Consumer Behavior by Michael Solomon, Rebekah Russell-Bennett, Josephine Previte: Questions on Chapter Five
End of Chapter Questions – Chapter 5
1. How might the creation of a self-conscious state be related to consumers who are trying on clothing in dressing rooms? Does the act of preening in front of a mirror change the dynamics by which people evaluate their product choices? Why?
2. Is it ethical for marketers to encourage infatuation with the self?
3. List three dimensions by which the self-concept can be described.
4. Compare and contrast the real versus the ideal self. List three products for which each type of self is likely to be used as a reference point when a purchase is considered.
5. Watch a set of ads featuring men and women on television. Try to imagine the characters with reversed roles (i.e. the male parts played by women and vice versa). Can you see any differences in assumptions about sex-typed behaviour?
6. To date, the bulk of advertising targeted to gay consumers has been placed in exclusively gay media. If it were your decision to make, would you consider using mainstream media as well to reach gays, who constitute a significant proportion of the general population? Or, remembering that members of some targeted segments have serious objections to this practice, especially when the product (e.g. liquor, cigarettes) may be viewed as harmful in some way, should gays be singled out at all by marketers?
7. Do you agree that marketing strategies tend to have a male-oriented bias? If so, what are some possible consequences for specific marketing activities?
8. Construct a ‘consumption biography’ of a friend or family member. Make a list of or photograph his or her favourite possessions and see if you or others can describe this person’s personality just from the information provided by this catalogue.
9. Some consumer advocates have protested the use of super-thin models in advertising, claiming that these women encourage others to starve themselves in order to attain the ‘waif’ look. Other critics respond that the media’s power to shape
1. How might the creation of a self-conscious state be related to consumers who are trying on clothing in dressing rooms? Does the act of preening in front of a mirror change the dynamics by which people evaluate their product choices? Why?
2. Is it ethical for marketers to encourage infatuation with the self?
3. List three dimensions by which the self-concept can be described.
4. Compare and contrast the real versus the ideal self. List three products for which each type of self is likely to be used as a reference point when a purchase is considered.
5. Watch a set of ads featuring men and women on television. Try to imagine the characters with reversed roles (i.e. the male parts played by women and vice versa). Can you see any differences in assumptions about sex-typed behaviour?
6. To date, the bulk of advertising targeted to gay consumers has been placed in exclusively gay media. If it were your decision to make, would you consider using mainstream media as well to reach gays, who constitute a significant proportion of the general population? Or, remembering that members of some targeted segments have serious objections to this practice, especially when the product (e.g. liquor, cigarettes) may be viewed as harmful in some way, should gays be singled out at all by marketers?
7. Do you agree that marketing strategies tend to have a male-oriented bias? If so, what are some possible consequences for specific marketing activities?
8. Construct a ‘consumption biography’ of a friend or family member. Make a list of or photograph his or her favourite possessions and see if you or others can describe this person’s personality just from the information provided by this catalogue.
9. Some consumer advocates have protested the use of super-thin models in advertising, claiming that these women encourage others to starve themselves in order to attain the ‘waif’ look. Other critics respond that the media’s power to shape