Thought's on blogging

At first I thought blogging was a waste of time, however, once I started writing the bloggs i found it useful as I had a clearer understanding of the topics...... over wahooooo :-)))

On the whole, consumer buyer behaviour is important to look at as it affect the marketers, advertisers and public relations... the reason why its important is because they need to meet their target audience's needs and wants... Below is Maslow's Hierarchy of needs..

Social class..

Nowadays the world we live in divided into different groups of social class as people have different habits, attitude living style... All these things come under a different social class... people all over the world are put into different social class groups, may that upper class, lower class, middle class or working class. These classes then differentiate a lot of things such as the way an individual thinks and behaves...

<<<social class>>>

Dictionary.com defines social class as' a broad group in society having common economic, cultural, or political status'. In simplar words social class is when the public is put into different groups according to their income, work and culture..

Above is an advert to show how organisations advertise to upper class people... This can be people such as the Royal family, actress and actors (Famous people)

Middle class are those poeple that are educated, good jobs, and have a family house...

Lower class people are those people who poor, have difficulties finding jobs and are not educated...

When organisations are marketing their products they need to look at all the different social classes and attract them in different ways...

Family.....

FAMILY... :-)))

When someone says family, I normally think of my family, mother, father, brothers, sister, grandma cousins, nieces and nephews... J I think of the TV programs 'My Family' and ' Family Guy'. When it comes to marketing, families are looked into more ...  

Families normally live together and influence each other on the decisions they make..

(80% of UK purchasing decisions are made by women but 83% of 'creatives' are men) When people talk about families, initally these words come to my head, culture, values, perception, religion and groups...

n  Field (1969) identified three dimensions to determine relative influences of husband, wife, child -

n  discernment or technical know how

n  price - expensiveness - who pays

n  satisfaction - who uses

Who should the marketing organisations aim to attract ??/

•   Gatekeeper

n  User

n  Influencer

n  Buyer

n  Decider

The following things were dicussed in lecture:

n  http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1659

n  Women are more likely to shop (Women 75% men 53%)

n  Men are more likely to do DIY (Men 46%, Women 26%)

n  Men are more likely to use the internet (Men 49%, Women 40%)

n  Men are more likely to  play computer games (Men 27%, Women 12%)

n  Men are more likely to have shopped online (Men 58%, Women 48%)

n  Around twice the number of men had bought computer software and hardware and electronic equipment)

n  Women shopped on line for groceries (Women 24%, Men 17%)

Families must be looked in to when it comes to marketing as it might be difficult to decide on who to attract in the family, the user, buyer or decison maker... marketers need to look at this carefully.

Generation Marketing (Generation X)

Generation marketing is when the age is put into different generation groups so different age sectors can be targeted at in many different ways... All the different generations has its own needs and wants that need to be aimed at in different ways to attract them towards products and services. For example, generation X are people that have been around technology, these people are easier to target as they look at email adverts whereas the generation that are called baby boom, they don’t have much access to the internet. This blog will be looking at the generation X...

Businessdictionary.com defines generation X as ‘A label attributed to people born during the 1960s and 1970s. Members of Generation X are often described as cynical or disaffected, though this reputation obviously does not apply to all people born during this era. This generation has an increased understanding of technology, having grown up during the age of computers. Sometimes also shortened to Gen X’.

When marketing each generation it is important to target all generation’s in different ways as all the generations have different needs and wants. Marketing and advertising organisations must be aware of the different methods that need to be used to aim at different generation groups, this way they will attract more consumers. Generation X are more attracted to the adverts that are sent via email or are put up on social network sites, this is the reason why most marketing organisations advertise on computers.

In the lecture we were divided into groups and were set a task to look at the similarities and differences of two different generation groups. We compared the generation X to the generation Y. All groups had to create a PowerPoint presentation on our findings and present in lecture. One of the finding that we had found is that people in the generation X group were attracted to the adverts sent via email. Whereas generation Y were attracted to adverts which were placed on social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. To improve my understanding of the two generations I would spend more time researching on the two different generations.

Marketing to children

It is no secret that children watch a lot of television, as a result they are constantly bombarded with messages about consumption, both contained in commercial and in programmes themselves" (Solomon.2007)

Organisations market to children because children are alert of the product brands from a young age as they watch TV and adverts come on in between their programmes. This makes children aware of the products that are available. The rate for marketing to children has gone up over the last couple of years as a lot of money has been spent on marketing to children. Marketers market to children as they know they will convince parents to buy them the products or will save their pocket money to buy these branded products.

