ISL460U-CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Chapter 2: Motivation And Emotions of Consumers
The Process of Motivation
Motivation consists of drives, urges, wishes, or desires that initiate an uncomfortable tension within the consumer that remains until the need recognized is satisfied. Motivation drives consumers to buy and is triggered by psychological tension caused by unfulfilled needs. Individuals strive both consciously and subconsciously to reduce this tension through selecting goals, and subsequent behavior that they anticipate will fulfill their needs and thus relieve them of the tension they feel.
The Elements of Motivation
A motive is a construct that represents an unobservable inner force that stimulates and compels a behavioral response and provides specific direction to that response. Needs are desires that arise when a consumer's current state does not match the consumer's preferred state. The terms need, and motivation are often used interchangeably. This is because when a consumer feels a gap between a desired state and his or her actual current state, a need is recognized and experienced as a drive state referred to as motivation. Needs should also be distinguished from wants. Wants are product-oriented needs.
Motivation and Marketing Strategy
Consumers do not buy products; instead, they buy motive satisfaction, problem solutions, or tension reducers. Managers, therefore, discover the motives that their products and brands can satisfy and develop marketing mixes around these motives (Khan, 2006;107). An important question that often arises is, "Do marketers create needs?" Marketers do create demand. A need or motive causes demand, but it is not the motive.
Multiple motives are involved in consumption. Therefore, a marketeer tries to (Khan, 2006;107);
(a) discover purchase motives, (b) formulate a strategy to fulfill these motives, and (c) reduce conflict between motives.
Consumer Latent and Manifest Motives
Motives that are known and freely accepted are called manifest motives. The second group of motives are latent motives either were unknown to the consumer or were such that she was reluctant to admit them.
Marketing Strategies Based on Motivation Conflict
A motivational conflict is a situation in which a consumer is driven to make a decision based on conflicting outcomes. Consumers are either motivated by a positive or a negative reinforcement, which forms the basis for the individual's motivation to act and make purchase decisions. There are three main types of motivational conflicts marketers should be aware of, categorized as: Approach-Approach Conflict, Approach-Avoidance Conflict, Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict.
Approach-Approach Motivational Conflict: In approach- approach motivational conflict, an individual is faced with two outcomes, both of which are desirable. (e.g., the person has to choose between two desirable destinations, Mexico versus Las Vegas? Least stressful situation.
Approach-Avoidance Motivational Conflict: In approach- avoidance motivational conflict, an individual is faced with two outcomes, both desirable and undesirable outcomes. (e.g., A person who is concerned about gaining weight yet likes snack foods faces this type of problem.).
Avoidance-Avoidance Motivational Conflict: In avoidance–avoidance motivational conflict, an individual is faced with two outcomes, both of which are undesirable. (e.g., Either you do eat the food that you don’t like or you go to bed without dinner.)
Theories of Motivation
Several psychologists and researchers have developed theories and models related to human needs. Some of the most popular are reviewed in the following sections.
Drive Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
Drive theory is one of the earliest theories of motivation. Drive theory maintains that people have several basic physiological needs, such as food, water, air, etc. When people do not get enough food, water, air, or other basic requirements for survival, a source of energy known as drive compels people to behave in ways that reduce these drives. Physiological needs are the most basic needs experienced by people (Kardes, 2011;125). Relying on the Drive Theory, Abraham Maslow (1970) suggested that people also have higher-order needs and desires. Maslow’s hierarchy includes physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs (Kotler & Armstrong, 2012;148). The hierarchy can be classified into two broad definitions: physiological and psychological needs. A person tries to satisfy the most important need first. When that need is satisfied, it will stop being a motivator, and the person will then try to satisfy the next most important need.
Balance Theory
The balance theory is a cognitive consistency theory that looks at how inconsistent attitudes can motivate individuals to be persuaded (Jansson-Boyd,2010;123). Balance theory considers relations among elements a person might perceive as belonging together. This perspective involves relations (always from the perceiver's subjective point of view) among three elements, so the resulting attitude structures are called triads. Each triad contains (see Figure 2.5);
1. P, the person or consumer who receives a persuasive message 2. O, the other person (e.g., a friend, salesperson, or spokesperson) who recommends a particular product or service 3. X, a stimulus such as a particular product or service. (Kardes, 2011;131).
Balance exists when the relationships among all three elements are positive (e.g., p likes o; o likes x; therefore, p should like x) or if two relations are negative and one is positive (e.g., my enemy's enemy is my friend).
Trio of Needs Theory
Developed by McClelland, trio of needs theory holds that individuals are motivated by three basic drivers: power, achievement, and affiliation. Individually, each of the three needs can affect consumer motivation.
Power need: The need for power includes the need to control other persons and various objects. This need appears to be closely related to the ego need, in that many individuals experience increased self-esteem when they exercise power over objects or people.
Affilation Need: People with high affiliation needs often select goods that they feel are in accordance with group norms and will thus meet with the approval of their group. The need for affiliation is very similar to Maslow's social need and therefore it ranks as an extremely important factor in motivating consumer behavior among individuals with a high dependence on the acceptance and approval of others (Schutte & Ciarlante, 1998;95).
Achievement Need; The need for achievement refers to the need to accomplish difficult tasks (e.g., completing a college degree, getting a high-paying job) and to be successful. This need is similar to Maslow's self- actualization needs. People with a need for achievement tend to be more self-confident, enjoy taking calculated risks, actively research their environments, and are very interested in feedback.
