Question 1

Choose a print ad that attempts to:

(a) provide the consumer with a decision strategy to follow in
making a purchase decision
(b) reduce the perceived risks associated with a purchase.

Explain clearly how the ad tries to achieve (a) and (b).

(a)
The printed advertisement has offered consumers some decision-
making strategy through the consumer buying decision model. The
advertisement manages to intercept the mind of consumer in every
step of the CDP model, which will lead to purchasing of the Good Year
product advertised.

For the first step of the model, Good Year send out a massage to the
SUV car users that the tyre they manufactured for the particular type
of vehicle is able to minimize noise and perform quietly even if the
thread wore over time. Therefore when the magazine readers read
about it, they will have an idea that the tyres they are using now are
not performing as well as what the advertisement had mentioned.
Thus, create a desire to know more about Good Year’s product.

Next, is the search for information stage where the advertisement

has offered details and particulars of the tyre, which will give a clearer
view of the product to all the readers, for example, the technology, the
performance and the company’s details.

Then, for the evaluation of alternative stage, Good Year tries to

lead the readers mind in selecting their product by presenting the
readers their technology and performance of the product. Hence,
consumers will pick Good Year as the ideal tyres for their SUV vehicle.

After that, it reaches the purchase stage where consumers had finally
decided to purchase the product. For this stage, Good Year had stated
in the advertisement that their product can be bought from their
dealers and also Du Pont and Kevlar authorised retailers (Blackwell,
Miniard and Engel 2001, 70-82).
(b)
To lead the consumers in preventing risk after making a purchase, the
advertisement ought to consist of sufficient information. In addition, an
effective advertisement would be one that do not require consumer
further search on the advertised product’s information. Even though
Good Year’s advertisement did not show any warranty or repair
services after sales, but it assure its consumers by providing high
standard quality tyres and that is why it makes Good Year one of the
top sellers among other tyres brand. It is clearly shown in the
advertisement that Good Year reduce after purchase’s risk by fulfilling
every doubts or enquiries consumers might have towards its new
product. With the information given, it shall be able to reduce the
perceived risk that consumers might face after the purchase.

In your view, is this an effective ad? Provide justifications.

Advertisement posted on magazines is much easier to capture the
consumers’ attention rather than choosing the newspapers. The
advertisement is generally filled with Good Year’s mascot color with a
matching background color of deep blue that outshine the brand and
the status that Good Year would like its consumers to perceive its
product as. This would definitely be an advantage in retaining the
consumers’ memory towards the product effectively than the black-
and-white newspaper’s advertisement. Moreover, Good Year has
covered 2 pages for this advertisement in the magazine. At this point,
the size is bigger comparing to other advertisement, and eventually
consumers would put more focus in reading the whole advertisement
instead of just flipping through it. Another merit goes for this
advertisement is due to the reason that the advertisement is more
straightforward and easily understood by readers. It shows the current
new product and describes its features in simple phrases that arouse
consumers’ needs, and in addition the message to be sent in the
advertisement can be easily retrieved and encoded by the consumers
as well once consumers approach the advertisement at first.

Goodyear ad successfully creates a role in shaping the consumers’

opinions specifically based on its advertising claims (Blackwell,
Miniard and Engel 2001, 469). Its product indicates the concerns and
involvement that is relevant to consumers’ needs in their lifestyle.
Relevancy is one of the significant elements in convincing the
purchase decision making by the consumers especially for a new
product. Good Year experts in producing advance vehicles’ tyre that
provides better safety or comfort to its target whom are mostly the
automotives lovers. It develops a latest design for its tyre and the
advertisement’s main claim has also indicated the newly-designed
product’s characteristics and benefits with pictures shown clearly
regarding the blueprint and its features that the consumers ought to
know which consequently would lead the consumers to form
favourable opinions towards this product.

This advertisement has also effectively captured the targeted

user and its market. In the advertisement, it has stated the fitting user
for its newly launched tyre design which is aiming on the SUV users.
SUV users are those who own the mini four wheel drive vehicles such
as Rav4. Providing another scenario for the non SUV user, even if this
advertisement does not seem to be appeal to their consideration in
purchase decision, but this advertisement may still attractive for
them and at least might make them screening through it. As what have
mentioned earlier, Good Year’s brand and mascot was placed in the
advertisement obvious enough to catch the eye of the readers of the
magazine, since with its eye-catching mascot color, it will create
brand awareness to those non SUV user and might eventually create
an interest for those consumers.

