Consumer psychology and psychological concepts in marketing communication

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Consumer Psychology

The three articles of focus for this paper come from reputable sources. One article comes from the International Honor Society in Psychology, from The Economist, and from a leading academic at the University of Southern California. Each article has insight into the nature of consumer psychology and its relationship to marketing communications, as they are distinct, yet closely related. As may be immediately inferred, consumer psychology consists of a constellation of psychological subtopics and concepts with respect to all aspects of consumer behavior. Consumers are people who purchase products. Consumer behavior is a complex and dynamic area which is of great concern and relevance to many professionals across fields, psychology notwithstanding. Consumer psychology on a very basic level is the study of relations between consumers and what they consume. Products are purchased and used. Consumer psychology studies patterns and processes in product and service consumption. Consumer psychology consists of and applies to a variety of disciplines within psychology, but there is specific relevance to fields such as marketing, advertising, social psychology, and cognitive psychology. (Friestad, 2012) The paper considers this definition with respect to the field of psychology overall, with respect to marketing communications, as well as with respect to the task at hand: article analysis.

In the Friestad article, she spends a great deal of time defining consumer psychology, explaining theories, history, and methodologies. She additionally provides information as to what the practical applications of consumer psychology are in a variety of industries and a variety of settings, such as the laboratory, courtroom, classroom, government bureau, advertising agency, and others. (Friestad, 2012) She describes what kind of academic and professional training may prove most useful to people looking to pursue study, research, and professional status as a consumer psychologist. This is a very useful and effective article for several reasons. Her intended audience probably includes people who are already studying psychology and may be looking for a concentration. She seems to also be speaking to professionals from other disciplines that are looking for a career change or a new way to infuse their professional repetoire. The section that describes the various settings wherein a consumer psychologist proves useful is great. This shows the utility and versatility of consumer psychology in of itself. Her examples of consumer psychologists in places such as research firms, advertising agencies, international corporate settings, and in institutions of higher learning, point directly to the connection between consumer psychology and marketing communications. Depending on the importance of the product and the quantity of resources allocated for the marketing communications, consumer psychologists could be a part of the creation of marketing communications for one company in all of those settings. A company such as Apple, Google, Coca-Cola or Anheiser-Busch, would have ample resources to compose their marketing communications as a result of collaborations between ad agencies and research firms. Many of the larger companies of the world dedicate ample resources to the research and composition of the most effective marketing communications possible, due in part to the work of the consumer psychologist.

The article by The Economist writes in a style more accessible to people who may not be formally studying psychology or in the field professionally, yet have interest in consumer psychology and/or marketing communications. This article attempts to understand explain consumer psychology and marketing and communications in the real world contexts of consumer behavior during shopping seasons and economic recessions. There is not much scientific evidence, though facts and information are clearly presented in the article. There is a more conversational tone rather than scientific in this article. This may be intended to peak interest in readers so that they investigate these topics further on their own. The overall point is to demonstrate the real world applicability of consumer psychology and how its study yields powerful insights into consumer behavior, economic markets, and brand perception. While the article does not go into great detail, the article implies and superficially explains how powerful consumer psychology can be when deciphering the efficacy of marketing communications.