Consumer Behavior exam 1

What do we need to know (and understand) about consumers to be effective Marketers?

we must understand psychographics, economic status, hobbies, beliefs and values, etc. background info on our consumers so we can pertain to them and their behaviors better and be effective marketers.

How do we categorize the different types of knowledge we need for understanding consumers?

Which of the 4 types of Marketing segmentation are most useful for understanding consumers?

psychographics(values, beliefs, lifestyle), household/social class influences, consumer diversity, and social influences on consumer behavior or is it consumer culture, psychological core, process of making decisions , and the outcomes/ behaviors

Why can it be difficult for us to truly understand other consumers?

we must remember consumers are not like us→ we can’t always believe the best, true, or most efficient way to go about things.

Must ask how we got here today? decision after decision.

What makes consumers challenging to study and understand?

consumers are tricky because to get inside their heads we must first must let go of much we believe to be true.

to fully understand behaviors that drive markets, we need to see beyond our own personal experiences.

anything that helps us see things from another perspective will be helpful to understand others.

What examples of ‘interesting’ consumer behaviors did we discuss in class?

→ windshield wiper being broken in class make shift example

→ seatbelt attached through the window

→ roll of duct tape cup holder

→ jiffy pop popcorn as a smoke alarm.

What do Neil deGrasse Tyson and Descartes suggest impedes us from understanding subjects, like CB?

“In order to determine whether we can know anything with certainty, we first have to doubt everything we know”

→ we need to challenge what we think we know (ex. car driving down I-80 with a full couch in the back)

“One of the great challenges in this world is knowing enough about a subject to think you’re right, but not enough about a subject to think you’re right, but not enough about the subject to know you’re wrong.

→ not knowing is a limitation, unlearn everything you do to reprogram yourself and understand the complexity of things.

What does Frank Kardes say about predicting human behavior?

“Predicting human behavior is difficult and complicated enterprise, abounding with uncertainties, risks, and surprises…”

What is Consumer Behavior? How do we formally define it?

→ the reasonings b behind the decisions people make (emotions and comparisons)

→ consumer behavior reflects the totality of consumers decisions with respect to the acquisition, consumption, and disposition of goods, services, activities, experiences, people, and ideas by (human) decision-making units (overtime)

What types of experiences and activities fall under the umbrella of CB?

decisions, acquisition, consumption, disposition, experiences, activities, services, goods, people, ideas, humans, over-time.

How can we organize these categories to see how they work together to explain CB (Big Picture Diagram)?

Consumer culture, Psychological core, making decisions, and consumer behavior outcomes and issues.

What are the different categories of influence on Consumer Behavior?

psychological , social and household class influences, consumer diversity, and social influences on behavior

How do consumers respond to products and/or services? What are the ABCs of consumer response?

Consumers respond through Affect, Behavior, and Cognition to products and services and the marketing tactics of said services

What is Affect? What is Behavior? What is Cognition?

Affect→ feelings

Behavior→ actions

Cognition→ thoughts

What examples did we explore in class to differentiate affect, behavior, and cognition?

We wrote down our initial thoughts and reactions to products and services like the laptop with two screens, spray pancakes, cryotherapy, uncooked McRib, dunkin donuts marriage drive through

Why do firms care so much about CB?

Because consumers spend money on all sorts of things they want and need, even industries that you think would not have consumers spending a lot of money on. ex, video games, taxidermy, fast food, romance novels.

What types of marketing activities are influenced by CB?

Market segmentation, target marketing, positioning, product development, advertising, promotion, pricing, distribution, satisfaction, loyalty, JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING

What is ‘Old School’ Marketing? What is ‘New School’ Marketing? How do they compare?

Old school marketing is the mentality “we make whatever we want, and if it sells great!, if not we discount it so that it can sell!”

New school marketing’s predicting what consumers want (figure out what the consumer wants, before the consumer even knows what they want) and making sure something sells quick/ becomes more popular.

→ focuses on unarticulated needs in comparison to old school marketing, which with new school you want to satisfy the customer by providing them with products they have no idea they needed/ wanted and eventually can’t live without.

What is the key to marketing success?

the key to marketing success is to anticipate the unarticulated needs and wants of consumers and provide them with products and services that satisfy them (before they even know it)

What is exposure?

the process by which we come into contact with a stimulus.

