy that may have started with classical conditioning? Did you do your research on this product or were you simply enticed?

 

Claire Corney

References:
C. (2015, April 30). A2 Milk | The Checkout. Retrieved April 25, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP1XGmr26Mo

About a2™ Milk Cows | A1 Beta Casein & Permeate Free Milk. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2018, from https://a2milk.com.au/about-us/

Hynes, S. (2014, July 24). INDUSTRY NEWS. Retrieved May 01, 2018, from http://adf.farmonline.com.au/news/magazine/industry-news/general/jumping-on-a2-bandwagon/2706493.aspx

Question – Do you associate the golden arches automatically with food & do they make you hungry? 

Question – Have you made a decision as a consumer based on emotion? 

Brand Loyalty is a consumer behaviour pattern where consumers have become committed to a brand and hence make repeat purchases over time (Staff, 2018). Companies strive for brand loyalty with their consumers and use creative marketing strategies to make consumer behaviour work for their product or service. The millennium agency discusses the 5 B’s of achieving brand loyalty, the first B is to be trustworthy with your consumer, this could be provided with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Other suggestions are to be innovative, engaged, valuable, and stay relevant (Mill agency, 2014).

 

Being both an iPhone user in the past and as of recent years an android user, I myself resonated with this article. As I review my own consumer behaviour, I was quick to try something different on the market, and then due to the products differences and capability I now have brand loyalty to my device and brand. It’s worth noting that Android hasn’t always led in user loyalty as it does now. CIRP has been tracking these metrics for years, and things used to be the other way around. 

 

By understanding consumers behaviour towards products they like or dislike we can better understand how to create the pattern of brand loyalty in our products or services and meet customers’ needs or wants. 

Do you have brand loyalty to a particular product or service? Or have you lost brand loyalty to a product or service due to your needs/wants not being met?
 

References:

Perez, S. (2018, March 09). Android beats iOS in smartphone loyalty, study finds. Retrieved May 03, 2018, from https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/08/android-beats-ios-in-smartphone-loyalty-study-finds/

 

Staff, I. (2018, March 30). Brand Loyalty. Retrieved May 01, 2018, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-loyalty.asp

 

The 5 B's of Achieving Brand Loyalty - Millennium. (2014, December 01). Retrieved May 27, 2018, from https://www.mill.agency/creative/5-bs-achieving-brand-loyalty/

Question – Why do you think such a successful business model in Australia is failing in the UK given the similarities in the markets? Why it is the consumers in the UK are not attracted to the lower prices on offer and instead stay loyal to their regular store?

https://www.smartcompany.com.au/business-advice/bunnings-power-consumer-habits-businesses-struggle-expand-overseas/

            The above image shows a visual segmentation of people who fall into different categories. Market segments are broken into four subgroups with specific characteristics that contribute to the definition of that segment. Elliot, Rundle-Thiele and Waller (2012) explain the subgroups to include geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural segments (p. 188-193). Business’ can implement this theory of segmenting their market to entice a broader consumer base, ultimately increasing their profitability. 

            Sarti, Darnell & Testa (2018) use the example of the sustainability and health related products. Based on the market segmentation, demographics and behavioural, they address the want for more sustainable practices (p. 170). Thus, looking at the above diagram, the segments of market are needed to ensure that the business can achieve it strategic objectives. 

            Ultimately, business need to identify their target market by narrowing down the felid and developing an understanding of their customers wants. This includes having specific criteria that the majority of their business will serve to the consumer environment. As a result, the business will be more profitable with the expansion of the consumer base. 

 

As a consumer, can you recognise where businesses are employing market segmentation to lure you in to develop brand awareness?

 

Sarti, S., Darnall, N. & Testa, F. (2018). Market segmentation of consumers based on their actual sustainability and health-related purchases. Journal of Cleaner Production,192, pp.270-280. Retrieved from https://ac-els-cdn-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/S0959652618312241/1-s2.0-S0959652618312241-main.pdf?_tid=a85638c4-1257-45e0-b43b-257893911aa7&acdnat=1531729981_a5eac5a85eeacc63c70e7727eacaa51e

 

 

Elliot, G., Rundle-Thiele, S. & Waller, D. (2012). Marketing(2^nded.). Milton, Queensland: John Wiley & Sons Australia. 

There are rules that have been formulated to explain consumer decision, in aid of explaining why some people will choose to behave in a certain way. According to Norman, Ahmed, Chou, Dalal, Fortson, Jindal, Kurz, Lee, Payne, Rando, Sheppard, Sublett, Sussman & White, (2004), consumers shop for their items separately to others, and will avoid bundles with unknown brands and product (p. 173). Thus, when they are faced with multiple choices of branded products, it often leads to consumers narrowing down their known brand in a matter of seconds (Norman et al, 2004, p 174). The above shows this dilemma that consumers face. It applies to both compensatory and non-compensatory rules. The brand can be chosen directly quickly due to the ratings and publicity that surround the item. For example, OMO and home-brand laundry powder a consumer may choose to select the brand that has the most reviews and rewards. Brands provide different criteria for the consumer to select from which can encourage or discourage the selection of certain items if there are too many attributes that are trying to convince the consumer to purchase. 

 

Why do brands use the information of consumer decisions to compete with their competitors?

 

Norman, A, Ahmad, A., Chou, J., Dalal, A., Fortson, K., Jindal, M., Kurz, C., Lee, H., Payne, K., Rando, R., Sheppard, K., Sublett, E., Sussman, J., White, I. (2004). On the computational complexity of consuer decision rules. Conceptual Economics. 23(2),pp. 173-192. Retrieved from https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/article/10.1023/B%3ACSEM.0000021676.64701.12