Consumer behavior ch 7

Emotional Appeals in Advertising

Advertisements often use feelings such as fear, guilt, nostalgia, humor, and sexual excitement to sell products. It is often tempting to try to create ads that appeal to everyone by using emotional appeals and rational appeals, or logical arguments.

Motivations influence the direction of behavior in two ways

1. Approach 2. Avoidance

There are three ways that you can bring about balance to this triad:

1. Change your attitude. 2. Deny the relationship. 3. Differentiate the relationships.

Attitude Function Theory, four functions

1. Knowledge function 2. Value-expressive function 3. Ego-expressive function 4. Adjustment function

Excitation transfer theory

Because consumers are bad at interpreting their emotional states, the excitation or arousal produced by one stimulus (e.g., exciting media events, exercise, stimulants, discrepancies, interruptions) can transfer or spillover to other stimuli. Excitation transfer theory rests on four key principles of emotion: 1. Arousal is nonspecific with respect to emotion (i.e., arousal intensifies both positive and negative emotions). 2. People are insensitive to small changes in arousal. 3. People often look for a single cause for their arousal, even when there are multiple causes. 4. Physiological arousal dissipates at a slower rate than perceived arousal. These principles suggest that a narrow window exists in which arousal can transfer from one stimulus to the next, thereby intensifying the emotional experience attributed to the second stimulus. At this intermediate point in time, an individual is still aroused from the original stimulus, but because the stimulus event has passed (e.g., the movie is over), the person doesn't perceive that he is still aroused.

Self-regulation

Consumers often have admirable goals that they fail to reach due to problems with self-regulation, or self-control or willpower. Self-regulation is necessary for making good decisions and avoiding bad ones. Self-regulation is controlled by an inner psychological resource called the ego

Ego depletion

Depleting or using up cognitive resources during a choice task often results in poorer choice decisions. However, depleting resources for one task can also leave fewer resources for subsequent tasks.

Discrepancy-Interruption Theory

Discrepancies or surprises and interruptions or unexpected events that prevent us from pursuing a goal that we are currently trying to achieve also increase arousal and emotion. Discrepancies increase arousal or alertness and wake us up because they often require our immediate attention. Interruptions also increase arousal and require immediate attention. Small discrepancies or small surprises produce positive emotions because they are usually mildly interesting and thought-provoking. On the other hand, large discrepancies or big surprises usually produce negative emotions because they suggest that our current expectations are completely wrong. Because small surprises are good, new products that are slightly different from other, more familiar products produce a positive emotional response, leading to positive evaluations of the products. Because big surprises are bad, new products that are completely different from other, more familiar products produce a negative emotional response, leading to negative evaluations of the products, at least initially.

Self-regulatory

Eating radishes while smelling chocolate chip cookies uses up self-regulatory resources, leaving fewer resources for follow-up tasks.

Attitude function (Promotional vs Prevention)

Knowledge Promotion focused- Factual appeals and logical arguments Prevention focused- Mystery and surprise Value expression Promotion focused- Image appeals, celebrity Prevention focused- nerd alert ads Ego defense Promotion focused- Authority figures experts Prevention focused- fear appeals Adjustment Promotion focused- Pleasure Prevention focused- Pain

Cognitive dissonance theory

Most people assume that attitudes influence behavior, but cognitive dissonance theory suggests the reverse: behavior can also influence attitudes. According to cognitive dissonance theory, consumers strive for consonance, or consistency between a specific behavior and an attitude related to that behavior. Dissonance, or behavior-attitude inconsistency, produces an unpleasant tension, referred to as dissonance arousal. When it occurs, people are motivated to reduce the dissonance by changing their attitude to match the behavior that was performed. This "spreading of the alternatives" occurs because making a decision is difficult, and people need to readjust their attitudes to justify their decisions. The more difficult a decision, the more people convince themselves that the chosen product is desirable and the rejected product is undesirable.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs basic to complex

No need is ever completely satisfied, but a person cannot progress upward along Maslow's hierarchy until lower level needs are primarily satisfied 1. Physiological 2. Safety 3. Love/Belonging 4. Esteem 5. Self-actualization

The trio of needs

Some consumer researchers believe that Maslow's list of needs can be simplified to three key elements particularly important for consumer behavior. The need for power refers to the consumer's desire to control other people, objects (e.g., money), and the environment (e.g., one's home or work). because power increases the likelihood that the consumer can acquire the things he or she wants. The need for affiliation refers to the need for belongingness and friendship or the desire to be a member of a personally important social group. People with high affiliation needs are socially dependent and choose products they feel others will approve of. 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.

Self-determination theory

This theory builds on Maslow's hierarchy of needs by distinguishing between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation refers to the desire to pursue an activity or goal for its own sake, rather than for an extrinsic reward, such as money. Extrinsic motivation refers to the desire to pursue an activity or goal in order to receive a reward, such as money or praise. According to self-determination theory, intrinsic motivation is highest when autonomy, belonging, and competence (the ABCs of self-determination) are high.

Balance theory

This theory focuses on the degree of consistency among three elements: ␣␣ p, the person or consumer who receives a persuasive message ␣ o, the other person (e.g., a friend, salesperson, or spokesperson) who recommends a particular product or service ␣␣ x, a stimulus such as a particular product or service 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). Balanced relationships are learned more quickly, are more memorable, and are rated as more pleasant. Consumers like balanced triads.

