The Consumer Audience Advertising Principles and Practices

The Consumer Audience

Advertising Principles and Practices

5-2Prentice Hall, © 2009

Questions We’ll AnswerQuestions We’ll Answer

• Why is consumer behavior important to advertisers?

• What cultural, social, psychological, and behavioral influences affect consumer responses to advertising.

• How does the consumer decision process work?

• What is the difference between segmenting and targeting?

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• What critical consumer insights drove the marketing campaign?

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5-3

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How does consumer How does consumer behavior work?behavior work?

• Consumer behavior: how consumers select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, and the needs and wants that motivate behaviors

• Consumers: people who buy or use products or adopt ideas to satisfy needs and wants

• Customers: consumers who buy particular brands or patronize specific stores

• Prospects: potential customers who are likely to buy the product or brand

Principle: Buyers may not be the users

and users may not be the buyers. Buyers and users often have entirely different needs and wants.

Influences on Influences on Consumer Consumer DecisionsDecisions



Cultural InfluencesCultural Influences• Norms and Values

– Norms: a culture’s boundaries for “proper” behavior

– Values: the source of norms, which represent underlying belief systems

• Subcultures– Smaller groups of cultures

defined by geography, age, values, language, traditions, or ethnic background

• Corporate Culture– How various companies

operate (formal vs. informal)

Core Values:

1. Sense of belonging2. Excitement3. Fun and enjoyment4. Warm

relationships5. Self-fulfillment6. Respect from

others7. A sense of

accomplishment8. Security


Social InfluencesSocial Influences• Social Class

– The position you and your family occupy within your society

– Determined by income, wealth, education, occupation, family prestige, value of home, and neighborhood

• Reference Groups– Models for behavior such as

teachers, religious or political figures, religious groups, ethnic organizations, your peers• Provide information• Means of personal

comparison• Offer guidance


Social InfluencesSocial Influences• Family

– Two or more people who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption and live in the same household

– Household: all those who occupy a dwelling, related or not.

– Lifestyle: your family situation, values, and income that determines how you spend your time and money


Social InfluencesSocial Influences

• Demographics– Statistical, social, and

economic factors that characterize a population such as age, gender, education, income, occupation, race, and family size

– Identifies audiences and helps advertisers develop messages and select media

– U.S. Census Bureau collects demographic data every 10 years

http://www.census.gov/

http://www.census.gov/


Social Influences: DemographicsSocial Influences: Demographics• Age• Gender• Family Status• Race and Ethnicity• Education• Occupation• Income• Geography• Sexual Orientation

Principle: Your income is a key demographic factor because you

are meaningful to a marketer only if you have the resources needed to buy the product advertised.


Social Influences: DemographicsSocial Influences: Demographics• The Greatest Generation (born in teens through the late 1920s)

– Fought World War II, opened up college education to the middle class; lived frugal yet financially satisfying lives.

• Silent Generation (born mid- to late-1920s to the war years)– Active seniors, had the most “positive impact” on America having built the

post-war economic boom of the country.

• Baby boomers (born between 1946–1964)– Largest category; final years of their careers; lived through Civil Rights

movement, anti-Vietnam war protests; moon landing.

• Generation Jones (mid- to late-1950s to mid-1960s) – Dream of affluence trying to “keep up with the Joneses.”

• Gen X or Baby Busters (born 1965–1979)– Independent minded, somewhat cynical, concerned with their physical

health and financial future.

• Generation Y or Echo Boomers (1980–1996)– More technologically savvy, forming brand relationships, more altruistic.

• The Millennium Generation (2000 and after)– More brand conscious.


Psychological InfluencesPsychological Influences• Perception and State of Mind

– Your past experiences with a brand, what others say, and mental states affect behavior

• Needs and Wants– Innate (primary) needs: water, food, shelter, and sex– Acquired (secondary) needs: esteem, prestige, affection,

power, learning, and beauty– Want: based on a desire or wish for something.– Satisfaction/dissatisfaction – Cognitive dissonance

Principle: An item we need is something we think is essential or

necessary for our lives; an item we want is something we desire.

Psychological Influences:Psychological Influences:Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsMaslow’s Hierarchy of Needs



Psychological InfluencesPsychological Influences• Motivations

– Motive: an internal force that stimulates a certain behavior

• Attitudes– Based on deeply held values, and

resistant to change

• Personality– Brand personalities can be created

to make brands distinct from competitors.

