Chapter 6: Consumer Decision Making
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3. You are the new marketing manager for a firm that produces a line of athletic shoes
to be targeted at the college student subculture. For your boss, write a memo in which
you list some product attributes that might appeal to this subculture, list the steps in
your customers’ purchase process, and recommend some marketing strategies that
can influence their decision.
Students’ answers should address some of the following points. American college students
represent a large and powerful subculture. Marketers frequently promote products to this
4. Family members play many different roles in the buying process: initiator, influencer,
decision maker, purchaser, and consumer. Identify the person in your family who
might play each of these roles in the purchase of a dinner at Pizza Hut, a summer
vacation, Froot Loops breakfast cereal, an Abercrombie & Fitch sweater, golf clubs,
an Internet service provider, and a new car.
5. Assume you are involved in the following consumer decision situations: (a) renting a
video to watch with your roommates, (b) choosing a fast-food restaurant to go to with
a new friend, (c) buying a popular music compact disc, and (d) buying jeans to wear
to class. List the factors that would influence your decision in each situation and
explain your responses.
Application Exercise
Principles of consumer behavior are evident in many areas of marketing. Perhaps the easiest
place to see this critical foundation of marketing activity is in print ads.
Activities
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