Consumer Motivation

CONSUMER MOTIVATION
Prof. Abhipsa Mishra

Motivation as a Psychological Force
• Motivation is produced by a state of tension, by
having a need which is unfulfilled. Consumers want
to fulfill these needs and reduce the state of tension.
Eg. Need for food
• Needs are the essence of the marketing concept.
Marketers do not create needs but can make
consumers aware of needs
Eg. Need for a pair of jeans
Consumer Motivation I Prof. Abhipsa Mishra

Goals
The sought-after results of motivated behavior
• Generic goals are general categories of goals
that consumers see as a way to fulfill their
needs
• Product-specific goals are specifically branded
products or services that consumers select as
their goals

Holiday Travel Plan
• How would you plan your next coming
holiday? Or think of any plan that you had
before.
• What factors influence your decision making?
4Consumer Motivation I Prof. Abhipsa Mishra

The Selection of Goals
• The goals selected by an individual depend on
their:
 Personal experiences
 Physical capacity
 Prevailing cultural norms and values
 Goal’s accessibility in the physical and social
environment

Discussion Questions
• What are three generic goals you have set for
yourself in the past year?
• What are three product-specific goals you have set in
the past year?
• In what situations are these two related?
• How were these goals selected? Was it personal
experiences, physical capacity, or prevailing cultural
norms and values?

Rational vs. Emotional Motives
Rationality implies that consumers select
goals based on totally objective criteria, such
as size, weight, price, or miles per gallon
Emotional motives imply the selection of
goals according to personal or subjective
criteria

Arousal of Motives
Physiological arousal (they get hungry)
Emotional arousal (frustrated)
Cognitive arousal (they read an ad that
made them think about their needs)
Environmental arousal (the weather
becomes cold)

Consumer Motivation
• Represents the drive to satisfy both
physiological and psychological needs through
product purchase and consumption
• Gives insights into why people buy certain
products
• Stems from consumer needs: industries have
been built around basic human needs

Types of Needs
• Physiological (or biogenic) needs
that are considered primary needs
or motives
Innate
Needs
• Learned in response to our culture
or environment. Are generally
psychological and considered
secondary needs
Acquired
Needs

Types of Needs
• Safety and Health Needs
Threats to our safety and health motivate
purchases for personal security and protection
• Need for Love and Companionship
Services and products help individuals find and
attract others
Products are often used as symbols of love and
caring

Types of Needs
• Need for Financial Resources
• Social Image Needs
Conspicuous consumption:
purchases motivated to some
extent by the desire to show other
people how successful they are
Companies reinforce the notion
that products enable users to
communicate their social image
• Need for Pleasure
Products, services, and
consumption activities provide
fun and excitement

Types of Needs
• Need to Possess
Consumers often acquire products
simply because of their need to own
such products— e.g., collectors
Plays a role in impulse buying: where
consumers unexpectedly experience
a sudden and powerful urge to buy
something immediately
• Need to Give
Give something back to others or
reward ourselves. Self-gifts let us
motivate, reward, and console
ourselves

• Need for Information
Plays an important role in
persuasion —if an ad appears when
consumers need information, they
are more likely to pay attention than
when they don’t need the
information
One reason we read or watch TV
Fuels Internet usage
• Need for Variety
Marketers may introduce different
versions of original brand
Variety may become focus of
product positioning
Types of Needs

The Dynamics of Motivation
• Needs are never fully satisfied
• New needs emerge as old needs are satisfied
• People who achieve their goals set new and
higher goals for themselves

Substitute Goals
• Are used when a consumer cannot attain a
specific goal he/she anticipates will satisfy a
need
• The substitute goal will dispel tension
• Substitute goals may actually replace the
primary goal over time

Frustration
• Failure to achieve a goal may result in
frustration.
• Some adapt; others adopt defense
mechanisms to protect their ego.

Defense Mechanisms- Table 4.2 (excerpt)
Construct Items
Aggression In response to frustration, individuals may resort to aggressive behavior
in attempting to protect their self-esteem. The tennis pro
who slams his tennis racket to the ground when disappointed with
his game or the baseball player who physically intimidates an umpire
for his call are examples of such conduct. So are consumer
boycotts of companies or stores.
Rationalization People sometimes resolve frustration by inventing plausible reasons
for being unable to attain their goals (e.g., not having enough
time to practice) or deciding that the goal is not really worth pursuing
(e.g., how important is it to achieve a high bowling score?).
Regression An individual may react to a frustrating situation with childish or
immature behavior. A shopper attending a bargain sale, for example,
may fight over merchandise and even rip a garment that another
shopper will not relinquish rather than allow the other
person to have it.
Withdrawal Frustration may be resolved by simply withdrawing from the situation.
For instance, a person who has difficulty achieving officer
status in an organization may decide he can use his time more
constructively in other activities and simply quit that organization.

• Approach-approach: deciding between two or more
desirable options
• Avoidance-avoidance: deciding between two or more
undesirable options
• Approach-avoidance: behavior has both positive and
negative consequences
Types of Motivational Conflict

A Trio of Needs
Power (Ego needs)
• Individual’s desire to control environment
Affiliation (Social needs)
• Need for friendship, acceptance, and belonging
Achievement
• Need for personal accomplishment
• Closely related to egoistic and self-actualization needs

Motivational Conflict and Need Priorities
• Resolving motivational conflicts requires prioritizing needs
• Maslow’s hierarchy
Some needs take precedence over other needs—physiological
needs take top priority
Differences in the importance attached to various needs affects
how consumers evaluate products
Because of consumers’ different motivational priorities, companies
use benefit segmentation: dividing consumers into different market
segments based on benefits they seek from purchase and
consumption

To Which of Maslow’s
Needs Does This Ad Appeal?

Both Physiological and Social Needs

Egoistic Needs

Self-Actualization

Motivational Intensity
Motivational intensity: how strongly consumers are
motivated to satisfy a particular need
Depends on need’s importance
Involvement: degree to which an object or behavior
is personally relevant
Motivational intensity and involvement determine
amount of effort consumers exert in satisfying needs

The Challenge of Understanding
Consumer Motivation
Reasons underlying consumer motivation are not always
“obvious”
Research is necessary to discover real motivations behind
behaviors
People don’t always want to disclose real reasons for their
actions
People don’t always know why they do what they do —
unconscious motivation
Motivations change over time

Motivating Consumers
Motivating with Money
• Price cuts, specials, rebates, and coupons
motivate purchase
• Resulting sales may increase, but profits
may not
• Attracts consumers less likely to repeat
• Price reductions may increase price
sensitivity

Provide Other Incentives
Premiums, free
products, contests,
and sweepstakes are
designed to
motivate consumers
to purchase

Provide Other Incentives
• Premiums, free products, contests, and
sweepstakes are designed to motivate
consumers to purchase
• There are limitations and shortcomings for
this strategy in addition to the products
offered as a premium being valued less (value-
discounting hypothesis)

Implement a Loyalty Program
• Motivate repeat buying by providing rewards
to customers based on how much business
they do with the company
• Tracks consumer purchases and provides
estimates of Customer Lifetime Value

Enhance Perceived Risk
• Perceived risk: consumers’
apprehensions about the
consequences of their behavior
(buying and consuming the
product)
• Greater perceived risk increases
search
• Educating consumers about
risks may motivate them to
make more informed choices
that reduce exposure to risk

Provoke Consumers’ Curiosity
• For new products,
educating potential
customers is crucial
• Curiosity often leads to
an enhanced need for
information
• May advertise a benefit
that is not normally
associated with the
product

Consumer Motivation

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