Principle: Strategies that are designed to affect attitudes focus on establishing, changing, reinforcing, or replacing them.


Psychological InfluencesPsychological Influences• Psychographics

– Activities: work, hobbies, social events, vacation, entertainment, shopping

– Opinions: self, social, future, political, business, culture, economics, education,

– Interests: family, home, job, food, media, achievements, recreation

Principle: Often, differences in consumer behavior lie in

psychographics—consumers’ interests and lifestyles —rather than in demographics.


Psychological InfluencesPsychological Influences• Lifestyles

– Looks at patterns of consumption, personal relationships and leisure activities.

– Yankelovich Monitor’s MindBase

– VALS– Products are linked to

lifestyles in the way they reflect the interests of people and the settings in which the products are used.

The VALs SystemThe VALs SystemThe VALs System categorizes consumers according to psychological traits that correlate to purchase behavior.

• Thinkers and Believers— motivated by ideals; abstract criteria such as tradition, quality, and integrity.

• Achievers and Strivers— motivated by achievement, seeking approval from a values social group.

• Experiencers and Makers— motivated by self-expression and the need to stand out from the crowd or make an impact on the physical world. 5-17

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Behavioral InfluencesBehavioral Influences• Usage Behavior

– Usage rate: quantity of purchase—light, medium, heavy.– Brand relationship: past, present or future use of product

— nonusers, ex-users, regulars, first-timers, switchers.– Innovation and adoption: how willing people are to try

something new.– Perceived risk: what you have to gain or lose by trying

something new.• Experiences

– The experience of buying vs. acquiring the product itself.– Our decisions are based on our experience with the brand.

Principle: In many product categories, 20 percent

of the users buy 80 percent of the products.

Behavioral Influences:Behavioral Influences:Diffusion of Innovation CurveDiffusion of Innovation Curve



Trends in Consumer Trends in Consumer Buying BehaviorBuying Behavior

• Trends and fads– Related to lifestyle and psychographic factors as

well as desire for choice in a consumer culture.

– Young people are very involved in trends. • Trendspotters: researchers that identify trends

affecting consumer behavior

• Cool Hunters: specialize in trends that appeal to youth

• Brand proselytizer: consumer paid to positively influence people about a brand

– “Take charge” mentality of today’s consumers


The Consumer Decision ProcessThe Consumer Decision Process• Traditional View

– Need recognition– Information search– Evaluation of alternatives– Purchase decision– Postpurchase evaluation

• Low-involvement or high-involvement– In low involvement,

there’s little or no information search


The Consumer Decision ProcessThe Consumer Decision Process• Paths to Brand Decisions

– Depends on product and buying situation– Planners must know how the process works for different

product categories (e.g., cars vs. candy bars)

Path Goal Example Advertising’s Objective

think–feel–do learning, interest computer game, CD, DVD Provide information, emotion

think–do–feel learning, college, a computer, provide information, arguments

understanding a vacation

feel–think–do needs a new suit, a motorcycle create desire

feel–do–think wants cosmetics, fashion establish a psychological appeal

do–feel–think impulse a candy bar, a soft drink create brand familiarity

do–think–feel habit cereal, shampoo remind of satisfaction


The Consumer Decision ProcessThe Consumer Decision Process• Influences on B2B Decision Making

– Many individuals involved; decision by committee– Rational and quantitative criteria dominate– Often based on specs who bid on the contract; low bid wins– Long time between initial contact and decision; decisions

last a long time and are supported by a contract– Quality is hugely important and repeat purchases are based

on performance– Personal selling is important; advertising’s role is to used

to generate leads for the sales force.


Segmenting and TargetingSegmenting and Targeting

• Segmenting– Dividing the market into groups of people who

have similar characteristics in certain key product-related areas.

• Targeting– Identifying the group that might be the most

profitable audience and the most likely to respond to marketing communications messages.


Segmenting and TargetingSegmenting and Targeting• Market aggregation strategy

– When planners use one marketing strategy that will appeal to as many audiences as possible–“Coke is it!”

– Treats the market as homogeneous (single, undifferentiated, large unit).

