CHAPTER 10
MOTIVATION, PERSONALITY, AND EMOTION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
LO1: Define motivation and summarize the motivation sets put forth by Maslow and McGuire
LO2: Articulate motivation’s role in consumer behavior and marketing strategy
LO3: Define personality and the various theories of personality
LO4: Discuss how brand personality can be used in developing marketing strategies
LO5: Define emotions and list the major emotional dimensions
LO6: Discuss how emotions can be used in developing marketing strategies
SUMMARY
LO1: Define motivation and summarize the motivation sets put forth by Maslow and McGuire
Consumer motivations are energizing forces that activate behavior and provide purpose and direction
to that behavior. There are numerous motivation theories. Maslow’s need hierarchy states that basic
LO2: Articulate motivation’s role in consumer behavior and marketing strategy
Consumers are often aware of and will admit to the motives causing their behavior. These are manifest
motives. They can be discovered by standard marketing research techniques such as direct questioning.
Direct advertising appeals can be made to these motives. At other times, consumers are unable or
unwilling to admit to the motives that are influencing them. These are latent motives. They can be
determined by motivation research techniques such as word association, sentence completion, and
picture response (see Appendix Table A–1). Although direct advertising appeals can be used, indirect
appeals are often necessary. Both manifest and latent motives are operative in many purchase
situations.
LO3: Define personality and the various theories of personality
The personality of a consumer guides and directs the behavior chosen to accomplish goals in different
situations. Trait theories of personality assume that (1) all individuals have internal characteristics or
traits related to action tendencies, and (2) there are consistent and measurable differences between
individuals on those characteristics. Most of these theories assume that traits are formed at an early age
and are relatively unchanging over the years.
LO4: Discuss how brand personality can be used in developing marketing strategies
Brands, like individuals, have personalities, and consumers tend to prefer products with brand
personalities that are pleasing to them. Consumers also prefer advertising messages that portray their
own or a desired personality. Brand personality can be communicated in a number of ways, including
celebrity endorsers, user imagery, and executional ad elements such as tone and pace.
LO5: Define emotions and list the major emotional dimensions
Emotions are strong, relatively uncontrollable feelings that affect our behavior. Emotions occur when
LO6: Discuss how emotions can be used in developing marketing strategies
Marketers design and position products to both arouse and reduce emotions. In addition, consumers
must cope with stressful marketing situations such as service and product failures. The various coping
LECTURE TIPS AND AIDS
1) Prior to beginning the lecture on motivation, ask students to think of the various motives that
different consumers might have for purchasing the same product (e.g., the purchase of a golden
retriever puppy). Ask the students to role-play one of these three consumer types: (1) a father or
2) At the start of your lecture on personality, and before you define the concept, you might ask the
students to describe (other than physical appearance) some person they are all familiar with. It will
3) Have the students describe the “personality” of a particular brand of car, beverage, store, or other
4) A scale for measuring the Big Five Personality Dimensions is reported in Saucier, Journal of
Personality Assessment, Vol. 63 (3), 506-516. You can use this in various ways, including having
students access the article and create a survey to measure personality dimensions and
administering it to several other students who volunteer to participate. Students can then report on
the usefulness, issues, and challenges of personality measurement.
5) Student Handout 1: PERSONALITY AND BEER PREFERENCES — is a great Classic example
6) Student Handout 2: BRAND PERSONALITY SCALE – can be used in a number of ways. You
might have students prepare a questionnaire and collect data on the personality of a brand. You
7) Student Handout 3: GSR MEASURE OF EMOTIONAL AROUSAL – is a nice handout to use in
discussing physiological measures of emotion. In this case, GSR was better than verbal
evaluations in predicting market responses.
8) Assign and/or prepare one or more of the CB PRESS HIGHLIGHTS articles for class discussion.
9) Build a recent news story or commercial into your PowerPoints. The searchable Video and
Commercial Links Database can be found in the Instructor Resources in Connect.
Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
Student Handout 1: MARKETING CLASSIC – PERSONALITY AND BEER
PREFERENCES
Anheuser-Busch created four commercial advertisements for four new brands
of beer. Each commercial represented one of the new brands and was created
to portray the beer as appropriate for a specific “drinker personality.” For
example, one brand was featured in a commercial that portrayed the
These commercials were watched by 250 beer consumers who then tasted all
four brands of beer. After given sufficient time to see each commercial and
sample each beer, they were asked to state a brand preference and complete a
questionnaire which measured their own “drinker personality.” The results
showed that most consumers preferred the brand of beer that matched their
own drinker personality. Furthermore, the effect of personality on brand
preferences was so strong that most consumers also felt that at least one
Student Handout 2: BRAND PERSONALITY SCALE
Not at all Extremely
Descriptive Descriptive
1 2 3 4 5
Charming _____
Cheerful _____
Glamorous _____
Good Looking _____
Hard Working _____
Honest _____
Imaginative _____
Original _____
Outdoorsy _____
Technical _____
Tough _____
Trendy _____
Unique _____
Upper Class _____
Student Handout 3: GSR MEASURE OF EMOTIONAL AROUSAL
The galvanic skin response (GSR) has been used to measure emotional arousal. GSR
involves fitting the respondent with small electrodes that monitor the electrical resistance of
the skin. This resistance changes with the slight changes in perspiration that accompany
emotional arousal. The most well-known application of GSR is the lie detector test.
