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150 Part 2 Understanding Buyers and Markets
make the purchase
d. Sometimes this decision is part of the evaluation; perhaps
5. Post-purchase evaluation
a. The purchase act produces one of two results
i. The buyer feels satisfied at the removal of the
discrepancy between the existing and desired
states
ii. The buyer feels dissatisfied with the purchase
d. Dissonance is more likely with high-involvement
purchases than with those that require low involvement
e. The consumer’s try to reduce dissonance by focusing on
the good reviews about their choices and ignoring
anything they find dissatisfactory
Assessment check questions
5.1. List the steps in the consumer decision process. The steps in the
5.2. What is meant by the term evoked set? The evoked set is the
Chapter 6 Consumer Behavior 151
number of alternatives a consumer actually considers in making a
purchase decision.
Chapter Objective 6: Differentiate among routinized response behavior, limited problem
solving, and extended problem solving by consumers.
PowerPoint Basic: 23-24
PowerPoint Expanded: 44-47
1. Classifying consumer problem-solving processes
a. Marketers recognize three categories of problem-solving
behavior:
i. Routinized response
2. Routinized response behavior
a. Consumers make many purchases routinely by choosing a
preferred brand or one of a limited group of acceptable
3. Limited problem solving
a. The consumer previously set evaluative criteria for a
particular kind of purchase but then encounters a new,
4. Extended problem solving
a. Extended problem solving results when brands are difficult
to categorize or evaluate
5. Strategic Implications of Marketing in the 21st Century
a. Marketers who plan to succeed with today’s consumers
need to understand how their potential market behaves
Assessment check questions
6.1. What is routinized response behavior? Routinized response
6.2. What does limited problem solving require? Limited problem solving
6.3. Give an example of an extended problem-solving situation. An
ANSWERS AND TEACHING NOTES TO CHAPTER EXERCISES
Chapter 6 Assurance of Learning Review
1. What are core values? Describe what you think are three core values of American society. Do you
consider these your core values as well?
Answer: Cultural values that do not change over time are known as core values. The three core values of
the American society are work ethic, the desire to accumulate wealth, and the importance of family and
2. Why is the concept of acculturation important to marketers who want to target such groups as
Hispanic, Asian, or African American consumers?
3. Describe a purchase that a consumer might make that would reflect his or her status within a particular
group. If that person’s status increased, how might the purchase selection change?
Answer: People often make purchases designed to reflect their status within a particular group,
particularly when the purchase is considered expensive by society. In the past few years, affluent
4. What are the four role categories that describe each spouse in a household? Which role has changed
the most in recent years, and why?
Answer: 1. Autonomic role is seen when the partners independently make equal numbers of decisions.
Personal-care items would fall into the category of purchase decisions each would make for himself or
5. According to Maslow, what is the difference between needs and motives? How can marketers make
use of these two concepts to lead consumers toward purchases?
154 Part 2 Understanding Buyers and Markets
Answer: A need is an imbalance between the consumer’s actual and desired states. A person who
recognizes or feels a significant or urgent need then seeks to correct the imbalance. Marketers attempt to
arouse this sense of urgency by making a need “felt” and then influencing consumers’ motivation to
satisfy their needs by purchasing specific products.
Motives are inner states that direct a person toward the goal of satisfying a need. The individual takes
6. What are the two factors that interact to create a person’s perception of an object? How is this
important for marketers?
Answer: Perception is the meaning that a person attributes to incoming stimuli gathered through the five
senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. A person’s perception of an object or event results from
the interaction of two types of factors:
7. What are the three reasons that subliminal perception is unlikely to result in a purchase? Despite these
findings, what role is neuroscience now playing in the creation of marketing messages?
Answer: Subliminal perception is the subconscious receipt of incoming information.
The three reasons that subliminal perception is unlikely to result in a purchase are:
Chapter 6 Consumer Behavior 155
8. What are the components of attitude? Explain the two ways in which marketers can try to change
consumer attitudes toward their products.
Answer: An attitude has cognitive, affective, and behavioral components. The cognitive component refers
to the individual’s information and knowledge about an object or concept. The affective component deals
9. What is learning as it relates to marketing? Explain the four steps in the learning process and give
examples as they relate to marketing.
