Motivation and Values Consumer Behavior By Michael R. Solomon Buying, Having, and Being

The Motivation Process The processes that lead people to behave as they do. It occurs when a need arises that a consumer wishes to satisfy. Utilitarian need: Provides a functional or practical benefit Hedonic need: An experiential need involving emotional responses or fantasies Goal: The end state that is desired by the consumer.

The Motivation Process Drive: The degree of arousal present due to a discrepancy between the consumer’s present state and some ideal state Want: A manifestation of a need created by personal and cultural factors. Motivation can be described in terms of: Strength: The pull it exerts on the consumer Direction: The particular way the consumer attempts to reduce motivational tension

Ads Reinforce Desired States This ad for exercise shows men a desired state (as dictated by contemporary Western culture), and suggests a solution (purchase of equipment) to attain it.

Motivational Strength Biological vs. Learned Needs: Instinct: Innate patterns of behavior universal in a species Tautology: Circular explanation (e.g. instinct is inferred from the behavior it is supposed to explain) Drive Theory: Biological needs produce unpleasant states of arousal. We are motivated to reduce tension caused by this arousal. Homeostasis: A balanced state of arousal Expectancy Theory: Behavior is pulled by expectations of achieving desirable outcomes – positive incentives – rather than pushed from within

Motivational Direction Needs Versus Wants: Want: The particular form of consumption used to satisfy a need. Types of Needs Biogenic needs: Needs necessary to maintain life Psychogenic needs: Culture-related needs (e.g. need for status, power, affiliation, etc.) Utilitarian needs: Implies that consumers will emphasize the objective, tangible aspects of products Hedonic needs: Subjective and experiential needs (e.g. excitement, self-confidence, fantasy, etc.)

Instant Gratification of Needs We expect today’s technical products to satisfy our needs – instantly.

Motivational Conflicts Approach-Approach Conflict: A person must choose between two desirable alternatives. Theory of Cognitive Dissonance: A state of tension occurs when beliefs or behaviors conflict with one another. Cognitive Dissonance Reduction: Process by which people are motivated to reduce tension between beliefs or behaviors. Approach-Avoidance Conflict: Exists when consumers desire a goal but wish to avoid it at the same time. Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict: Consumers face a choice between two undesirable alternatives.

Three Types of Motivational Conflicts Figure 4.1

Solutions to Approach-Avoidance Conflict

Negative Consequences The Partnership for a Drug-Free America points out the negative consequences of drug addiction for those who are tempted to start.

Classifying Consumer Needs Henry Murray need dimensions: Autonomy: Being independent Defendance: Defending the self against criticism Play: Engaging in pleasurable activities Thematic Apperception(idrak) Technique (TAT): (1) What is happening? (2) What led up to this situation? (3) What is being thought? (4) What will happen? People freely project their subconscious needs onto the stimulus

Classifying Consumer Needs (cont.) Specific Needs and Buying Behavior: Need for achievement: To attain personal accomplishment Need for affiliation: To be in the company of others Need for power: To control one’s environment Need for uniqueness: To assert one’s individual identity Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: A hierarchy of biogenic and psychogenic needs that specifies certain levels of motives. Paradise: Satisfying Needs? Distinct differences regarding the conceptualization of paradise between American and Dutch college students

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Figure 4.2

Dutch Conception of Paradise A Dutch respondent’s collage emphasizes this person’s conception of paradise as a place where there is interpersonal harmony and concern for the environment.

Criticisms of Maslow’s Hierarchy The application is too simplistic: It is possible for the same product or activity to satisfy every need. It is too culture-bound: The assumptions of the hierarchy may be restricted to Western culture It emphasizes individual needs over group needs Individuals in some cultures place more value on the welfare of the group (belongingness needs) than the needs of the individual (esteem needs)

Consumer Involvement Involvement: A person’s perceived relevance of the object based on his/her inherent needs, values, and interests. Object: A product or brand Levels of Involvement: Inertia to Passion Type of information processing depends on the consumer’s level of involvement Simple processing: Only the basic features of the message are considered Elaboration: Incoming information is linked to preexisting knowledge

Conceptualizing Involvement Figure 4.3

Increasing Involvement through Ads The Swiss Potato Board is trying to increase involvement with its product. The ad reads, “Recipes against boredom.”