Table: Emotional Arousal and Mail Response Rates*
Promotional GSR GSR Verbal Market
Claim/Offer Score* Ranking† Ranking† Results
1 Cent sale .300 1 4 1
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1) What is a motive?
2) What is meant by a motive hierarchy? How does Maslow’s hierarchy of needs function?
A motive hierarchy simply means that some motives are more important or basic than others.
3) Describe each level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Physiological: The basic requirements for existence such as food, water, and shelter.
4) Describe each of McGuire’s motives.
Need for Consistency: A basic desire is to have all facets or parts of oneself consistent with each
other. These facets include attitudes, behaviors, opinions, self-images, views of others, and so
forth.
Need to Attribution: This set of motives deals with our need to determine who or what causes the
things that happen to us.
5) Describe attribution theory.
Attribution theory relates to consumers having a need to attribute an underlying cause to a given
6) What is meant by motivational conflict, and what relevance does it have for marketing managers?
Most behaviors, including purchase and use, are subject to multiple motives, and there are many
7) What is a manifest motive? A latent motive? How is each measured?
Manifest motives are known to the individual and are freely admitted. Latent motives are
8) How do you appeal to manifest motives? Latent motives?
9) Describe the following motivation research techniques (see Appendix A and Appendix Table A-1
for details): a) Association, b) Completion, c) Construction.
a. Association Techniques:
Word Association: Consumers respond to a list of words with the first word that comes to
mind.
10) What is the relationship between involvement and motivation?
Involvement is a motivational state caused by consumer perceptions that a product, brand, or ad is
relevant or interesting.
11) Describe regulatory focus theory.
Regulatory focus theory suggests that consumers will react differently depending on which broad
set of motives (promotion-focus or prevention-focus) is most salient. The following briefly
characterizes the differences:
12) What is personality?
13) What is consumer ethnocentrism and why is it important to global marketers?
14) How can knowledge of personality be used to develop marketing strategy?
Brands, like individuals, have personalities, and consumers tend to prefer products with brand
15) What is an emotion? What are the basic dimensions of emotion?
Emotions are strong, relatively uncontrollable feelings that affect our behavior.
three dimensions (see Table 10-4).
16) What physiological changes accompany emotional arousal?
Physiological changes that accompany emotions include increased perspiration, eye pupil dilation,
increased heart and breathing rate, and elevated blood sugar level.
17) What factors characterize emotions?
18) What is consumer gratitude, and what outcomes are associated with this emotion?
Gratitude in a consumer context is the emotional appreciation for benefits received. Firms can
sales and positive word of mouth.
19) How do marketers use emotions in product design and advertising?
Marketers design and position products and services to activate emotions (a thrilling movie) or to
20) What is coping and what are the general types of coping mechanisms used by consumers?
Coping involves consumer thoughts and behaviors in reaction to a stress-inducing situation,
Discussion Questions
21) How could Maslow’s motive hierarchy be used to develop marketing strategy for the following?
a) American Bird Conservancy, b) Redkin shampoo, c) Purell hand sanitizer, d) Chipotle Mexican
Grill, e) Blackberry, f) Crest whitestrips.
22) Which of McGuire’s motives would be useful in developing a promotional campaign for the
following? Why? a) Cadillac, b) Precision Cuts (hair salon chain), c) Nokia cell phones, d) Just
23) Describe how motivational conflict might arise in purchasing, patronizing, or giving to, the
following: a) Greenpeace, b) Chevy Volt, c) Wal-mart, d) Red Bull energy drink, e) Taco Bell
restaurant, f) Home security system.
Push the students to move beyond approach-avoidance (I want the benefits but don’t want to give
24) Describe the manifest and latent motives that might arise in purchasing, shopping at, or giving to
the following: a) Yukon hybrid, b) Saks Fifth Avenue, c) Bose sound system, d) Kitten, e)
Mercedes Benz convertible, f) iPhone.
This is a fun exercise. Students have little problem identifying potential latent motives. After you
25) Do marketers create needs? Do they create demand? What ethical issues are relevant?
The answer depends in part on what is meant by the term need. If need is used to refer to a basic
26) Respond to the questions in Consumer Insight 10-1
The basic idea behind regulatory focus theory is that what is effective when someone is in a
promotion-focused mindset is different than what is effective when someone is in a prevention-
focused mindset due to the different motives that are salient. So fear appeals which focus on
27) How might knowledge of personality be used to develop an advertising campaign for the
following? a) Rainforest Action Network (an environmental group), b) Smart phones, c) American
28) Using Table 10-3, discuss how you would use one of the core personality source traits in
developing a package design for an organic, shade-grown coffee.
The same approach used of Question 27 is appropriate here.
29) How would the media preferences of those on each end of the consumer need for uniqueness
continuum differ?
30) How would the shopping behaviors of those on each end of the ethnocentrism continuum differ?
Consumers high in ethnocentrism tend to be less open to other cultures, more conservative, and
31) How would you use emotion to develop marketing strategy for each of the following? a) Visa card
use, b) Sky diving, c) Orthodontist, d) Silk (soy milk), e) Honda Civic Hybrid, f) Iceland.
This discussion question can be approached in a variety of ways. Students should be encouraged
32) List all the emotions you can think of. Which ones are not explicitly mentioned in Table 10-4?
Where would you place them in this table?
Students may use different terms or concepts to describe their emotions. Those emotions not listed