Consumer Behavior

Part A – Answer each of the following questions in a composition of 10 to 20 sentences.

1. Consider a Center for Disease Control print ad designed to encourage people to quit smoking that depicts a person in a wheelchair, along with the statement, “You’re a STROKE waiting to happen.” What principle of attitude change is at work in this ad? How might the use of such a vivid image be effective?

2. A recent married couple expecting their first child is contemplating moving from an apartment and purchasing their first house. What kind of purchase decision does the couple face? Justify your answer and explain the degree of cognitive effort problem solving that’s likely to be required, and the implications for information search as well as the factors involved in evaluation information.

3. When introducing a new, technologically advanced digital camera to the marketplace at a cost of $400.00, what three steps might a firm take to overcome the perceived value barrier when consumers compare the price of the new camera of that of older, less expensive ones?

Part B – Answer each of the following items in two or three sentences.

1. What are the most commonly observed factors that determine the extent of a child’s influence on his or her parents purchasing decisions?

2. When Toyota and Nissan introduced expensive new models to the marketplace, what strategy did they use to link their cars with other prestigious brands? On what perceptual model did they base their decision?

3. When designing promotional materials for personal-care products such as deodorant soaps and antiperspirants, which personality theory are marketers most likely to draw on and why?

4. How does a person’s role within a group differ from his or her status?

5. What factor distinguishes the multistep model of personal influence from the two-step model?

6. What social class do print ads for Jaguar and Porsche aim to reach and why?

7. A recent Pepsi ad depicted multiple images of the Pepsi can labeled in a variety of languages, with the tagline “Fortunately, nothing’s lost in transition.” What cultural factor does this ad address and how might it be considered effective?

8. How would an airline company use behavioral segmentation to increase profitability?

9. How do Burger King’s “Have it your way” jingle, the word association “1-800-M-A-T-T-R-E-S,” and the Michelin Tire Man benefit their respective firms?

10. Why are products such as homes, automobiles, clothing, jewelry, and luggage more susceptible to reference group influence than products like salt, waxed paper, and antifreeze?