• Market segmentation– Marketers recognize consumer differences and adjust

strategies and messages accordingly (Diet Coke vs. Caffeine free Coke).

• Target market– From these segments, marketers identify, evaluate, and select

a group of people with similar needs and characteristics who are most likely to be in the market for the advertiser’s product.


Types of SegmentationTypes of Segmentation• Demographic segmentation• Life style segmentation• Geographic segmentation• Psychographic segmentation

• Behavioral segmentation• Benefits segmentation• Values and benefits-based segmentation


Sociodemographic SegmentsSociodemographic Segments• Based on when you were born and lifestyle factors

– Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, Echo boomers– Gray Market (young seniors age 60–75, older seniors 70+)

• Other lifestyle segments– Dinkies: double income young couples with no kids– Guppies: gay upwardly mobile professionals– Skippies: school kids with purchasing power– Slackers: high school kids who don’t care or do much – Bling bling generation: coined by rappers and hip hoppers; flashy people with a high rolling lifestyle and

costly diamonds and jewelry– Ruppies: retired urban professionals; older consumers with sophisticated tastes and a generally affluent

lifestyle


Niche MarketsNiche Markets• Subsegments of a more general market defined by

some distinctive trait– Ecologically minded moms who don’t use

disposable diapers– Skateboarders– Classical music enthusiasts– Educationally oriented senior travelers


Profiling the Target AudienceProfiling the Target Audience

• Markets are divided into segments; then profitable segments are selected as target audiences.

• A profile is a description of the target audience that reads like a description of someone you know.

• Behavioral targeting is getting more attention due to new practices in Internet marketing.

• The target is described using the variables that separate this prospective consumer group from others who are not in the market.

Principle: Each time you add a variable to a target audience definition, you narrow the size

of the target audience.

Narrowing the TargetNarrowing the Target



Targeting IssuesTargeting Issues• Ethical Issues

– Advertising potentially unhealthy products to specific segments like sugary foods to children.

– Emphasis on advertising to young consumers while ignoring Boomers in their “power years.”

• Microtargeting– Using vast computer databanks of personal

information to identify voters most likely to support one candidate or another.

– Used in swing states to identify potential supporters.

Discussion Questions


Discussion Question 1Discussion Question 1

• You are working as an intern at the Williams Russell Agency and the agency has just gotten a new account, a bottled tea named Leafs Alive that uses a healthy antioxidant formulation. The sale of bottled tea, as well as healthy products, is surging. Analyze your target market using the following questions:– What consumer trends seem to be driving this product

development?– What cultural, social, psychological and behavioral factors

influence this market?– Plot the consumer decision process that you think would

best describe how people choose a product in this category.– Choose one of the VALS or Yankelovich Monitor’s

Mindbase groups that you think best describes the target market for this product. Explain your rationale.


Discussion Question 2Discussion Question 2• Consider the social factors that influence consumer

decisions. Identify two demographic or psychographic factors that you think would be most important to each of these product marketing situations: a. Full line of frozen family-style meals (for

microwaving) that feature superior nutritional balances.

b. Dairy product company (milk, cheese, ice cream) offering an exclusive packaging design that uses fully degradable containers.

c. A new SUV that is lighter in weight and gets better gas mileage than the average SUV.


Discussion Question 3Discussion Question 3• Analyze the decision making involved in choosing

your college.a. Interview two of your classmates and determine

what were the influences on their decision to attend this school?

b. How did you—and the people you interviewed—go about making this decision? Is there a general decision-making process that you can outline? Where are the points of agreement and where did you and your classmates differ in approaching this decision?

c. Draw up a target audience profile for students attending your college. How does this profile differ from another school in your same market area?


Discussion Question 4Discussion Question 4• Five-minute debate: One of your classmates argues that

the information-driven approach to a consumer decision sis absolutely the most important route and advertising strategies should focus on that type of situation

• Two other classmates disagree strongly: one argues that a feeling-driven approach is much more effective in generating a response, and the other says the only thing that counts is driving action, particularly sales.

• In class, organize into small teams with each team taking of the three positions. Set up a series of debates with each side having 1 1/2 minutes to argue its position. Every team of debaters must present new points not covered in the previous teams’ presentations until there are no arguments left to present. Then the class votes as a group on the wining point of view.


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The Consumer Audience Advertising Principles and Practices