Consumer Psychology
· Define consumer psychology.
Consumer psychology is the discipline of study that looks at why we buy or use the goods and services we buy, what the impulses are that compel us to buy or use those goods and services, and if we don 't, the reasons why we don 't. It analyzes motivations, and looks to offer explanations as to consumer choices. It also looks to discover the ways that consumers make decisions, and what influences the decision-making process. A more formal definition is, "Consumer psychology is a specialty area that studies how our thoughts, beliefs, feelings and perceptions influence how people buy and relate to goods and services." (Cherry)
· Describe the psychological concepts discussed and their importance in developing a successful marketing communication message.
In the first article I read, the paper discussed globalization in markets by comparing sales promotions in Singapore and Malaysia. The study found (in part) that, “...despite prior assumptions...suitability is reliant on product type or country choice”. (McNeill) But it also found that certain types of value-added promotions did best if the were tailored to each specific market. The author discussed the part culture plays in consumer behavior. Individualism and Masculinity dimensions results were similar for both countries, but power distance and uncertainty avoidance scores were markedly different. These grading tools were developed by Geert Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist who created a groundbreaking study of cultures that is still in use today.
The second article discussed consumer behavior and storytelling, and “...how consumers use brands as props or anthropomorphic actors in stories they report about themselves and others. Such drama enactments enable these storytellers to experience powerful myths that reflect psychological archetypes.” (Miller,Suresh,Woodside). These archetypes speak to most primitive part of the consumer psyche, in a visceral way. The
Consumer psychology is the discipline of study that looks at why we buy or use the goods and services we buy, what the impulses are that compel us to buy or use those goods and services, and if we don 't, the reasons why we don 't. It analyzes motivations, and looks to offer explanations as to consumer choices. It also looks to discover the ways that consumers make decisions, and what influences the decision-making process. A more formal definition is, "Consumer psychology is a specialty area that studies how our thoughts, beliefs, feelings and perceptions influence how people buy and relate to goods and services." (Cherry)
· Describe the psychological concepts discussed and their importance in developing a successful marketing communication message.
In the first article I read, the paper discussed globalization in markets by comparing sales promotions in Singapore and Malaysia. The study found (in part) that, “...despite prior assumptions...suitability is reliant on product type or country choice”. (McNeill) But it also found that certain types of value-added promotions did best if the were tailored to each specific market. The author discussed the part culture plays in consumer behavior. Individualism and Masculinity dimensions results were similar for both countries, but power distance and uncertainty avoidance scores were markedly different. These grading tools were developed by Geert Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist who created a groundbreaking study of cultures that is still in use today.
The second article discussed consumer behavior and storytelling, and “...how consumers use brands as props or anthropomorphic actors in stories they report about themselves and others. Such drama enactments enable these storytellers to experience powerful myths that reflect psychological archetypes.” (Miller,Suresh,Woodside). These archetypes speak to most primitive part of the consumer psyche, in a visceral way. The
Cited: http://psychology.about.com/od/branchesofpsycholog1/a/consumer-psychology.htm, Cherry, Kendra, 2013 McNeill, Lisa, Sales promotion in Asia: successful strategies for Singapore and Malaysia Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, ISSN: 1355-5855 Miller, Kenneth E., Sood, Suresh, Woodside, Arch G. When Consumers and Brands Talk: Storytelling Theory and Research in Psychology and Marketing , Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 25(2): 97–145 (February 2008) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com)