Assignment:
Analysis of Internal Influences (Factors) on Consumer Behaviour
You have explored a variety of internal influences on consumer behaviour. You will now apply what you have learned by analyzing and investigating internal factors or influences on consumer behaviour to practical marketing situations.
Instruction
You will continue to focus on your chosen product and market for the course. You will examine various aspects of internal factors/influences and their implication to a marketer. Follow the specific instructions to each part of the assignment and complete all sections as required.
Section 1: Motivation and Involvement
Using the product that you have chosen to research, produce a 3-4-page report examining the level of motivation and involvement that a typical customer would display in the purchase of your product.
Consider the following:
1. Select one level of from Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs that can be used to segment the market and position your chosen product. Explain your choices. Justify the application of Maslow's need hierarchy for segmentation and positioning of your product.
2. Identify possible motivational conflicts that a prospective consumer of your chosen product may have. Discuss how the marketer can reduce or resolve these motivational conflicts.
3. Develop an involvement profile for a typical consumer of your chosen product and discuss any key issues that would be relevant to a marketer.
Section 2: Personality
Produce a 1-2-page report answering the below questions:
1. Given your thinking on your product thus far, select two theories or traits in the textbook that should prove helpful in targetting, branding, and related strategies. Provide examples of print ads (with URL, in-text citation, scan or attachment) that would appeal to those with similar personalities/traits. Explain your choices.
2. Using the concept of brand personality, describe a personality for your chosen product.
Section 3: Perception and Positioning
Produce a 2-3-page report answering the following questions:
1. Draw an attribute-based perceptual map for your chosen product. Include the main competitive brands and discuss any opportunity for repositioning.
2. What extrinsic and intrinsic cues would be used in assessing the perceived quality of your chosen product, and how would you as a marketer use extrinsic cues to improve the perceived quality of your product? Also, comment on the price-quality relationship in general and of your chosen product.
3. Comment on the type and degree of perceived risks likely to be associated with your chosen product.
Section 4: Reinforcing Consumer Learning
How would you apply the concept of "shaping" (step-wise operant conditioning) to reinforce desired pre-purchase behaviour and attract customers?
Section 5: Consumer Attitude Formation/Change
Explain the strategies you would use to change consumer attitudes towards a particular brand of your chosen product by:
1. Changing beliefs about the brand
2. Changing beliefs about competing brands
3. Changing the relative evaluation of attributes
4. Adding an attribute
Do you think the "foot-in-the-door" technique is applicable to your chosen product?
Section 6: Communication and Consumer Behaviou
Recommend two advertising media for your product and explain your choices.
For the objective of promoting sales, what type of message structure, presentation style, and appeal would you use? Would you use a comparative message?