What influences consumers’ exposure to marketing communications?

factors that have an influence on exposure include: print media, tv, streaming, online social media, brick and mortar stores.

How do consumers limit their exposure (intentionally and unintentionally) to Marketing efforts?

some examples are like the types of tv shows we watch?, do we ever zip or zap?, how do we find out about new products?, which social media do we use?, Do we ever block people or messages?

What is selective exposure? What examples did we discuss in class?

attitudes or behaviors that limit our exposure to specific stimuli, by focusing on certain types of content, while avoiding others→example of a shelf with different products on it with different coloring or even billboard/ jingles in the background of something and we eventually know the ringtone overtime

Why do we study exposure in marketing?

exposure is imperative for successful marketing

marketing activities are limited without it.

We must understand how and where to reach consumers and look deeper at the hits and misses of marketing efforts.

ex. the Super Bowl halftime acts

What is the mere exposure effect?

When we are exposed to something repeatedly and it becomes familiar to us

exposure→familiarity→believability→acceptance

ex. brain break in class watched the grid/ square game guessing car symbols.

How does exposure influence our personal lives?

• All consumption outcomes initially begin with exposure to an idea, product, service, or other offering

• look at who we surround ourselves with and expose ourselves to.

• look at what type of content we voluntarily choose to expose ourselves

• What have you been feeling recently? it is most likely because of the things you have been exposed to.

What is attention?

The process by which an individual devotes mental activity to a stimulus.→ infinite things people can pay attention to

What do we learn from attention tests (psychological studies & experiments)?

you can be exposed to something but not give it your full attention

What are the different characteristics of attention?

Selective→pay attention to certain things and not others

divided→brings down the quality of the attention paid

Limited→ it is impossible to pay attention to every stimulus.

What is multitasking? Why is effective multitasking a myth?

The switching of behavior or attention between 2 things. Focusing on 2 things at once is not possible, as well as shifting attention back and forth between two topics at once can hinder memory

How does multitasking impact productivity?

it reduces it significantly as well as impacts the memory of whatever is being paid attention to at the time of diverting attention.

What are the different types of multitasking typically used by drivers? How do they rank by distraction?

Visual (bad)

Manual (worse)

Cognitive (worst)

What is a visual distraction? What is a manual distraction? What is a cognitive distraction?

visual→ checking a navigation system or radio. Taking eyes off the road to look at something else

manual→ reaching for another item or phone in the car (physical activity)

cognitive→ takes focus away from driving like texting or calling someone. Takes processing power away from the task we are focused on (visual and manual combined)

How does multitasking impact drivers? What are the specific statistics for distraction and driving accidents?

80% of car crashes are attributed to the driver being distracted and not paying attention. Our risk of crashing is 2300% higher we are using a phone while driving. Texting while driving results in 400% more time with drivers eyes off the road. Car crashes are the #1 killer of teens in the US

What are the personal implications of managing attention? What examples did we discuss?

When we mono task we can focus on certain aspects of our lives and become better people. we can really have more time or improve the quality in which we do things by just focusing on one thing at a time.(Rocks in the jar) By changing when or how we do things, can make a big difference in the outcomes, even when performing the exact same activities. ex. Johnson’s grandma who outlived everybody she knew, and called for longer time on a random day, and she passed away 2 days late. Live without regret.

other ex. kid with dad in the toy isle and the kid is on the dads phone, or Johnson out to eat with his wife and table of kids going to prom are just on their phones.

What is compartmentalization (bunching)? What examples and recommendations did we discuss?

Doing certain activities within a certain time frame to maximize the outcome/ reap the benefits. ex. fasting/ intermittent fasting and donating to a charity/ org.

What are the Marketing implications of managing attention?

how long we devote our attention to something before moving onto the next thing. (Average consumer has an 8 second attention span, 1 second less than a goldfish)

Why do Marketers focus so much on understanding and managing attention?

the more we are exposed to something (precursor) eventually it will grasp our attention and picking up that stimuli and noticing it next time. Marketers are doing everything they can to gain our attention.

