CHAPT 4 - CONSUMER MOTIVATION The key to companys survival, profitability and growth in a highly competitive marketplace is its ability

to identify and satisfy unfulfilled consumer needs better and sooner than the competitor. Charles Revson started mftrg nail polish as fashion accessory and not nail covering. He induce women to use different shades of nail polish. He persuade women that buying the new colors wld satisfy their needs and appear fashionable. He was selling fantasy of glamour and class. Consumers basic needs do not change but the products do. Companies stay in the forefront to find new and effective ways of selling. So why do consumers buy? Motivation is the driving force within individuals that impels them to action. This driving force is produced by the state of tension, which exists as the result of an unfulfilled need. What are the needs? There are innate needs. They are physiological; food, water, air, clothing, shelter and sex. They are considered primary needs or motives. Acquired needs are needs that we learn in response to our culture or environment. These may include needs for self-esteem, prestige, affection, power and learning. They are psychological; they are considered secondary. Motives or needs can have a positive or negative direction. We may hv a driving force towards some object or driving force away from some object. Ex. a person may be impelled to start exercising in order to avoid health problems(neg outcome) in order to look more attractive(positive outcome). Positive drives-needs, wants, desires Negative drives fears or aversions BOTH serve to initiate and sustain human behaviour. Goals are the sought-after RESULTS. Of the motivated behaviour. ALL behaviour is GOAL oriented. Goals can be generic goal or product-specific goal. Marketers are particularly concerned with product specific that is the specific branded products and services that consumers select for goal fulfilment. Ex. Fig 4.3 ad portrays those that subscribe will achieve physical related goals. The Selection of Goals The goals selected by individuals depend on their personal experiences, physical capacity, prevailing cultural norms and values and the goals accessibility in the physical and social environment. For ex. a young wishes for a tan in the sun, but it is not allowed by her doctor. Her goal object has to be acceptable socially and physically.So she selects a substitute.

Goals can be positive or negative.A positive goal is one toward which behaviour is directed or approach object. A negative is one from which behaviour is directed away or avoidance object. Ex. young person who wants to attain higher education views going to college as a positive goal; the college the approach object. A person who view lack of getting higher education may resulting in criticism by family as a negative goal and go to college. Avoiding criticism is an avoidance object. Goals are also related to negative forms of consumption behaviour. One study found that personal goals that focus on extrinsic benefits (such as financial success, social status and being attractive) are associated with higher degrees of compulsive buying than goals that stress intrinsic benefits. Interdependence of Needs and Goals are interdependent; neither exists without the other. Ex. a college student may not be conscious of her need for achievement but strive to attain a straight a grade. Rational versus Emotional Motives In marketing terms, 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 ex. pride, fear, affection. The Dynamics of Motivation Motivation is a highly dynamic construct that is constantly changing in reaction to life experience. Needs and goals change and grow in response to an individuals physical condition, environment, interactions with others and experiences. As individuals attain their goals, they develop new ones. If they do not attain their goals, they strive for old ones or they develop substitute goals. Need driven ativity NEVER ceases bcoz 1 many needs are never fully satisfied; ex. a person who become a administrator strive to become a local politician.strive for power. 2 as needs are satisfied, new and higher-order needs emerge that cause tension and induce activity. Ex. a man who has met physiological need, a house may seek to have a larger house. 3 people who achieve their goals set new and higher goals for themselves. As they are more confident, they set a higher goal. Have climb Mt Kinabalu, try to climb Mt Everest. The nature and persistence of an individuals behaviour are often influenced by expectations of success or failure in reaching certain goals. Those expectations are often based on past experience.Ex. in buying camera.if good experience of taking snapshot, will buy a more complex one; if not keep the same camera.

Goals should be reasonably attainable. Adverts should not promise more than the product can deliver. Substitute Goals When an individual annot attain a specific goal that he or she anticpates will satisfy certain needs, behaviour may be directed to a substitute goal.A man who cannot get a BMW will buy a Honda. Frustration Failure to achieve a goal results in feelings of frustration. Individuals react differently to frustrating situations. Some people manage to cope by finding their way around the obstacle or select a substitute goal. Others less adaptive may regard their inability as failure. Such people are likely to adopt a defense mechanism to protect their egos from feelings of inadequacy.

Defense Mechanism Regression, withdrawal, projection, daydreaming, identification and repression. Table 4.2 Pg 113. Multiplicity of Needs and Variation of Goals A consumers behaviour often fulfils more than one need. We buy clothings for protection; in addition fulfils our personal and social needs, acceptance and ego. AROUSAL OF MOTIVES Most of an individuals specific needs are dormant much of the time. The arousal is set by internal stimuli found in thhe individuals physiological condition, emotional or cognitive processes or outside environment. Physiological Arousal Bodily needs at one specific moment in time are based on that individuals physiological condition at that moment. Ex. A drop of blood sugar triggers hunger;find food.

Emotional Arousal Sometimes daydreaming results in arousal or stimulation. People who are bored often engage in daydreaming. These produce uncomfortable tensions that drive them to goal oriented behaviour. A person who daydreams to be a writer, will sign up writing course. Cognitive Arousal Sometimes random thoughts can lead to a cognitive awareness of needs. Ad advert on tv may remind a person to call his parents. Adverts are cues designed to arouse needs.(that might be dormant).

There are 2 opposing philosophies concerned with arousal of human motives. The behaviourist school considers motivation to be a mechanical process; behaviour is seen as the response to stimulus and elements of conscious though are ignored. This theory says, consumers cognitive control is limited. Stimulus -response theory of motivation is the impulse buyer who reacts largely to external stimuli in buying situation.) Ex.buy ice cream in response to the truck nearby Cognitive school believes that all behaviour is directed at goal achievement. Needs and past experiences are reasoned, categorized and transformed into attitudes and beliefs that act as predispositions focused on helping satisfy needs; together these factors determine the actions that a person takes to satisfy a particular need. MASLOW HIERACHY OF NEEDS Physiological, safety and security, social need, ego needs. and self actualization. A TRIO OF NEEDS Need of power, need of affiliation and for achievement. Power need - need relates to an individuals desire to control his or her environment. Need to control other persons and various objects. Closely related to ego. Increase in self esteem when able to exercise power over objects or people. Affiliation need similar to Maslows. Behavior is stronfly influenced by the desire for friendship, acceotance and belonging. Often select goods that meet approval of friends. Achievement need Closely related to egoistic need and the self-actualization need. Tend to be more confident, enjoy taking calculated risks, actively research their environments and value feedback. High achievement is a useful promotional strategy for many products and services targeted to educated and affluent consumers. The Measurement of Motives Motives are difficult to measure bcoz they are abstracts. No single measurement method can be reliable. A combination of research techniques; responses to quuestionaires or surveys 9self reports of opinions and behaviors); insights from focus groups ad depth interviews. Qualitative research to delve into the consumers unconscious or hidden motivations. Projective techniques can be used.

Motivational Research Sigmund Freuds psychoanalytic theory of personality provided foundation for the development of motivational research. This theory was built on the premise that unconscious needs or drives esp. biological and sexual drives are at the heart of human motivation and personality. His theory is from patients recollections of early childhood experiences, analysis of their dreams and the specific nature of their mental and physical adjustment problems. The term motivational research was first used by Dr. Ernest Dichter to refer to qualitative research conducted in 1950s an 60s designed to un cover consumers subconscious or hidden motivations. Based on the premise that consumers are not always aware of the reasons for their actions, motivational research attempts to discover underlying feelings, attitudes and emotions concerning product, service or brand use.