{"id":173,"date":"2015-08-28T22:25:54","date_gmt":"2015-08-28T22:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/waymakerintromarketing1xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=173"},"modified":"2024-05-14T15:23:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T15:23:39","slug":"why-it-matters-consumer-behavior","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymakerintromarketingxmasterfall2016\/chapter\/why-it-matters-consumer-behavior\/","title":{"raw":"Why It Matters: Consumer Behavior","rendered":"Why It Matters: Consumer Behavior"},"content":{"raw":"

Why learn about consumer behavior?<\/h2>\r\n

Please welcome a new arrival<\/h3>\r\n\"Very\r\n\r\nAt 1:26 a.m. this morning, in Houston's Memorial Hermann\u00a0Hospital, a consumer\u00a0was born. His\u00a0name is Finnegan Henry James. By the time he\u00a0goes home\u00a0three days later, some of America's biggest marketers will be pursuing him\u00a0with samples, coupons, and assorted freebies. Proctor & Gamble hopes\u00a0its Pampers brand will win the battle for Finn's\u00a0bottom, but retailer Target has a lower-priced contender. To welcome Finn's family, Johnson & Johnson has already sent his\u00a0mother a sample of its gentle baby wash. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is sending a free, bulky box of Enfamil baby formula.\r\n\r\nLike no generation before, Finn\u00a0enters a consumer culture surrounded by logos, labels, and messages\u00a0almost from the moment of birth. As an infant, he\u00a0may wear Sesame Street diapers and a miniature NBA jersey. Right away, this little boy\u00a0will begin influencing his\u00a0parents' purchasing decisions\u2013that's what spitting out spoonfuls of baby food is all about. By the time he\u00a0is twenty months old, he\u00a0will start to recognize some of the thousands of brands flashed in front of him\u00a0each day. Around age four, Finn\u00a0will begin\u00a0making decisions about how to spend his\u00a0own money. At age seven, if he\u00a0is anything like the typical kid, he\u00a0will see some forty thousand\u00a0commercials a year.[footnote]http:\/\/www.apa.org\/pi\/families\/resources\/advertising-children.pdf<\/a>[\/footnote]\u00a0By the time he\u00a0is twelve, he\u00a0will have his\u00a0own entry in the massive data banks of marketers.\r\n\r\nMany forces are at work influencing Finn's\u00a0consumer choices from a very early age. Some of these forces are social: his\u00a0parents, cousins, and play group. Some of these forces are cultural: Finn\u00a0is a Texan and an American. As Finn\u00a0grows and matures, his\u00a0age, gender, education, economic status, life stage, and personality all play a role in his\u00a0decisions as a consumer.\u00a0Multiply Finn\u00a0by millions of babies born in the U.S. every year, and you have new, increasingly marketing-savvy generations flooding the market.\r\n\r\nThis is Finn's\u00a0story.\u00a0And if you're living in the U.S. today, your story probably sounds a lot like his.\r\n

You Are the Target and\u00a0the\u00a0Hunter<\/h3>\r\nSetting aside the ethics of marketing to children, the fact remains that you are a consumer living in a highly commercialized, modern society. Marketing artifacts are so woven into the fabric of our lives that many people hardly recognize them. Every year, companies and marketing organizations spend billions of dollars focused on one central goal: to influence consumers' purchasing decisions.\r\n\r\nAs a consumer, hopefully your growing understanding of marketing is helping you see the world around you a little differently, with more and better information about the forces that are\u00a0trying to influence you.\r\n\r\nWith your increasing skills as a marketer, you recognize how important it is to understand your customers if you are going to reach them effectively. Part of that is understanding\u00a0the factors that influence their purchasing decisions. Once you're educated about those influencing factors, they'll be tools you can use to create effective marketing.","rendered":"

Why learn about consumer behavior?<\/h2>\n

Please welcome a new arrival<\/h3>\n

\"Very<\/p>\n

At 1:26 a.m. this morning, in Houston’s Memorial Hermann\u00a0Hospital, a consumer\u00a0was born. His\u00a0name is Finnegan Henry James. By the time he\u00a0goes home\u00a0three days later, some of America’s biggest marketers will be pursuing him\u00a0with samples, coupons, and assorted freebies. Proctor & Gamble hopes\u00a0its Pampers brand will win the battle for Finn’s\u00a0bottom, but retailer Target has a lower-priced contender. To welcome Finn’s family, Johnson & Johnson has already sent his\u00a0mother a sample of its gentle baby wash. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is sending a free, bulky box of Enfamil baby formula.<\/p>\n

Like no generation before, Finn\u00a0enters a consumer culture surrounded by logos, labels, and messages\u00a0almost from the moment of birth. As an infant, he\u00a0may wear Sesame Street diapers and a miniature NBA jersey. Right away, this little boy\u00a0will begin influencing his\u00a0parents’ purchasing decisions\u2013that’s what spitting out spoonfuls of baby food is all about. By the time he\u00a0is twenty months old, he\u00a0will start to recognize some of the thousands of brands flashed in front of him\u00a0each day. Around age four, Finn\u00a0will begin\u00a0making decisions about how to spend his\u00a0own money. At age seven, if he\u00a0is anything like the typical kid, he\u00a0will see some forty thousand\u00a0commercials a year.[1]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0By the time he\u00a0is twelve, he\u00a0will have his\u00a0own entry in the massive data banks of marketers.<\/p>\n

Many forces are at work influencing Finn’s\u00a0consumer choices from a very early age. Some of these forces are social: his\u00a0parents, cousins, and play group. Some of these forces are cultural: Finn\u00a0is a Texan and an American. As Finn\u00a0grows and matures, his\u00a0age, gender, education, economic status, life stage, and personality all play a role in his\u00a0decisions as a consumer.\u00a0Multiply Finn\u00a0by millions of babies born in the U.S. every year, and you have new, increasingly marketing-savvy generations flooding the market.<\/p>\n

This is Finn’s\u00a0story.\u00a0And if you’re living in the U.S. today, your story probably sounds a lot like his.<\/p>\n

You Are the Target and\u00a0the\u00a0Hunter<\/h3>\n

Setting aside the ethics of marketing to children, the fact remains that you are a consumer living in a highly commercialized, modern society. Marketing artifacts are so woven into the fabric of our lives that many people hardly recognize them. Every year, companies and marketing organizations spend billions of dollars focused on one central goal: to influence consumers’ purchasing decisions.<\/p>\n

As a consumer, hopefully your growing understanding of marketing is helping you see the world around you a little differently, with more and better information about the forces that are\u00a0trying to influence you.<\/p>\n

With your increasing skills as a marketer, you recognize how important it is to understand your customers if you are going to reach them effectively. Part of that is understanding\u00a0the factors that influence their purchasing decisions. Once you’re educated about those influencing factors, they’ll be tools you can use to create effective marketing.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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CC licensed content, Original<\/div>