Self-Determination Theory
Self-determination theory builds on Maslow's hierarchy of needs by distinguishing between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to doing something because we feel internally or personally rewarding, and extrinsic motivation refers to doing something to get either rewarded or avoid some sort of punishment. Intrinsic motivation is greater when people:
• feel that they have free choice (i.e., they are not forced to do something), • are part of an important group or organization, • and feel that they are very good at what they do (Kardes, 2011;127).
The ABCs of self-determination;
• Autonomy, • Belongingness, and • Competence.
Emotions
Emotions are our body's adaptive response, and many times, we use emotions when describing events' importance or effects on us. Emotions are energies for initiatives, for motion, and behavioral act.
Emotions have been categorized differently by different thinkers and philosophers. Plutchik (1991) distinguished between eight categories of emotions:
• Fear • Anger • Joy • Sadness • Acceptance • Disgust • Expectancy • Surprise
According to Plutchick (1991), other emotions are secondary and come out of these basic emotions or are a continuation of the above emotions, e.g., delight can be a combination of surprise and joy. Similarly, contempt can be a combination of anger and disgust.
Some researchers have suggested that three basic dimensions -pleasure, arousal, and dominance (PAD)- underlie all emotions. Specific emotions reflect various combinations and levels of these three dimensions.
Emotions vs. Moods
Affect is a generic term that covers a broad range of feelings that people experience. Affect can be experienced in the form of emotions or moods. Mood and emotions are frequently used interchangeably as they are related to each other. Emotions are intense feelings directed at someone or something. Moods are, on the one hand, identified as feelings that tend to be less intense than emotions. Emotions are expressed by people; moods are not. For example, an emotion, if it’s strong and deep enough, can turn into a mood: Buying your dream car may generate the emotion of joy, but it also can put you in a good mood for several days. Similarly, if you’re in a good or bad mood, it might make you experience a more intense positive or negative emotion than would otherwise be the case. For example, if you are in a bad mood, you might “blow up” in response to a coworker’s comment when normally it would have just generated a mild reaction.
Emotions and Marketing Strategy
Marketers use emotions to arouse the interest of consumers. They use emotions as product benefits and emotional arousal in context of advertising. When consumers are emotionally aroused, they try to evaluate the product in a positive or negative manner.
Consumers seek products which arouse emotions. These could be for primary or secondary benefits. Movies, books, and music are examples of primary benefits. Khajuraho, Taj Mahal, Goa, Essel World positioned as emotion arousing destinations. Excitement and fun can be generated by soft drinks. Luxury cars give a feeling of delight and excitement. Marketers also take advantage of negative and unpleasant emotions and when one feels sad, powerless, humiliated, or disgusted, they promote the products to prevent or reduce negative emotions. These
could be medicines, insurances and such products. something. If they are in a good mood, no matter whether Flowers are promoted as an antidote to sadness, slimming that mood is related to the product or not, their evaluation gimmicks, personal grooming products (toiletries, etc.) are of that product is going to be better. For example, imagine also used to do away with negative emotions. Anxiety and that a consumer quickly finds a parking lot, or gets a stress reduction products are also designed for the purpose wonderful marriage proposal, all these may create good (Khan, 2006:99). mood, but this is not going to lead the consumer to buy a life insurance, or a wedding dress wright a way. However, A big part of emotion studies is about advertising; the consumer’s attitude towards an insurance brand he/she consumers’ reactions to advertisements and their effect on sees on the way will be also good because s/he feels good. consumer behavior. Advertising is a communication Companies try to make their consumers feel good by strategy that combination of art and science on creating a good ambiance and atmosphere in their stores, consumption. by having a helping personal, by making the purchase Theories of Emotions process easy, and by focusing on positive advertisement. Several psychologists and researchers have developed Overall, the more the consumers feel good, the more theories and models related to the emotions of consumers. favorable are their evaluations (Dalgıç, Ünal, 2018).
Some of the most popular are reviewed in the following section:
Appraisal Theory
The appraisal theory of emotion proposes that emotions are extracted from our “appraisals” (i.e., our evaluations, interpretations, and explanations) of events. These appraisals lead to different specific reactions in different people.
According to the various versions of the appraisal theory of emotion, one of the most distinctive features of emotion is the evaluative component that assesses the current life event as being good or bad. Once an object has been appraised as good or bad (as beneficial or harmful), an experience of liking or disliking follows immediately and automatically. In Arnold’s ground-breaking appraisal theory of emotion, the liking or disliking is stated as felt emotions. Liking generates a motivational tendency to approach the emotion-generating object; disliking generates a motivational tendency to avoid it. During appraisal, the individual relies on memory and imagination to generate a number of possible courses of action in dealing with the liked or disliked object. When applying appraisal theory, marketers should recognize that sometimes actions and outcomes create specific emotions rather than general feelings of goodness or badness. If product is not satisfying, consumers might feel guilty, angry, sad, or frustrated, depending on who is seen as responsible for the product’s not working. That is because emotions play a powerful role in attitudes, choices, and satisfaction.
Feeling as Information Theory
According to this theory, when people make judgments about something, they rely on their feelings as diagnostic information. Peoples’ judgments are affected by mood; people tend to evaluate objects or events due to their mood. For example, when you greet someone who is in good mood, their answer is more positive than that of someone who is in a bad mood. (Schwarz & Clore, 2007).
Feeling-as-information theory introduces that consumers consider their feelings when they are deciding to buy