Question 2
Family consumption decisions involved at least 5 definable
roles.
Using the 5 definable roles, list the role children may play in
family purchases when making purchase decisions.
Children nowadays are more likely to be involved in family purchase
decision, and might portrait different roles in family purchases when
making the decisions. Basically, there are five different roles in family
purchases, consists of initiator, influencer, decider, buyer and user.
Nonetheless, children could only possibly be playing the role as
influencer and user throughout the family purchase decision process.

Nowadays, children act as the character of influencer. The way

children influence their parents on the purchase decision is by
convincing them to fulfill their intentions which consequently lead to
the purchase of a particular product. Children tend to influence on their
parents on purchasing a certain product every now and then during
their family shopping trip. Kids might even complain or keep begging
their parents convince them to buy the desirable product or visiting a
specific restaurant that they like (Marwick, 2006). For example, KFC
creates a new slogan that centralizes its target on seeking family
needs, especially from the parents and children’s perspectives. They
implement promotion that contains Disney characters such as Timon
and Pumbaa to capture the children’s attention. This kind of
promotional tactic will definitely draw children’s attention and directly
influence their parents in purchasing such meals when they go to KFC
for dinner (Blackwell, Miniard and Engel 2001, 365-367). Furthermore,
children’s influence on family purchase may initiated by their parents.
For example, low-educated parents may not know the way to access
the internet. At this point, they may need their children, who are
perceived as more modern and knowledgeable in the IT stuff, indirectly
influence the family purchases. Most of the children and pre-teenagers
from nine to seventeen years old assist their parents in surfing the
internet in order to obtain more information about a particular product
and service. (Shoham and Vassilis 2006, 344).
Besides influencer, children are potential to act as user in family
purchases. Although parents will always be the buyer and decider,
children are still the main user of the products such as toys and kids
meals in fast food restaurant. According to the research, parents are
most probably to purchase toys during festive season, especially on
summer break and Christmas. They are buying toys to fulfill their
children’s desire. 58% of the children desire to have a new toy on
summer whereas 87% of children desire one on Christmas (Frideres
n.d., 34-36). This indicated that children are the main user towards
toys product. Apart from that, another significant product which
children desire would be the kids’ meal set in fast food restaurant.
Children are always the user of those kids’ meal set. Although parents
are the one who brought them to the restaurant, children would still
end up being the user for the kids’ meal food purchased by their
parents (Blackwell, Miniard and Engel 2001, 365-367).

Is it important to understand how or whether children have

any influence in family purchases or consumption choices?
Provide reasons for your answers.
Since children nowadays act as the influencer in family, therefore it is
very important for the marketers to understand how the children
influence in family purchases or consumption choice. There are three
reasons why it is important to understand this concept. First, children
are the influencers of the family and it will increase the amount of
sales. Second, children are the most valuable asset for the parents and
the parents are willing to spend a lot of money on their children and
thus indirectly assist the marketers to detect the potential market.
Third, children also will affect the brand loyalty and market share
leadership of the future market.

Based on the research, there are around 73 million, which is a large

population is under 18 years old in United States. This group of
population had $250 billions of direct purchasing power. However, this
population have higher influence power on their family composition
choices which accumulate the spending amount more than $1 trillion
in Unites States (Roth 2008). For example, the family can have dinner
in KFC and McDonald just because the children want to do so. Parents
may be spend more money on some products such as toys, pets, food
and beverage, children’s wear and hand phone to fulfil children’s
wants. Therefore, the sales of this kind of products will increase if the
marketers recognize the children’s influence power in family purchases
by apply some effective marketing strategy such as advertise from the
children’s perspectives.