Consumer Involvement (cont.) Involvement as a Continuum: Ranges from disinterest to obsession Inertia (Low involvement consumption): Consumer lacks the motivation to consider alternatives Flow State (High involvement consumption): Consumer is truly involved with the product, ad or web site Cult Products: Command fierce consumer loyalty and perhaps worship by consumers who are highly involved in the product

Example of a Cult Product

The Many Faces of Involvement Product Involvement: Related to a consumer’s level of interest in a particular product Message-Response Involvement: (a.k.a. advertising involvement) Refers to a consumer’s interest in processing marketing communications Purchase Situation Involvement: Refers to the differences that may occur when buying the same product for different contexts

Emotions versus Cognitions Many marketing messages, such as this ad for a cosmetic company in Taiwan, focus on emotions rather than cognitions.

Customizing for Product Involvement

Measuring Involvement Teasing out the Dimensions of Involvement: Involvement Profile: Personal interest in a product category Risk importance Probability of making a bad purchase Pleasure value of the product category How closely the product is related to the self Zaichkowsky’s Personal Involvement Inventory Scale Segmenting by Involvement Levels: Involvement is a useful basis for market segmentation

High Involvement

Strategies to Increase Involvement Appeal to hedonic needs e.g. using sensory appeals to generate attention Use novel stimuli e.g. unusual cinematography, sudden silences, etc. Use prominent stimuli e.g. larger ads, more color Include celebrity endorsers Build a bond with consumers Maintain an ongoing relationship with consumers

Values Value: Core Values: A belief that some condition is preferable to its opposite (e.g. freedom is better than slavery) Core Values: General set of values that uniquely define a culture Value system: A culture’s unique set of rankings of the relative importance of universal values. Enculturation: Process of learning the value systems of one’s own culture Acculturation: Process of learning the value system of another culture Cultural beliefs are taught by socialization agents (i.e., parents, friends, and teachers)

Core Values Cleanliness is a core value in many cultures.

Application of Values to Consumer Behavior Useful distinctions in values for consumer behavior research Cultural Values (e.g. security or happiness) Consumption-Specific Values (e.g. convenient shopping or prompt service) Product-Specific Values (e.g. ease-of-use or durability) Virtually all consumer research is ultimately related to identification and measurement of values.

Emotions versus Cognitions The positive value we place on the activities of large corporations is changing among some consumers who prefer to go “anticorporate.” This ad for a coffee shop in Boulder, Colorado reflects that sentiment.

Measuring Cultural Values The Rokeach Value Survey Terminal Values: Desired end states Instrumental Values: Actions needed to achieve terminal values The List of Values (LOV) Scale Developed to isolate values with more direct marketing applications Identifies nine (9) consumer segments based on the values they endorse Relates each value to differences in consumption

The Means-End Chain Model Laddering: A technique that uncovers consumers’ associations between attributes and consequences Hierarchical value maps: Show how product attributes are linked to desired end states Means-End Conceptualization of the Components of Advertising Strategy (MECCAS): Message Elements Consumer Benefits Executional Framework Leverage Point Driving Force

Syndicated Surveys Large-scale commercial surveys Voluntary simplifiers: Believe that once basic needs are sated, additional income does not add to happiness. Examples: VALS 2 GlobalScan New Wave Lifestyles Study

Materialism Materialism: The importance people attach to worldly possessions Tends to emphasize the well-being of the individual versus the group People with highly material values tend to be less happy America is a highly materialistic society There are a number of anti-materialism movements

Values of Materialists Materialists value visible symbols of success such as expensive watches.