Consumer Behavior MOTIVATION

Learning Concepts Opponent-process theory Concept of Motivation Optimum-stimulation level theory Motivation for Hedonic Experience Reactance theory Perceived risk Consumer attributions Concept of Motivation Consumer needs Structure of emotions Maslow’s Need Hierarchy theory Murray’s List of Human Needs McClleland Theory of Learned Needs

What is Motivation? Motivation refers to an activated state within a person that leads to goal-directed behavior. It consists of the drives, urges, wishes, or desires that initiate the sequence of events leading to a behavior.

The Concept of Affect Affect or feelings, can be defined as a “ class of mental phenomena uniquely characterized by a consciously experienced, subjective feeling state, commonly accompanying emotions and moods” Emotions are distinguished from moods by their greater intensity and their greater psychological urgency. When goals are satisfied, people experience positive feelings. In contrast, when events thwart the achievement of their goals, people experience negative feelings

Ten Fundamental Emotions People Experience: Disgust Interest Joy Surprise Sadness Anger Fear Contempt Shame Guilt

The Structure of Emotions Aroused Joy Anger Unpleasant Pleasant contentment Sadness Passive

Structure of Emotions Do consumers experience strong Emotions? Do consumers experience full range of Emotions? Findings suggest that the response to advertisement has two emotional dimensions, one consists of positive effective states, the other negative states. The implication of this finding is that a single message or event can simultaneously create both good and bad feelings in consumers 3. Do consumers differ in intensity of Emotions? It has been shown that affect intensity differs with different people. People who are high on affect intensity respond more strongly to advertisement than people with low affect intensity. High affect intensity people react with greater empathy and feelings of pain and fear appeals than do low affect intensity people

Needs wants, and desires Model of the Motivation Process Learning Needs wants, and desires Tension Goal or need fulfill- ment Drive Behavior Cognitive processes Tension reduction

Motivation Motivation begins with the presence of a stimulus that spurs the recognition of a need. Need recognition occurs when a perceived discrepancy exists between an actual and a desired state of being Needs can be either innate or learned. Needs are never fully satisfied. Feelings and emotions (i.e., affect) accompany needs

Needs Expressive needs involve desires by consumers to fulfill social and/or aesthetic requirements. Utilitarian needs involve desires by consumers to solve basic problems (e.g. filling a car’s gas tank) Hedonistic needs involve experiencing pleasure (watching a movie)

Goals Generic Goals Product-Specific Goals the general categories of goals that consumers see as a way to fulfill their needs e.g., “I want to get a graduate degree.” Product-Specific Goals the specifically branded products or services that consumers select as their goals e.g., “I want to get an MBA in Marketing from Iqra University.”

The Selection of Goals The goals selected by an individual depend on their: Personal experiences Physical capacity Prevailing cultural norms and values Goal’s accessibility in the physical and social environment

A Magazine Ad Promising Enhancement of Physical Capacity

Motivations and Goals Positive Motivation Negative Motivation A driving force toward some object or condition Approach Goal A positive goal toward which behavior is directed Negative Motivation A driving force away from some object or condition Avoidance Goal A negative goal from which behavior is directed away

Motive Conflicts Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict: Occurs when the subject is undecided while trying to choose between two equally undesirable motives Approach-Avoidance Conflict: Occurs when the subject is undecided between one desirable and one undesirable motive Approach-Approach Conflict: Occurs when the subject is undecided while choosing between two equally desirable motives

Rational Versus Emotional Motives Rationality implies that consumers select goals based on totally objective criteria such as size, weight, price, or miles per gallon Emotional motives imply the selection of goals according to personal or subjective criteria

Rational and Emotional motives in purchase situation Rational Motives Consumption Emotional Motives Behavior It will demonstrate that I am Successful A large car is more comfortable It is a high quality car that performs well Purchase of Mercedes Car It is a powerful, stylish car and it will make me powerful and stylish A number of my friends drive Mercedes

The Dynamic Nature of Motivation Needs are never fully satisfied New needs emerge as old needs are satisfied People who achieve their goals set new and higher goals for themselves

Changing Consumer Needs

Failure to achieve a goal may result in frustration Failure to achieve a goal may result in frustration. Some adapt; others adopt defense mechanisms to protect their ego. Frustration

Defense Mechanism Methods by which people mentally redefine frustrating situations to protect their self-images and their self-esteem.