On the other hand, parents are willing to invest more money on

children because children are the most valuable assets for the parents.
Parents may buy health insurance, education insurance for their
children to ensure the children’s well-balanced growth and pursue high
education. In addition, parents buy high technology product and
service such as computer and internet for their children as well. It is
because they want their children expose to the latest knowledge and
technology. Besides, the increase of awareness among the parents in
United States regarding the importance of their children has made
them willing to spend more money on children but not country’s
military sector again (Eckels, 2006). Marketers can detect the potential
market such as education sector and insurance sector effectively
through understanding the children’s indirect influence in family
purchases.
At the same time, when children influence the family consumption
choice, the families will affect children’s perception and evaluation of
product and brand choice. Of course, the children will gradually grow
up and become the future market and their brand loyalty usually will
depend on their parents’ evaluation (Blackwell, Miniard and Engel
2001, 386). For the example, a boy would like to have a pair of sport
shoes and wanted the parents to buy him a new pair. Then, his
parents would fulfil his desire and buy a new pair of Nike sport shoes
for him eventually in the Nike retail store. This purchase decision will
affect his purchase decision later in his life as well. This is the side
effect of the children’s influence on family purchases decision. By
understanding the side effect of the children’s influence on family
consumption choice, marketers can identify child’s brand choice and
future market brand choice. This will help the marketers of the
branded product to predict and achieve the market share leadership in
future market and gaining competitive advantage over the competitors
as well.

Do marketers target the children or the parents in influencing

purchases? Provide at least one advertisement each for THREE
different product categories (e.g. toys, breakfast cereals,
clothes) of your choice to support your answers.
The family purchase decision making process can be multifaceted, but
answering the following questions helps identify different purchaser-
consumer relationship:
1. Who’s buying for whom?

2. Who are the principle characters?

3. What’s the plot for the purchase?

4. Who wants what when?

5. What can we assume?

Even though, these answers may not classify all essential relationships
marketers should be consider, they do identify a family plan, which
creates a relationship between individuals and products based on the
role each individual has in the influence or purchase of products. Thus,
marketers target the children and the parents in influencing purchases.
Nowadays, Children constitute an important target market segment
and merit attention from a marketing perspective. The role that
children play in making decisions concerning the entire family unit has
captured the attention of marketers worldwide. The amount of
influence exerted by children varies by product category and stage of
the decision making process. But, not only do children influence
choices, they are actually making purchases, with family money and
with their own. For some products, they are active initiators,
information seekers, and buyers such as toys; whereas for other
product categories, they influence purchases made by the parents
such as clothes and breakfast cereals (Blackwell, Miniard and Engel
2001, 366).
To support the above arguments, the following advertisements for
toys, breakfast cereals and clothes is provided. Toy’s function triggers
children attention and attract them to buy it. For example, function of
the toys shown by below such as dialogs. It can improve children’s
learning skill in conversation.
Besides, clothing advertisement and breakfast cereals advertisement
attract parents’ attention because parents understand what their
children needs. Majority of the parents nowadays pay more attention
on their children’s appearance. In this modern era, children decide
what they want in clothing and parents making the purchase decision
for them. As shown in the advertisement, the clothes main attraction is
on the color as it is very colorful because children fancy colorful things.
Although comprise of the eye-catching color, the clothing still maintain
simple and smart look. It will lead the parents to take into
consideration whether to purchase it or not.
Lastly, parents do also concern about children’s health in order to
prevent them to get obesity. As for today, breakfast cereals contain
high sugar which can cause obesity since children prefer to eat sweet
stuff. Hence, parents get more involve in this product.
References:
Blackwell, R.D., Paul, W.D., and James, F.E. 2001. Consumer Behavior.
R.R. Donnelley: South-Western, Thomson Learning.

Eckels, Z.T. 2006. More money needs to be spent on children in

America.

http://media.www.kstatecollegian.com/media/storage/paper1022/
news/2006/09/20/Opinion/More-
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(accessed May 2, 2008)

Frideres J.S. n.d. Advertising, Buying Patterns and Children. Journal of

Advertising Research 13 (1):34-36.
http://web.ebscohost.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/ehost/resultsad
vanced?vid=25&hid=17&sid=4b8c6026-1673-4f9d-a0dd-
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(accessed April 28, 2008)

Marwick R. 2006. Target market: Children as consumers.

http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/News/Target-market-Children-as-
consumers.aspx?articleID=8143&categoryID=news-type
(accessed May 2, 2008)

Roth, V. 2008. Small in stature, big in importance. 2008 Quirk’s

Marketing Research Review
www.markettools.com/resources/files/Reprint_Quirks.pdf
(accessed May 1, 2008)
Shoham A.and Vassilis D. 2006. How our adolescent children influence
us as parents to yield to their purchase requests. The Journal of
Consumer Marketing 26 (30):344.
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