Chapter 5: Consumer Behavior
environmentalism
a broad philosophy and social movement that seeks conservation and improvement of the natural environment
brand community
a group of consumers who share a set of social relationships based upon usages or interest in a product
consumer tribe
a group of people who share a lifestyle and who can identify with each other because of a shared allegiance to an activity or a product
subculture
a group within a society whose members share a distinctive set of beliefs, characteristics, or common experiences.
attitude
a learned predisposition to respond favorably or unfavorably to stimuli on the basis of relatively enduring evaluations of people, objects, and issues
green marketing
a marketing strategy that supports environmental stewardship by creating a differential benefit in the minds of consumers
family life cycle
a means of characterizing consumers within a family structure on the basis of different stages through which people pass as they grow older
heuristics
a mental rule of thumb that leads to a speedy decision by simplifying the process
brand loyalty
a pattern of repeat product purchases, accompanied by an underlying positive attitude toward the brand, that is based on the belief that the brand makes products superior to those of its competition.
environmental stewardship
a position taken by an organization to protect or enhance the natural environment as it conducts its business activities
learning
a relatively permanent change in behavior caused by acquired information or experience
metrosexual
a straight, urban male who is keenly interested in fashion, home design, gourmet cooking, and personal care
operant conditioning
learning that occurs as the result of rewards or punishments
Kyoto Protocol
A global agreement among countries that aims at reducing greenhouse gases that create climate change
opinion leader
A person who is frequently able to influence others; attitudes or behaviors by virtue of his active interest and expertise in one or more product categories
consumerism
A social movement that attempts to protect consumers from harmful business practices
greenwashing
Environmentally-friendly claims that are exaggerated or untrue
information search
The process whereby a consumer searches for appropriate information to make a reasonable decision.
Perceived risk
The belief that choice of a product has potentially negative consequences, whether financial, physical, and/or social.
evaluative criteria
The dimensions consumers use to compare competing product alternatives
behavioral targeting
The marketing practice by which marketers deliver advertisements for products a consumer is looking for by watching what the consumer does on-line.
consumer behavior
The process involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use, and dispose of goods, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy their needs and desires.
problem recognition
The process that occurs whenever the consumer sees a significant difference between his current state of affairs and some desired or ideal state; this recognition initiates the decision-making process.
reference group
an actual or imaginary individual or group that has a significant effect on an individual's evaluations, aspirations, or behavior.
hierarchy of needs
an approach that categorizes motives according to five levels of importance, the more basic needs being on the bottom of the hierarchy and the higher needs at the top
self-concept
an individual's self-image that is composed of a mixture of beliefs, observations, and feelings about personal attributes.
motivation
an internal state that drives us to satisfy needs by activating goal-oriented behavior
stimulus generalization
behavior caused by a reaction to one stimulus occurs in the presence of other similar stimuli.
observational learning
learning that occurs when people watch the actions of others and note what happens to them as a result
social network services
online applications that use software to build online communities of people who share interests and activities
blog
online personal journals similar to webpages, but a different technology lets people upload a few sentences without going through the more elaborate process of updating a website
gender roles
society's expectations regarding the appropriate attitudes, behaviors, and appearance for men and women
subliminal advertising
supposedly hidden messages in markers' communications
cognitive dissonance
the anxiety or regret a consumer may feel after choosing from among several similar attractive choices
behavior
the doing component of attitudes; involves consumer's intention to do something, such as the intention to purchaser uses certain product.
attention
the extend to which a person devotes mental processing to a particular stimulus
exposure
the extent to which a stimulus is capable of being registered by a person's sensory receptors
affect
the feeling component of attitudes; refers to the overall emotional response a person has to a product
mass-class
the hundreds of millions of global consumers who now enjoy a level of purchasing power that's sufficient to let them afford high-quality products--except for big-ticket items like college educations, housing, or luxury cars.
cognition
the knowing component of attitudes; refers to the beliefs or knowledge a person has about a product and its important characteristics
classical conditioning
the learning that occurs when a stimulus eliciting a response is paired with another stimulus that initially does not elicit a response on its own but will cause a similar response over time because of its association with the first stimulus.
consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction
the overall feelings or attitude a person has about a product after purchasing it.
social class
the overall rank or social standing of groups of people within a society according tot he value assigned to factors such as family background, education, occupation, and income
lifestyle
the pattern of living that determines how people choose to spend their time, money, and energy and that reflects their values, tastes, and preferences.
perception
the process by which people select, organize, and interpret information from the outside world
interpretation
the processor assigning meaning to a stimulus based on prior associations a person has with and assumptions he makes about it
Involvement
the relative importance of perceived consequences of the purchase to a consumer.
personality
the set of unique psychological characteristics that consistently influences the way a person responds to situations in the environment.
psychographics
the use of psychological, sociological, and anthropological factors to construct market segments
culture
the values, beliefs, customs, and tastes a group of people values
behavioral learning theories
theories of learning that focus on how consumer behavior is changed by external events or stimuli
cognitive learning theory
theory of learning that stresses the importance of internal mental processes and that views people as problem solvers who actively use information from the world around them to master their environment.
status symbols
visible markers that provide a way for people to flaunt their membership in higher social classes (or at least to make others believe they are members)