Chapter 4 Flashcards
Motivation (12 cards)
What is the difference between a need and a want?
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Needs are basic, essential requirements (e.g., for food, water, shelter).
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Wants are desired expressions of needs influenced by culture, personality, and other factors.
Describe Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Back: Maslow’s Hierarchy proposes that people are motivated by a hierarchy of needs, from basic (physiological, safety) to higher-order (love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization).
What are the three types of motivational conflict?
Approach-approach: Choosing between two desirable options.
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Approach-avoidance: A product has both positive and negative aspects.
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Avoidance-avoidance: Choosing between two undesirable options.
What is consumer involvement?
Consumer involvement is the degree of personal relevance a consumer feels toward a product, brand, or decision. Higher involvement leads to more effort in information search and evaluation.
What is motivation and why is it essential to understand in consumer behavior?
Motivation refers to the processes that drive people to behave in certain ways. It’s triggered when a need arises that a consumer wants to satisfy. This desire creates a state of tension that motivates the consumer to try and reduce or eliminate the need to return to a balanced state. Understanding motivation is crucial for marketers because:
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It helps them understand what drives consumer choices. By recognizing the needs and desires consumers aim to fulfill, marketers can better tailor products and messages to resonate with those motivations.
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It enables the creation of products and services that effectively address consumer needs. When marketers grasp the underlying motivations, they can develop offerings that provide the desired benefits, thus increasing the likelihood of purchase.
Explain the Motivation Process
The motivation process involves several interconnected stages:
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Need Recognition: A consumer recognizes a discrepancy between their current state and a desired state. This could be a simple need like thirst or a more complex one like the desire for belonging.
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Tension: This recognized need creates tension, a feeling of discomfort or lack. The greater the discrepancy between the current and desired states, the higher the tension.
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Drive: Tension creates a drive, an internal force that propels the consumer to act and seek ways to reduce the tension and satisfy the need.
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Goal-Oriented Behavior: The drive motivates the consumer to engage in behaviors they believe will lead them towards their desired state, such as searching for information, evaluating products, or making a purchase.
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Need Satisfaction: If the chosen behavior successfully addresses the need, the consumer experiences a reduction in tension and a sense of satisfaction. This can reinforce the behavior, making it more likely to be repeated in the future.
How does consumer involvement relate to motivation, and why is it essential for marketers to understand this relationship?
Involvement and motivation are inherently intertwined:
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Involvement as Motivation to Process: Higher involvement indicates greater motivation to pay attention to, process, and engage with product information, marketing messages, or the purchase decision itself.
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Motivation Driving Involvement: Conversely, a consumer’s underlying needs and motivations (as described by Maslow, Alderfer, McClelland, etc.) influence their level of involvement with different products and messages.
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This relationship is vital for marketers because:
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It guides message strategy: High-involvement consumers respond well to detailed information, strong arguments, and features, while low-involvement consumers are more persuaded by emotional appeals, peripheral cues, and convenience.
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It influences product design: High involvement often demands a focus on functionality, quality, and durability, while low-involvement products might prioritize packaging, convenience, or price.
Define consumer involvement and explain its three broad types.
Consumer involvement represents the degree of personal relevance a consumer attributes to a product, brand, message, or purchase decision. It significantly impacts how consumers process information and make choices.
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Types of Involvement:
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Product Involvement: The level of interest and relevance a consumer has in a particular product category. High product involvement often leads to extensive information search and careful evaluation of alternatives.
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Message Involvement: The level of engagement a consumer has with a marketing message or advertisement. Humorous, novel, or personally relevant ads tend to increase message involvement.
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Situational Involvement: The temporary increase in involvement resulting from specific circumstances surrounding a purchase decision. For example, a consumer might exhibit higher involvement when buying a gift for a significant event than when making a routine purchase.
What are discrete emotions, and how can they influence consumer behavior?
Discrete emotions are distinct emotional experiences that are relatively short-lived and intense, often triggered by specific events or stimuli. They are different from more diffuse, longer-lasting moods. Examples include:
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Happiness: Can lead to increased spending, positive brand associations, greater brand loyalty.
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Sadness: May make consumers more price-sensitive, nostalgic, and open to charitable appeals.
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Anger: Can result in complaints, negative word-of-mouth, and brand avoidance.
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Fear: Can motivate consumers to buy products that promise security, safety, or risk reduction (e.g., insurance).
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Disgust: Can lead to product avoidance and negative associations with brands.
Discuss McClelland’s Theory of Needs and how marketers can apply it to understand consumer behavior.
Need for Achievement (nAch): The desire to excel, achieve challenging goals, and outperform others.
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Need for Affiliation (nAff): The desire for social interaction, belongingness, and strong interpersonal relationships.
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Need for Power (nPow): The need to influence others, control situations, and have an impact on their surroundings.
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Marketing Applications:
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Product Design and Positioning: Products can be designed and positioned to appeal to specific needs. For example, achievement-oriented products often emphasize performance and success, while affiliation-oriented products focus on social connection and belonging.
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Marketing Communications: Advertising messages can resonate more effectively by tapping into the dominant needs of the target audience.
Explain Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory and its relevance to consumer motivation.
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, also known as Motivation-Hygiene Theory, distinguishes between two factors influencing job satisfaction and, by extension, consumer motivation:
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Hygiene Factors: These factors relate to the context of an experience and are primarily associated with preventing dissatisfaction. Their absence leads to dissatisfaction, but their presence doesn’t necessarily guarantee satisfaction.
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Examples (in a Consumer Context): Product safety, fair pricing, ease of purchase, reliable customer service.
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Motivators: These factors are intrinsic to the product or experience and contribute to genuine satisfaction. They are associated with positive feelings, motivation, and increased effort.
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Examples: Product quality, unique features, brand prestige, emotional connection with a brand.
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Relevance to Marketers: The theory highlights that merely addressing hygiene factors might prevent dissatisfaction but won’t necessarily drive motivation. Marketers must focus on building in “motivators” that create positive experiences and foster customer loyalty.
What is a goal in the context of consumer motivation, and why is understanding consumer goals crucial for marketers?
In consumer motivation, a goal represents a desired end state that individuals strive to achieve. It’s the object of a consumer’s motivation and guides their behavior toward fulfilling a need or desire.
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Why Understanding Consumer Goals Matters for Marketers:
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Product Development and Positioning: By identifying the goals consumers aim to achieve through their purchases, marketers can develop products and services that directly address those desires.
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Effective Marketing Communications: Marketers can craft persuasive messages that resonate with target audiences by linking products or services to the attainment of desired goals.
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Segmentation and Targeting: Consumer goals can serve as a valuable criterion for segmenting markets. Marketers can identify groups of consumers who share similar goals and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly.