What is the attention economy?

the fight for marketers trying to get the attention of consumers as if it is a scarce resource similar to the structure of an economy. High demand from marketers to gain consumers attention, which company is willing to pay the price? Example to think about is the graph curve with the attention to stimuli intensity curve. Attention economy thinks the higher intensity of stimuli the more attention it will grab, but that can backfire as the higher the intensity of the stimuli the less attention paid to it by consumers.

What are the main strategies for improving consumer attention? What are their components?

making stimuli:

personally relevant→appeal to needs, values, emotions (using a spokesperson)

pleasant→ use attractive spokespeople, use appropriate music or humor

surprising→ use novelty, unexpectedness, make consumers think

easy to process→ increase prominence, increase contrast, mimics competition

What specific tactics and examples did we discuss for managing attention?

using a spokesperson like the Kardashians, or perfume ads using attractive people, Nickelback with google photos and making a funny parodies, using the hobbit characters to advertise for an Australian airline, shampoo bottles on the shelf in the bright green bottle or the chewing tobacco ad.

What is the prominence effect?

people attend to the most prominent attribute of stimuli they encounter. Aka the stimuli that stands out relative to its environment. Making stimuli easy to process example, the bottle on the shelf and colors standing out

What is Sensory Overload? What is the relationship between Marketing stimulation and attention?

Avoiding increasing the stimulus so much so that consumers can’t process it. Curve example, the higher the intensity of the stimuli, the less attention will be paid to said stimulus by consumers.

How much can most consumers pay attention to and store in long term memory, in general?

7 +- (give or take) 2 pieces of information and have it make it into long term memory.

How has consumer attention been manipulated by firms? What examples did we highlight?

Firms design products and or apps that are scientifically designed to be addictive to get your attention.we highlighted apps like amazon shopping and using the app to get free coupons/ gift cards.

Why should consumers be wary of “free” products or services?

Typically things start out free and then people get hooked. Usually there is something more beneficial for the provider in the long run.

How do firms unethically compete for consumer attention?

“if we are not paying for the product, we are likely not the customer, we are the product being sold.” Firms gain our attention and study us as a subject. Constantly getting us hooked on the latest apps and free trends to then bait and switch in the long run. We are constantly being studied by becoming dependent and distracted consumers.

What is an operant conditioning chamber (Skinner Box)? How does it work? What does it entail?

train animals to engage in certain behavior so we become trained to perform certain actions so we can get a hit of dopamine, like opening up an app and the happy chemicals in our brain be produced.

Skinner box→ pigeon being rewarded if hit the button correctly but punished after a while for not attempting or not performing correctly.

What is shaping? How does shaping work? What does ‘modern day’ shaping look like? Examples?

Modern day shaping is turning experiments like skinner’s box and making it modern with the next best thing for large companies to bank on consumers. for example going from cigarette companies, turning into food companies, turning into technology based companies to bank on where people get dopamine hits and get addicted. Modern day example is amazon shopping giving away money to use their apps and services so then eventually you always use their services. Ex. opening up instagram and seeing a like count can either be unrewarding or rewarding ( dopamine released in the brain) Big tech companies have designed apps to abuse the dopamine release efforts within our brains to get more time and attention from us to use on their apps.

What is dopamine? What does dopamine do? How does it relate to technology?

Dopamine is the chemical released in our brains to make us feel god. Dopamine helps us feel happy or satisfied. Apps are designed to release dopamine within our heads and in a way abuse the chemical levels so we associate opening an app with releasing dopamine, thus making us addicted.

What strategies can we implement to more effectively manage technology use in our daily lives?

• recognize that we are being manipulated

• understand the process of what makes us get hooked on something

• acknowledge there are other ways to interact with technology to give us more control

What are the benefits of learning how to better manage and focus our attention?

• commit to using devices more mindfully

• have a system to establish and keep track of weekly goals

• monitor our technology use and better align ur priorities with that.

• prioritize monotasking to be efficient

• be more present in the moment

• create down time without a screen everyday

• doing nothing is still a choice!

Why is attention considered to be a modern-day superpower? How does managing our attention help us?

• if we can manage and discipline ourselves and our attention to things and focus our attention on more important experiences our quality of life will go up and we can progress further as humans. Attention is one of the most scarce social resources sought after today.

What is perception?

the process by which incoming stimuli are registered by sensory receptors.

How do firms attempt to appeal to our 5 senses? What examples did we discuss in class?