 

Marketing organisations take advantage of all the different types of methods that children live in... When children watch adverts on TV or see adverts in kid’s magazines, it makes them want the products being advertised. Normally all kids get what they want, there are many reasons as to why children get what they want, this is because some parents just want their kids to have everything they want... Some parents on the other hand might be separate and might be competing against each other to buy their kids good quality things...

Above is a picture to show how Mc donalds market to children, Mc donalds has a clown called Ronald Mc donald's, Mc donalds market to children by having this clown in adverts. In the picture above it shows that he is entertaining the kids... This is a method that Mc Donald's used to advertise to children. In the video below is an advert for the Mc donald's kid's happy meal.. they used toys and children in the advert to attract other children worldwide to have the happy meal at Mc Donald's...

In the lecture we found out that the birth rate in Britain has lowered down from 2.2. to 1.8, the reason for this is because people get married in the mid 20’s and wait till there are around the age of 28 before they start having children... Another thing that we found out in lecture is that there is an increase in the number of females that work now for that reason mother’s spend less time with their children therefore tend to buy them everything they want...

 <<< children crying for something they want >>>

In lecture as few video clips were played from sites such as YouTube, these video’s showed how the adverts persuade little children on buying the product, the videos shown in the lecture were very funny and very precise... There was a discussion held in the lecture about how marketers market children and why marketers market children. Most of the students in the lecture were saying how they used to see the adverts on TV and persuade their parents to buy the products... when I was young I used see things on TV and persuade my parents to buy me those things...

Segmentation, targeting & positioning

Segmentation
Segmentation is the procedure that an organisation goes through to segregate the market into different groups according to the different characteristics which might need different products...

Kotler (2000) “The subdividing of a market into homogenous (or similar) subsets of customers, where any subset may conceivably be selected as a target market to be reached with a distinct marketing mix”

Market researchers differentiate as it assists them to keep hold of existing consumers; it allows them to raise the value in some upper segments. This enhances brand loyalty as it meets the consumer’s needs and wants...

Most marketers segment their consumers in the following groups:

• Age
• Social class
• Gender
• Religion
• Race
• Income
• Family life cycle
• VALS
• ACORN

There are four main parts which market segments are put in, these are:

1. Demographic (Gender, age, income, family life cycle, education, race etc)
2. Psychographic (Personality & lifestyle)
3. Behavioural (Knowledge, attitude etc)
4. Geographic (Regions, counties, cities etc)

Targeting

Targeting is the procedure that a business goes through to evaluate the attractions of each group and choose the best choice...

Below are Doyle's factors to measure the attractiveness of the group:

• Segment size - potential consumers
• Segment growth - growing or declining market
• Segment profitability - Porter's five forces
• Current & potential competitiors - competitive analysis
• Core capabilities - strengths, weaknesses, assets etc

Positioning

Positioning is the procedure that an organisation goes through to choose the best target market and maintainable and appropriate advantage with value to the competition..

Group Conformity, opinion leaders and peer pressure....

A group is two or more people who have the same aim, have the same task to complete and have the same understanding...

A group can be described as a set of individuals working together to accomplish something... Businessdictionary.com defines group as "A collection of individuals who have regular contact and frequent interaction, mutual influence, common feeling of camaraderie, and who work together to achieve a common set of goals."

Groups have aims to achieve a target which they have set to accomplish. The aim of the group might be to complete a task or to encourage one another to build a better relationship between the group components.

There are many different types of groups; below is a list of different groups:

•  Aspiration
• Dissociative
• Associative     
• Formal group
• In-formal
• Peers
• Reference groups

Every individual fits in to a group...

Even if that’s university course group members, team mates, work mate’s family or friends... individuals all tend to believe they need to satisfy group members; therefore they pick up habits from group members around them.