Answer: Learning, in a marketing context, refers to immediate or expected changes in consumer
behavior as a result of experience. Marketers want to motivate consumers to become regular buyers of
certain merchandise. Their first step in getting consumers to try the product might be to offer a free-
10. For each of the following products, what steps might marketers take to transform them from a limited
problem-solving situation for a consumer to a routinized response situation?
a. Buying a gym membership
b. Renewing a magazine subscription
c. Making a haircut appointment
d. Filling a prescription at a pharmacy
e. Taking the car in for an oil change
Answer: In order to successfully sell their goods and keep customers happy, marketers need to know if
their product or service will tend to require only limited time, little searching, and minimal shopping effort,
Projects and Teamwork Exercises
1. Answer: Ask your students to choose an opinion leader. He/She should state reasons why that person
is an opinion leader. The goods, services, and products endorsed by the leader, if any, have to be listed
(celebrities may feature in a few ads, whereas, business icons or political leaders are not involved in such
2. Answer: Ask your students to share their ideas about family purchases and who has influenced them
over the years and today. If they’re stuck, suggest to students that they might start by making a list of
family members, without even thinking of purchases. These can be people in the immediate family as
well as extended family. Then next to each name, write a product or service that they associate with that
person. This could be a clue as to how that person might affect their own purchasing behavior. Have
them discuss how these decisions change over time as they grow up, move out of the family home, start
their own households, etc. Are there certain elements (attitudes, beliefs, family values, etc.) that affected
Chapter 6 Consumer Behavior 157
3. Answer: Student answers may vary. They can work individually or in groups. As we know that
marketers can modify attitudes by providing evidence of product benefits, by correcting misconceptions,
and by engaging buyers in new behavior; students are expected to make advertisements that would try
4. Answer: Student answers will vary according to the products that they choose. The alternatives of the
product would vary according to the products they choose. However, students should be able to develop
an evoked set. Students can use a variety of methods to research alternatives. The methods would
5. Answer: A low-involvement, routinized consumer product like toothpaste or detergent involves a
regular and routine purchase decision. A consumer makes many routine purchases by choosing a
preferred brand or one of a few acceptable brands in a quick method called routinized response
behavior. The consumer has already set evaluative criteria and identified options, so any further external
158 Part 2 Understanding Buyers and Markets
Critical-Thinking Exercises
1. Describe a group to which you belong—it might be a team, a club, or your roommates. Outline the
norms of the group, the major roles that different members play, and your own status within the group.
Have you ever sought to change your status? Why or why not?
Answer: Student answers may vary. Norms are the values, attitudes, and behaviors a group deems
2. What are the two conditions that must exist for a consumer to be influenced by a reference group?
Have you ever made a purchase based on reference group influence? If so, what was the purchase and
how did you come to the decision to make it? If not, why not?
Answer: Student opinions will vary. Strong influence by a group on a member’s purchase requires two
conditions:
1. The purchased product must be one that others can see and identify.
2. The purchased item must be conspicuous; it must stand out as something unusual, a brand or product
3. Marketers point out that the five levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are sometimes combined or
even bypassed by consumers making purchase decisions. Explain how each of the following could fulfill
more than one need:
a. A donation to the Red Cross to help tornado victims
b. A retirement investment account
c. Axe body wash
d. Dinner at an upscale restaurant
Answer: Students are expected to give answers based on the five levels of needs, and provide sufficient
information that can defend their answers. A short discussion between groups can benefit the students to
4. What are some of the ways marketers can break through consumers’ perceptual screens? If you were
a marketer for a line of designer pet clothing, what method might you use?
Answer: Doubling the size of an ad, using certain colors or graphics, or developing unique packaging are
some techniques that marketers use to elicit a positive response from consumers. The psychological
5. Suppose you are employed by a large electronics retailer, and a customer comes to you with cognitive
dissonance over the purchase of an expensive computer system from your store the previous week. How
would you work with the customer to help dispel that dissonance?
Answer: Marketers can help buyers reduce cognitive dissonance by providing information that supports
the chosen item. Advertisements that stress customer satisfaction also help reduce cognitive dissonance.
A final method of dealing with cognitive dissonance is to change products. The consumer may ultimately
Ethics Exercises
Marketers of online news content are struggling to change consumer attitudes about whether or not it is
fair to charge for this content. While consumers are already willing to pay for movies, music, and games,
they don’t want to pay for news—whether it is from online versions of newspapers and magazines or
online feeds of radio and talk shows. Yet these news formats are created by paid professionals, and can
be expensive to produce. Increasingly, dailies in the United States have begun creating “pay walls” that
require readers, after a while, to pay for a digital subscription.
1. Express your own view. Is it ethical for marketers of online news content to begin charging consumers
for their services? If so, under what circumstances? If not, why or why not?
2. Go online to research different news sources—those that are free (such as the headlines offered on
Yahoo!) and those for which there is a charge (such as online magazine or newspaper subscriptions). Is
there a difference in features or the extent of services offered?
3. Based on your research and your knowledge of consumer behavior, what steps do you think news
marketers might take to change consumer attitudes about whether news should be offered for free?
