Consumer Behavior Models: Decision Making Model, Maslow\'s

¶ … Consumer Behavior Models:

Decision making model, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Freudian Theory, Non- Freudian theory, trait theory, learning process models

Do consumers mainly use logical or emotional thinking when making decisions? This is the essential problem with which all marketers must grapple. Some models of consumer behavior, such as the seven-step decision model, suggest that consumers make decisions very logically, carefully weighing the pros and cons. Others suggest that when consumers make decisions about purchases, they do so in an instinctual fashion, based upon emotions.

The seven-step decision model suggests that people make decisions by first identifying the exact nature of the decision (like buying a new pair of sneakers); assessing personal priorities (such as fashion vs. functionality); identifying their options (Nike vs. New Balance); gathering information and data (talking to someone at a running store or simply talking to their friends); evaluating their options; selecting the best option; and then implementing the decision (making the purchase). Of course, one problem with the seven-step method is that it assumes people use facts in a very methodological manner, which is not always the case (How to use the 7 step decision-making model, 2011, Decision making confidence).

Other theories of decision-making, however, such as Freudian theory, postulate that a variety of emotional can have a significant impact upon decisions. Freud suggests that the past can exert a very potent pull upon individuals. The desire to seem sexually attractive, for example, can cause a woman to buy makeup she can ill-afford because she desperately wants to look beautiful, due to unresolved childhood traumas. While Freud viewed childhood conflict as the most critical aspect of human motivation, other analysts of consumer behavior have taken a broader view of the emotional impact upon buying decisions. The simple desire to be like everyone else, for example, can cause an advertisement to resonate with an individual.

Of course, the most obvious protest to Freudian and non-Freudian analysis of buying behavior is that not every consumer is motivated by the same types of appeals. Some consumers are persuaded by highly impressionistic advertising campaigns that use ambiance to sell the product; other consumers like advertisements that use logical appeals like statistics and facts. This is why an analysis of the likely consumer demographic using Jungian or another type of personality analysis may prove useful in creating a more targeted campaign.

Another caveat is that some consumers may be more apt to be persuaded by certain types of appeals, depending on the product. A consumer might be encouraged to watch a film or buy a new pair of jeans because of an emotionally powerful campaign, but when making a decision about trying a new type of pain reliever he or she is more apt to listen to a more logically framed advertisement. This reflects consumer's hierarchies of needs, as delineated by Abraham Maslow (Maslow's hierarchy of needs, 2010, Honolulu College). Until certain basic needs -- like food, shelter, and safety -- are satisfied, more emotionally-driven appeals are less persuasive. This is one reason why products for practical items such as floor cleaners tend to stress the cleaner's utility, while luxurious items such as expensive purses are advertised with more image-driven campaigns.