Businessdictionary.com defines reference groups as "People whose attitudes, behavior, beliefs, opinions, preferences, and values are used by an individual as the basis for his or her judgment. One does not have to be (or even aspire to be) a member of a reference group to be negatively or positively influenced by its characteristics." Solomom et.al (1999) defines reference group as

'An actual or imaginary individual or group conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual's evaluations, aspirations, or behaviour'

Opinion Leaders

Businessdictionary.com defines opinion leaders as ‘Influential members of a community, group, or society to whom others turn for advice, opinions, and views.’ Businessdictionary.com also defines opinion leader as ‘Minority group (called early adopters) that passes information on new products (received from the media) to less adventuresome or not as well informed segments of the population. However, only products such as automobiles, books, and clothing are susceptible to such influencers whereas appliances, food, toiletries, etc., are not.’

Peer pressure

Dictionary.com defines peer pressure as ‘social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted.’

Peers everyday make loads o decisions everyday... these decisions are made by influences each other... individuals listen to their peers and make decisions depending on the advice given by peers..

Every individual has been through peer pressure.... I have also been peer pressured because i was influenced by the group I used to hang around with to smoke... Individuals smoke to satisfy the group they associate with..  

Valuesss

Lecture on values is about how and individual is influenced to look at things in a different way.  The dictionary.com defines values as ‘the ideals, customs, institutions, etc of a society towards which the peopleof the group have an affective regard. The values maybe positive, as cleaniness, freedom, or education, or negative, as cruelty, crime or blasphemy.’ Value has many different definitions. I believe values are those things that affect an individual, its their beliefs and something that means something to them. An exmaple of a value is caring for someone. Values come from beliefs, family and culture, the values an individual has depends on how the individual is bought up.

 

Values are like a bike that rides a person through life... Values are aspects that affect an individual’s behaviour towards making everyday important decisions. A value of mine obtaining qualifications, my degree (education). This is important to me as I believe no one can take away my qualifications away from me as I have worked to achieve them.

Below is a formula that shows how values determine an individuals behaviour:



Source: Trionics USA - What forces drive you? (2009)

Values can defined as a belief about some desirable end-state, that transcends specifics situations and guides selection of behaviour (Solomon et al. 1999 2nd edition pg 198).

Below are Kahle's list of values (1983):

-Sense of belonging
-Excitment
-Warm relationships with others
-Self-fulfullment-Being well respected-Fun and enjoyment in life
-Secuirty
-Self-respect
-Sense of accomplishment 

Below is list of values that are important to me:

1.       Religion - parents have brought up to believe

2.       Family

3.       Trust

4.       Education - security

5.       Self respect

6.       Having fun

Below is  TIMELINE  which I created to show the main dates that affected the public and me....

12^th November 1989 – I was born (My birth date)

19^th January 1991 – Brother was born

February 1992 – First holiday to Pakistan

7^th August 1994 – Brother was born

August 1997 – Death of Princess Diana

30^th March 2000 – Sister was born

September 2001 – Twin towers & started secondary school

December 2002 – Brother was born

December 2004 – Tsunami

August 2003 – Hurricane Katrina

July 2005 – London bombing

June 2006 – End of secondary school

August 2006 – Boarding school

July 2007 – Holiday to Pakistan

September 2007 – Start of sixth form

June 2010 – End of sixth form

July 2010 – Pakistan floods

September 2010 – Start of university

November 2010 – Tuition fees rise

Laddering techniques

Engel Kollat - the blackwell model and The Howard Sheth Model.

The Blackwell model “used concepts of behavioural science in an attempt to model, in a way both detailed and capable of general applications, the process which the consumers must go through in decision.” (Tuck 1976) This model is designed to show the development in the amount of knowledge in customer’s behaviour. In the model there are five stages, this involves problem recognition, alternate evaluation, search for alternatives and purchase and outcomes. It is not essential for the customers to go through all those stages.

The customers would get data from marketing and non marketing research; this would influence the problem recognition. This is the first stage of the decision making process for the customer. If the customers have still not come to a final decision, the consumer would go to the next stage of the Blackwell model.

Engel Kollat-The Blackwell Model

The Howard - Sheth Model

Howard and Sheth’s model on consumer behavior was introduced in 1969. This model makes it simple for customers to make a decision. There are three stages in this model. The first stage is the extensive problem solving stage, the second stage is the limited problem solving and the third stage is the habitual response behavior. At the first stage of the Howard's and Sheth’s model the customers do not have much information about the brand, at this stage customers will carry out research to find out about the brand. At the second stage customers have some information at the product or brand. At the final stage of the model, the consumer will have enough information on the product or brand to make a fair decision on buying the product or not.