Answer: Student answers will vary. Ask the students to first understand the point of view of consumers as
well as marketers. By taking an overall view of the situation, they may come up with reasons stating why
Internet Exercises
1. Marketing to children. Advertising and other marketing efforts directed toward children have long
been controversial. Visit the website of Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU)—an organization
created by the advertising industry to address issues associated with marketing to children. What is the
purpose of CARU? What are the major issues regarding marketing to children? What have been some of
its recent actions? Why have some prominent marketers, such as The Coca-Cola Company, decided to
end advertising aimed at children? In your opinion, can industry self-regulation ever be an effective
substitute for government regulation?
http://www.caru.org
Answer: Student answers will vary. They should visit the website, as well as study the various issues
regarding marketing to children on the Internet. To bring a different perspective, students can find out the
2. Consumer decision making. Assume you’re in the market for both a new cell phone and cell phone
provider. Follow the beginning stages in the consumer decision model described in the chapter—
recognition of problem or opportunity, search, and evaluation of alternatives. Use the Internet to aid in
your consumer decision process. Prepare a report summarizing your experience. Compare and contrast
your experience with an actual consumer purchase decision you recently made.
Answer: Student answers will vary. Student answers can focus on a particular problem or a need they
identify and searching for information on this particular problem, and for service providers who satisfy this
3. Marketing strategies and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Visit the websites listed here. Review the
marketing strategies shown in each site. Which level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs does each site
emphasize? Be prepared to defend your answers.
http://www.michelinman.com
http://www.starbucks.com
http://shop.nordstrom.com
http://www.hollandamerica.com
http://www.unilever.com
Answer: Student answers will vary. They can visit these websites and analyze the offering, product,
message, theme provided by the company. Their answers must defend their opinions. A discussion on
Case 6.1 Amazon Drives Consumer Behavior—Questions for Critical Thinking
1. One observer explained Amazon Prime’s success by saying that when something is free, people don’t
think it is valuable. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Answer: Student answers will vary and might include the impact of social influences on buying behavior
2. How else can Amazon leverage its growing popularity as a shoppers’ research site to generate sales?
Answer: Student answers may vary. Answers should include strategies Amazon can use to target
162 Part 2 Understanding Buyers and Markets
Video Case 6.2 Ski Butternut Offers Thrills—Not Spills —Questions for Critical Thinking
1. Describe the social influences that might affect the decisions that consumers make about where to
spend their winter recreation time and dollars.
Answer: Social influences depend on the social groups to which consumers belong. If you grow up skiing
with your family, it’s likely that you will continue with some kind of winter recreation. If you play a sport
(even if it isn’t a team sport), you are a member of that social group and will value physical activity and
2. The evaluation of alternatives is an important step in the buying decision for consumers who are
considering whether to visit Butternut or some other mountain. What would be some of the evaluative
criteria in this decision, and why?
Answer: Evaluative criteria would include such objective factors as travel distance; price of lift tickets (and
amenities such as food, daycare, and rentals); facilities (such as the terrain park, high-speed lifts, and
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING EXERCISES
Cultural Values and Consumer Behavior
Purpose:
To help students explore their perceptions of U.S. cultural values
Background:
Culture clearly influences consumer behavior in both obvious and subtle ways, but students need
to understand the elements of culture in order to appreciate its true impact. This exercise is
designed to help students focus on their perceptions of core values in U.S. culture.
Relationship to Text:
Core Values in U.S. Culture
Estimated Class Time:
About 10 minutes
Chapter 6 Consumer Behavior 163
Preparation/Materials:
Whiteboard and marker
Exercise:
Spend a few moments reviewing with your class the idea of core values. Once they fully
understand the concept, divide your students into small groups and give each group a few
minutes to quickly brainstorm a list of core values in U.S. culture (and tell them to base their list
on their own perceptions, not to copy from the book). When their lists are complete, ask them to
prioritize their values from most important to least important.
Questions for Reflection:
• Why is it important to explore the core values of national culture?
• How does this information impact marketing?
Attitudes and Consumer Behavior
Purpose:
To emphasize the role of attitudes in consumer behavior
Background:
Relationship to Text:
Attitudes
Estimated Class Time:
About 20 minutes
Preparation/Materials:
Students will need blank paper and pens or pencils (ideally colored markers)
Exercise:
Remind your class of the three components of attitude: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. Then,
divide your students into small groups. Challenge each group to choose an existing ad that
164 Part 2 Understanding Buyers and Markets
best alternate ad. What role did creativity play in their responses (vs. the type of appeal)?
Questions for Reflection:
• How important are attitudes relative to the other influences on consumer behavior?
Self-Concept and Consumer Behavior
Purpose:
To illustrate the close links between who we are and how we consume
Background:
The study of consumer behavior suggests that many of our purchases reflect recognizable
Relationship to Text:
Self-Concept Theory
Estimated Class Time:
About 10 minutes
Preparation/Materials:
Each student will need paper and a pen or pencil.
Exercise:
Direct your students to think for a moment about goods or services that they particularly enjoy in
any category, from shoes to bands, cars, and restaurants. Ask them to write down their five
favorites, including the brand name (e.g., Nike running shoes, Lucky brand blue jeans), without
Questions for Reflection:
• In what categories are our purchases most likely to reflect our personalities?
• Do brands themselves have personalities?
• How can a marketer create a personality for a brand? What is the value in doing so?
