The Art of Consumer Behavior

 Humans are social creatures and often have the desire to "fit in" with a group of people who share similar values. Am individual may chose to be with a group of people for their similar taste in food. Often times, individuals who all like the same brand, such as Harley Davidson, band together and ride together. They are like one big family. That is why Harley Davidson is so successful as a brand. Bikers are willing to buy helmets, apparel, mugs, jewelry, pillows, blankets, etc. with the famous logo on it and at a high price because that is what they identify as.  My junior year of college I decided to join a professional business fraternity on campus. I wanted to meet more people who share the same passion for business that I do. I wanted to make more friends who are as committed to school as I am. Besides making numerous new friends and colleagues, I have the opportunity to engage in community service and meet potential employers. I enjoy being part of a group of like-minde...

People either love shopping or they hate it. Research shows that females tend to enjoy shopping more than males. Shopping is the only way that we can acquire goods and services that we want need and want. Individuals go shopping for two main reasons: for utilitarian (functional) reasons or hedonic (pleasurable) reasons.  Marketers have identified hedonic shopping motives: Social experiences:  People may go to the mall for social experiences. Especially, if the individuals live in a region with colder weather. There are less options for social activity during the winter. Recently, the pandemic has decreased  social activities even more. Being a resident of  New York, I have found that social activities in the winter are limited to: going to a movie theater, going shopping, going ice skating, going skiing or snow boarding (if you are talented enough) and staying at home playing video games online. Due to COVID-19, the movie theaters have been shut down since March. I f...

What get's you into a shopping mood? Was it a recent pay raise? How about plain curiosity to see what new items have hit the shelves? I know from personal experience that there are three main thoughts that get me into a shopping mood: having a problem and needing to solve it (wearing my winter boots so often that I put a hole in one and need a new pair), getting my financial aid refund, and being curious to what stores have been putting out for the holidays (I love Halloween and Christmas).  Have you ever noticed how much you spend on impulse buying per month? Maybe it was on a new beauty product or a video game that was just released. I find myself adding random items to my cart at Target and then checking out and spending over $50 every time. This action actually has a term, purchase momentum. This is when consumers make an impulse buy and then continue to make them, some call this a shopping spree.  Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your options at a grocery store? For me,...

 Understanding attitudes is crucial for marketers. Consumers form attitudes about every aspect of their lives, including products and brands. If a person has a negative attitude towards Pepsi then they will not purchase any Pepsi products. Attitudes can be influenced by a number of things. For example, if a brand uses celebrity endorsement in their ads and the celebrity has a scandal and/or gets into trouble with the law, then consumers may chose to have a negative attitude towards the brand. Another aspect that influences consumer's attitudes are their mood when they see the ad. If the consumer is angry about something that happened at work and then they see your ad on social media while on break, they may choose to have a negative attitude towards it.  In 1989, Pepsi decided to have Madonna endorse their brand and featured her and her new song, Like a Prayer in the ad campaign. The day after they released the ad, her music video was released and was extremely controversial. ...

Brands try to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Some of these distinctions can include: quality of the items, brand colors, spokes character, commercial jingle, packaging, and product design. Consumers attribute personality traits to products as if they were human.  Think to yourself how you perceive the following brands (be honest): Apple Nike Dove Harley Davidson Coca Cola Guess All of these brands have strategically marketed themselves so that their consumers can associate personality traits to them. The simple truth is that people are always making assumptions about brands. In order for a brand to market successfully, they need to be memorable. They also want positive associations. We can assess these brands by using the Aaker Brand Personality Model. This model has 5 key traits that are guidelines that companies can use to establish their brands.    Take a look at Harley Davidson: You would classify this brand personality as excitement and ruggedness. ...