Firms try to create stimuli that pertain to our 5 senses including examples like: smelling cookies being also sampled at Costco, if a blanket or object has a touch cutout in packaging, a catchy angle from a company/ commercial, using bright colors to Cath our eye.

What is an absolute threshold? What is a differential threshold? What is a JND?

→ the minimum level of stimulation needed for a stimulus to be perceived.

→ the intensity differences between 2 stimuli before individuals can perceive that they are different

→ Just Noticeable Difference

What is Weber’s Law (conceptually)? What is Weber’s Law (mathematically)?

the stronger the initial stimulus the greater the additional intensity needed for the second stimulus to be perceived as different.

k = change in intensity/ base intensity

What is the threshold of perception (K) for most marketing contexts, based on Weber’s Law?

if you change a stimulus less than 10% people won’t really notice

How does Weber’s Law impact perceptions of product and packaging changes? Examples?

Anytime we want to cross the absolute threshold and gain the attention and perception of consumers it is key to consider weber’s law. we want consumers to process and store a stimulus into their memory. Kind of like packaging examples and seeing which products people go for/ grab because of the changes in stimuli that make people switch their decisions or become loyal consumers. ex. choc. chip sunbelt bakery bars and shrinkflation along with the soap and Birds Eye vegetables, change packaging and shrink the product at the same time

What is selective perception? Why do consumers experience selective perception?

To make sense of stimuli we select, organize, and interpret them into meaningful and coherent pictures of the world. We perceive things based on our beliefs than as they really are. Perception is also interpretation; and perception is our reality.

What is meant by the phrase “Perception is Reality?” What implications does this have for behavior?

As humans we try to percieve things in a meaningful way, we perceive things in a way as though it is our reality, rather than what the stimuli is/ are objectively, our perception and how we take in information is our reality.

How does selective perception impact product perceptions and changes to existing products?

people perceive products differently and have a hard time coming to objective conclusions. Like when products change like ingredients or formulas of editing products, some people notice others don’t it all depends on perception.

What examples of selective perception did we discuss in class?

the front loop example that all the front loops actually taste the same as well as the colorful ketchup which looks absolutely disgusting even though it is still ketchup just a different color.

What are (psychological) beliefs? How do we define beliefs? What are their characteristics?

the knowledge and inferences that consumers have about an object, its attributes, and its benefits. Beliefs are fact oriented and cognition based. They do not carry valence.

What are descriptive beliefs? What examples did we discuss?

Formed from senses: first hand experiences. You can claim something is different but not necessarily bad. ex. Diet Coke does not taste like coke or something feels weird to one person.

What are informational beliefs? What examples did we discuss?

Comes from second-hand knowledge, what we read about or hear. ex. the 2026 World Cup will be held in North America→ what we hear but we have not directly experienced it.

What are inferential beliefs? What examples did we discuss?

we go beyond the information provided and make judgements ex. designer clothes or making inferences about someone’s status based on how they are dressed.

What is (psychological) valence? How does it relate to beliefs & attitudes?

beliefs do not have valence but attitudes do! Valence is when something is positive or sparks positive emotions.

What distinguishes attitudes from beliefs?

attitudes are what we feel and beliefs are values we hold ourselves to. When beliefs carry valence they become attitudes!

What are attitudes? How do we define attitudes?

Attitudes are how we feel towards something or how we express ourselves. Attitudes are stable and enduring→ we don’t change our attitude every minute. The longer it takes to develop an attitude the more enduring it is.

What are the main characteristics of attitudes? How stable are attitudes, generally?

stable and enduring→ also is the amount of affect towards an ad, brand, or issue. attitudes are generally stable and can be enduring if held for a long period ofttimes.

What are the main dimensions of attitudes? What does it mean for attitudes to be multi-dimensional?

favorability, salience, strength, persistence, and resistance. we can have different variations for the different dimensions of attitudes.

What is Attitudinal Favorability? What is an example of attitudinal favorability?

is the degree to which we like or dislike something ex liking a certain show like the office.

What is Attitudinal Salience? What is an example of attitudinal salience?

accessibility or how aware we are of an attitude. like if some talks about something all the time they have very high salience.