Defense Mechanisms Aggression Rationalization Regression Withdrawal Projection Autism Identification Repression

Defense Mechanisms Aggression: Frustrated consumers boycot manufacturers / Retailers to reduce prices Rationalization: Inventing plausible reasons for being unable to attain their goals or the goal is not worth pursuing Regression: React to frustrating situation with childish or immature behavior: breaking up a mal-functioning unit rather than having it repaired

Defense Mechanism Withdrawal: Simply withdrawing from the situation: A person having difficulty acquiring/learning a skill may quit Projection: Blaming ones own failures and abilities on other objects or persons Two drivers involved in an accident blaming each other Autism: Refers to thinking that is almost completely dominated by needs and emotions, with little effort made to relate to reality (extreme introversion; seclusion)

Defense Mechanism Identification: Subconsciously identifying with other persons or situations they consider relevant Marketers frequently use it as basis for advertising appeal Slice-of-life advertisements showing an individual experiences a frustration and then overcomes by using advertised product Repression: Individuals may try and forget a need. Some times repressed needs manifest themselves indirectly

Arousal of Motives Physiological arousal Emotional arousal Cognitive arousal Environmental arousal

Cognitive Need Arousal

Philosophies Concerned With Arousal of Motives Behaviorist School Behavior is a response to stimulus Consumer does not act, but reacts Cognitive School Behavior is directed at goal achievement Need to consider needs, attitudes, beliefs, etc. in understanding consumer behavior

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Self-Actualization (Self-fulfillment) Safety and Security Needs (Protection, order, stability) Social Needs (affection, friendship, belonging) Ego Needs (Prestige, status, self esteem) Physiological Needs (Food, water, air, shelter, sex)

Hierarchy Dynamics Research shows that contrary to what Maslow suggested, the position of an individual within the hierarchy is not stationery Consumers can and do move thru different levels of the hierarchy by the purchase, consumption and acquisition of one and the same product

Murray’s List of Psychogenic Needs Needs Associated with Inanimate Objects: Acquisition, Conservancy, Order, Retention, Construction Needs Reflecting Ambition, Power, Accomplishment, and Prestige: Superiority, Achievement, Recognition, Exhibition, Infavoidance Needs Connected with Human Power: Dominance, Deference, Autonomy, Contrariance

Murray’s List of Psychogenic Needs Sado-Masochistic Needs : Aggression, Abasement Needs Concerned with Affection between People: Affiliation, Rejection, Nurturance, Play Needs Concerned with Social Intercourse: Cognizance, Exposition

Appeal to Egoistic Needs

Appeal to Self Actualization Needs

Appeal to Sado-masochistic needs

A Trio of Needs Power Affiliation Achievement individual’s desire to control environment Affiliation need for friendship, acceptance, and belonging Achievement need for personal accomplishment closely related to egoistic and self-actualization needs

Appeal to Power Needs

Appeal to Power Needs

Appeal to Affiliation Needs

Appeal to Need for Achievement

Midrange Theories of Motivation Opponent-Process Theory Optimum Stimulation Levels The Motivation for Hedonic Experience The Desire to Maintain Behavioral Freedom The Motivation to Avoid Risk The Motivation to Attribute Causality

Opponent-Process Theory . . . explains that two things occur when a person receives a stimulus that elicits an immediate positive or negative emotional reaction: The immediate positive or negative emotional reaction is felt. A second emotional reaction occurs that has a feeling opposite to that initially experienced. The combination of the two emotional reactions results in the overall feeling experienced by the consumer. It has broad explanatory powers. It can be used to account for a variety of consumer behaviors, such as drug addiction, cigarette smoking, jogging, video game playing and dysfunctional behaviors sinking into debt by overusing credit cards.

