Group Report That Critically Analyses the Different

¶ … Group Report that critically analyses the different models of human behaviour in relation to consumer decision-making. Explain and illustrate how marketers take account of these models of behaviour.

Knowing personality theories is beneficial for marketers in that knowing what motivates people can help us know how to attract them to our products. Although, these theories present different approaches, many of them approach the consumer from a different perspective and many marketers combine several of the approaches in order to target the prospective consumer.

Decision-making models may be the most scientific as far as evidence goes maintaining that we are evolutionarily influenced by certain heuristics (i.e. mental shortcuts) that cause us to judge and direct our decision-making. Some of these heuristics include: 'availability' (the rarer the content usually the greater desired); 'us vs. them' (with the former being more acceptable since more familiar); and 'frequency'.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs places human needs in a pyramid with the lower levels being the most primary. These range from hunger, protection, security, love / recognition, esteem, cognitive (i.e. knowledge), aesthetic (i.e. harmony and order) to self-actualization.

Freud's psychoanalytic approach posits the id, ego, and superego as driving forces of motivation, the id being the primary urges (e.g. sex), the ego acts as control between superego and id, the superego restrains according to social / cultural / religious expectations and norms. Consumer researchers' see the consumer's purchases as reflection of Freud's triad.

Neo-Freudian personality theory posits that social relationships are central to consumerism. Adler, for instance, saw humans as trying to overcome inferiority feelings therefore attempting to achieve a maintain a certain 'style' in life. Whereas Adler's theory may indicate desire for conformism, trait theory accentuates the reverse maintaining that people attempt individuality in order to differ from others. Consumerism, here, would focus on consumer innovativeness, namely the degree to which consumers are receptive to new products.

Cognitive personality factors affirm that cognitive traits drive consumer decisions. Two of these primary traits are the need for cognition and visualizers vs. verbalizers. The first type is the individual who enjoys thinking. Ads here would focus on product description as opposed to the latter where individuals prefer image and background. This is similar to the category of visualizers vs. verbalizers where some individuals prefer reading the scrip, whilst others prefer the image (e.g. seeing a model).

Self and self-image: Consumers have a variety of self-images related to their particular personality. One or multiple selves refers to the individual who acts in different ways depending on different situations. The extended self refers to the consumer's image in relation to his product (e.g. A leather jacket analogous to machismo), whilst' altering the self' refers to those individuals who purchase an item to the intent of modifying their selves (e.g. A cream for 'youthful' skin).

Part 2: Reflect individually on how your understanding and interpretation of the consumer decision-making process might influence your thinking when applying marketing principles in future business roles.