What is Attitudinal Strength? What is an example of attitudinal strength?

confidence or how strong an attitude is held reveals itself in how confident we are talking about a product or service. ex. “I am very confident that I like the office”

What is Attitudinal Persistence? What is an example of attitudinal persistence?

capturing how long the attitude lasts or continues on over time. ex. Liking a show like the office for years.

What is Attitudinal Resistance? What is an example of attitudinal resistance?

how difficult it is to change an attitude ex. “I will like the show the office no matter what”

Why do we study needs in marketing?

needs go into values, wants, etc. and needs influence our desires→ they shape the beliefs we hold which can also relate to our behaviors and attitudes which ultimately all together influences much of what we do day to day and how we go about our lives.

What do needs lead to? What does the sequence look like?

needs→desires→attitudes→decisions→Behaviors

What do we do when we have routine needs? What do we do when we have new needs?

we don’t give much thought to routine needs in our daily lives these are automatic responses (ex. filling up a car with gas or brushing our teeth.) when we make or create new needs we are more aware of them until they become too automatic responses/ apart of everyday life.

What are the different categories of needs?

functional, hedonic, symbolic, cognitive, and emotional

What are functional needs? What examples did we discuss?

needs that motivate us to search for offerings that solve consumption related problems. ex. filling up your car with gas.

What are symbolic needs? What examples did we discuss?

needs that relate to how we perceive ourselves or the image we portray ex. wearing high heels makes some girls feel more high status

What are hedonic needs? What examples did we discuss?

needs that relate to sensory pleasures ex. eating sweets or candy for valentine’s day.

What are cognitive needs? What examples did we discuss?

needs for mental stimulation ex. reading a book or watching something at the end of the day that makes you think

What are emotional needs? What examples did we discuss?

needs for emotional stimulation ex. watching a really sad or scary show.

How does Maslow suggest needs are structured?

they restructured from bottom of the pyramid to the top (each layer needing its predecessor to exist) each need gets met in a fundamental order

What are physiological needs? What are examples of these types of needs?

needs that help sustain life like air, food, water

What are safety needs? What are examples of these types of needs?

personal security (health & financial) examples include shelter or a home.

What are social needs? What are examples of these types of needs?

move what is beyond needed to sustain life. Can live in isolation, but can become miserable, so with social we talk about relationships, friendships, interactions with other people etc. ex. the rabbits that were sung to in a study and that was an outlier variable.

What are egoistic needs? What are examples of these types of needs?

self esteem needs like how we feel about ourselves ex. Super Bowl dove commercials

What are self-actualization needs? What are examples of these types of needs?

when we are becoming the person we need to be (self help) in terms of when self actualization might be put on hold, is when the rest of the pyramid is at risk sort of like the pandemic.

In what order do consumers strive to meet the types of needs outlined by Maslow?

gotta move from bottom to top, can’t skip any levels because each level of the pyramid for Maslow builds upon one another.

How do Marketers try to appeal to each of the types of needs outlined by Maslow? Examples?

Marketers try to appeal to those needs outlined by making commercials covering topics that relate to each of the different layers of Maslow’s pyramid like Super Bowl commercials about food, body image, security, etc.

How have the types of needs outlined by Maslow changed over time? Examples?

Needs have changed overtime, just like the technology example, some people would say we can’t live without technology now.

What happens when needs conflict with each other?

must pick an option but evaluate our attitudes and needs towards both options. meeting one need can conflict with others, so we must pick what we find relates to our more valued needs. Needs feed into attitudes which makes us create decisions for ourselves.

What are approach-avoidance conflicts? What examples did we discuss?

wanting to engage in a certain behavior but at the same time wanting to avoid it. ex. new years resolution to eat healthier goal, but at the same time you want to eat certain food that is deemed unhealthy

What are approach-approach conflicts? What examples did we discuss?

choosing between 2 equally attractive options that fulfill different needs. You want to do both things but can only pick one as they fulfill different needs ex. nasa recruiting people to go into the Mars environment they created. Lay over in Omaha and going to Mars env. and you won’t see them for years, get dinner while also you have the same option to go to a social event at a place you want to work at and these things are at the same time, so you can only pick one.

What are avoidance-avoidance conflicts? What examples did we discuss?

choosing between 2 equally unattractive and undesirable options. ex. family member with cancer decide between chemo therapy or radiation and both are terrible options.

What is motivation?

an inner state of arousal that leads to goal-directed behavior.