Optimum Stimulation Level . . . is a person’s preferred amount of physiological activation or arousal. Activation may vary from very low levels (e.g. sleep) to very high levels (e.g. severe panic). Individuals are motivated to maintain an optimum level of stimulation and will take action to correct the level when it becomes to high or too low. Accounts for high vs. low sensation seeking people. Accounts for variety seeking Accounts for hedonic consumption—i.e., the need of people to create fantasies, gain feelings through the senses, and obtain emotional arousal.

Maintaining Optimum Stimulation Levels Marketing Implications Various types of medicines Popular leisure activities Amusement parks, sports Spontaneous brand switching Research study has shown that people with high stimulation level: Engage in greater amounts of information seeking Feel boredom with repetitive ads Reveal higher levels of variety seeking when choosing fast food Exhibit greater tendencies to gamble and seek risk

Motivation for Hedonic Experiences Hedonic consumption refers to the needs of consumers to use products and services to create fantasies, to feel new sensations to obtain emotional arousal Desire to experience emotions: The term hedonism generally refers to gaining pleasure through senses. In consumer behavior context, it means the feelings that consumers seek may not be uniformly pleasurable. People seek to experience a variety of emotions, including love, hate, fear, grief, anger, and disgust Emotional desire sometimes dominate utilitarian motives when consumers are choosing products The type of products and services that hedonic consumption researchers investigate are found within the “ Experiential research perspective” and concentrate on products like movies, rock concerts, theater, dance and sporting events which are intrinsically more emotionally involving.

Motivation for Hedonic Experiences 2. Desire for Leisure Activities These activities are pursued in free or non-work time. Leisure is a personal experience and is multidimensional. People seek satisfaction of number of different needs: Desire for intrinsic satisfaction Activity is seen by the consumer rewarding in and of itself (e.g. painting a picture) Involvement in the activity activity is so absorbing that the person forgets all about everyday life ( playing games)

Motivation for Hedonic Experiences Perceived freedom Activity is utterly without coercion. The person has the perceived freedom to engage or not to engage in Mastery of the environment or of oneself the person attempts to learn something well or to overcome some obstacle. The idea is to test oneself or to conquer the environment Emotional Arousal The need for emotional arousal is a major motivator for leisure activities

The Desire to Maintain Behavioral Freedom Psychological reactance is the motivational state resulting from the response to threats to behavioral freedom. Two types of threats can lead to reactance: Social threats involve external pressure from other people to induce a consumer to do something Impersonal threats are barriers that restrict the ability to buy a particular product or service e.g. scarcity effects - scarce products are valued more. Limited time offer, limited supply etc.

The Desire to Maintain Behavioral Freedom For consumer to experience reactance: The consumer must feel that his/her personal freedom is being threatened The buying decision must be one that is of some importance to the consumer

The Motivation to Avoid Risk Perceived risk is a consumer’s perception of the overall negativity of a course of action based upon as assessment of the possible negative outcomes and of the likelihood that these outcomes will occur. Perceived risk consists of two major concepts - the negative outcomes of a decision and the probability that these outcomes will occur.

7 Types of Consumer Risks. Financial Performance Physical Psychological Social Time Opportunity Loss

Six risk-reduction strategies Be brand loyal and consistently purchase the same brand. Buy through brand image and purchase a quality national brand. Buy through store image from a retailer that you trust. Seek out information in order to make a well informed decision. Buy the most expensive brand, which is likely to have high quality. Buy the least expensive brand in order to reduce financial risk.

The Motivation to Attribute Causality Attribution theory describes the processes through which people make determinations of the causality of action. Internal attribution is when a consumer decides that an endorser recommended the product because he or she actually liked the product. External attribution is when a consumer decides that an endorser recommended the product because he or she was paid for endorsing it. Marketing goal is develop believable advertisement creating internal attribution