ECB Exploring Consumer Behavior

Consumer behaviour in marketing

CONTENT

Consumer behaviour in marketing is logically understood as an act carried out by a consumer to satisfy a need that arises at different hierarchical levels. Contributing to this logic, Philip Kotler a marketing guru and one of the most influential authors in marketing in 1967 claims that “the marketing concept” is a business philosophy that arose to challenge previous concepts (production and sales concepts) which consists of analyzing marketing opportunities and exploiting the consumers’ various needs for business benefits.

Having understood the importance of the concepts, marketers are not merely salesmen but people who understand the consumer needs and make them realize their wants by analyzing the consumer motivation process because the consumer can only recognize his or her need but does not have a distinctive solution to satisfy that need given the number of options that is now available in the market place.

Both consumer personality and motivation influence the way consumers respond to marketing stimuli. For this assignment, assume you are appointed as a business Development manager for a high-end fitness centre and have been asked to prepare a report to the managing director identifying the target audience motivation and personality that will determine the selection of a fitness centre.

TASK ONE

You are required to find two print ads related to fitness products that appeal to two different levels of Maslow’s hierarchy. In the report, show the ads and explain why each appeals to the particular levels in the Maslow’s hierarchy.

Guideline Note 01

Candidates are expected to know the Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy in depth to apply the same for the selected ads. The two ads should be carefully selected as they are used to explain two different levels of Maslow’s needs hierarchy. Some ads may correspond with several levels of the need hierarchy. Thus, the ads selected need to have the power to represent one particular level dominantly.

TASK TWO

The motivation process is depicted in figure 01. Discuss the concepts and the relationships in the process quoting examples within the fitness centre context.

Guideline Note 02

Candidates are expected to understand the motivation process and read around the topic area thoroughly before attempting task two. Once the model is understood, candidates should define each concept (depicted in boxes), and the relationship (represented as arrows) shown in the model and carry out a discussion emphasising on how motivation influences consumer behaviour. Further, task two should show clarity and evidence of how the motivation will affect a consumer’s purchase during the selection of a suitable fitness centre to satisfy his/her needs.

TASK THREE

You are required to find two print advertisements related to fitness related products; one should appear to be Freudian and the other Neo-Freudian in nature. Explain how this is determined. Explain how Freud’s ID, Ego and Superego relate to the fitness centre marketing practices.

Guideline Note 03

Candidates are expected to have an understanding of Freudian Theory and Neo-Freudian Theories before attempting Task 03. Careful attention should be given in selecting the Ads as they are to be used to explain the given theories.

The psychologist Sigmund Freud proposed that much of one’s adult personality stems from a fundamental conflict between a person’s desire to gratify his or her physical needs and the necessity to function as a responsible member of society. This struggle plays out in the mind among the three systems. These three systems should be better understood before answering the last part of Task 03.

IMPORTANT:

Please refrain from copying-and-pasting information from the Internet or another source and make sure to reference your work according to the Harvard referencing format.

Note: Please refer the given assignment marking scheme for marks allocation.