Affect Confirmation Theory

This theory suggests that affect or mood can also influence how consumers use product attribute information.26 Instead of a direct input for judgment, as the mood-as-information model suggests, mood can alter the weighting of product attribute information. When consumers are in a good mood, positive attributes tend to be weighted more heavily. When consumers are in a bad mood, negative attributes tend to be weighted more heavily. Affective experiences or feelings are intensified when they are accompanied by physiological arousal or excitation of the sympathetic nervous system.

Feelings-as-Information Theory

This theory suggests that mood and other types of feelings are often treated like any other piece of information, and this information is integrated along with other information when consumers form an overall evaluation of a product. The effect is more pronounced for hedonic products, or products consumers use to enjoy positive experiences, than for instrumental products, or products consumers use to solve a problem. When consumers realize that their feelings were influenced by irrelevant sources, however, they discount the informational value of their feelings and try to ignore them. When it is easy to think of reasons for liking a product, consumers often infer that there must be many reasons for liking the product. Conversely, when it is difficult to think of reasons for liking a product, consumers often infer that there must be few reasons for liking the product.

Emotion

a person's affect- feeling and moods- plus arousal

Prevention focused adjustment appeals...

adjustment appeals are particularly useful for products that help consumers avoid pain, such as pain relievers

2. Value-expressive function

communicate important beliefs to others and help consumers interact with each other more efficiently. Image appeals are useful for changing attitudes that serve the value-expressive function.

promotion-focused adjustment appeals...

focus on the benefits of guilty pleasures, such as high-calorie foods and beverages and entertainment products that no one wants to admit they like

Innate needs or primary needs

food, clothing, shelter, etc

4. Adjustment function

help consumers approach pleasure and avoid pain more quickly and efficiently. Finally, hedonic (or pleasure/pain) appeals are useful for changing attitudes that serve the adjustment function.

3. Ego-defensive function

help consumers feel safe and secure and good about themselves. Authority and fear appeals are useful for changing attitudes that serve the ego-defensive function.

Motivation

motivation and emotions encourage consumers to act. Motivation is the driving force that moves or incites us to act and is the underlying bias of all behavior.

Needs

motivation begins when a person feels a need that requires satisfaction. In general, needs are desires that arise when a consumer's current state does not match the consumers preferred state.

Avoidance

movement away from an undesired object or outcome

Approach

movement toward a desired object or outcome

Psychological needs

needs are learned as we grow and are socialized, such as needs for affection, companionship, power, self-esteem, and intellectual stimulation. Wants are learned manifestation of our needs

Adjustment appeals focus

on simple hedonism, or the pleasure/pain principle. Consumers buy some types of products simply because they taste good (e.g., ice cream, candy, and other unhealthy but tasty foods and beverages) or feel good (e.g., alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes). In the same vein,Prevention-focused ego-defensive appeal. consumers avoid some types of products because they taste bad (e.g., mouthwash, fiber cereals), or feel bad (e.g., pharmaceuticals that improve one's health despite aversive side effects, such as blood pressure medicines).

Goal

once a need is aroused, a state of tension is created that energizes a person to reduce or eliminate the need, returning to a preferred state called the goal. This tension is called the DRIVE, and the degree or amount of tension influences the urgency with which actions are taken to return to the desired goal-state

Drive theory

one of the earliest theories of motivation. maintains that people have several basic physiological needs, such as need for food, water, etc. When people do not get enough of these needs a source of energy known as drive compels them to behave in ways that reduce these drives

Stroop task

or a color naming task in which color words were printed in different colors

Needs are aroused via three routes:

physiological, emotional, cognitive. Physical changes in the body trigger need arousal. Ex stomach growls when you haven't eaten in a while. Emotions lead to need arousal. Ex feeling board or frustrated at work may lead to the need for vacation. Arousal can come from our thoughts. Recalling the date of your mother's birthday mat prompt a need to purchase and send her a gift.

Regulatory focus theory

suggests that consumers regulate or control their behavior by using either a promotion focus or a prevention focus. A promotion focus is concerned with the presence or absence of positive outcomes and with aspirations and accomplishment. A prevention focus is concerned with the presence or absence of negative outcomes and with protection and responsibilities.

1. Knowledge function

summarize large amounts of information to simplify the world and help consumers make decisions. Info an facts are useful for changing attitudes that serve the knowledge function

Physiological needs

the most basic needs experienced by people.

Promotion focused, ego defensive appeals...

use authority figures (e.g., political leaders, religious leaders, police officers) or experts (e.g., doctors, lawyers, executives) to convince consumers to change their attitudes about products and services

Valuation and devaluation effect

when consumers are extremely hungry, the rate food products as more desirable (valuation effect), and they rate nonfood products as less desirable (devaluation effect). The devaluation effect is usually larger than the valuation effect, and these effects occur only when powerful emotions are present.

Post-purchase dissonance is especially likely when the decision

␣␣ is important. ␣␣ involves giving up positive features of a rejected alternative or accepting negative features of a chosen alternative. ␣␣ involves alternatives that are similar in terms of overall desirability.