Consumer_Psychology

Consumer Psychology and Marketing Communication Article Analysis PSY/322 April 16, 2012 Juan Bates Consumer Psychology and Marketing Communication Article Analysis A consumer is everyone and as a consumer people like to think that they are independent thinkers who make their own choices, they do not like to be thought of as being “sold” on goods and services. However, based on the amount of “exposure” to goods and services, consumers are in actuality influenced by marketing, advertising, research firms, institutions and sales people, who present consumers with what they believe the consumer likes, wants and/or needs. Self-satisfaction is a word that is used when it comes to consumers. Is this conclusion really what the consumers want, like or need or is the consumer being persuaded' Research experts, marketers, sales, advertisers, and the government have a vital impact on all the decision of what can and does influence the consumer with what they want the consumer to like, want and need through their calculable methods. Simple put this is consumer psychology, which is the study of how people (consumers) relate to goods and services. In order to find an innocent consumer and evaluate this person to see if persuasion does effect buying power, the study would have to involve an innocent or naïve young consumer or a consumer who it not exposed to advertisement or marketing influence. Consumer psychology is a very broad subject and it is important to remember that most of a consumer decision to buy is emotional in aspect. Companies will hire experts or specialist to evaluate and study the consumer and their perceived value of their selections and purchased and this study will included everything from the packaging to the behavior of parents as consumers. In a 2005 study at Clemson University, Bryan Denham posted conclusions on Sage Journals Online about youth, society, and role of social status on sports participation among high school students and college athletes. The affects of personal social behavior and influences from environmental factors were used as controls to measure the attitudes about competition, and social attitudes influenced by materialism and advertising in the Untied States. Certain groups tended to be most influenced: first men, second those who socialized the most and third those who participated the most in school-sponsored sports. In addition to the persuasion of the above groups, other factors surfaced to include the potential controls for persuasion by sex, race, and exposure to print media. (Denham Bryan, 2009) This study clearly shows advertisers the benefits of targeting the high school market and the benefits to market within the sex-appropriate sports for the social status, which would include football, soccer, basketball, hockey, and baseball. Most large top ranked companies offer some type of sports apparel, which targets the sports, named, and are targeted towards schools such as high schools, colleges, university and young males, who are active or participate in sports. In another similar study, the Journal of Consumer Psychology reports a study on Understanding Materialism Among Youth. (Goldberg, et al, 2003) The study developed a Youth Materialism Style, which showed that materialist youths, shop more, buy more, and save less. These youths have a controlling power over their parents when it comes to choices and decision in what to buy. The study also shows that when it comes to attitude towards materialism, children tend to intimate their parents thoughts and actions. Advertisers used this study to assist them in identifying the “tween” market as a group to be targeted and persuaded by flashy advertising, packaging, and promotions. Several companies use the priorities of the consumers as a foundation in their marketing guidelines. These companies view the consumer as a science with little left to guess and the numbers and the data guide much of the business. In a study of Nike in Sweden, researchers studied young consumers for the effects that influence of persuasions to buy certain types of shoes with Nike as the model had on them. Several theories were tested: 1) Consumer behavior and 2) Consumer involvement in brand. The study used questionnaires and description by the consumer data to be analyzed. The authors attempted to find out based on the questionnaire is what made the students want to buy Nike brand shoes and what influence did Nike have on the students as potential consumers. Both male and female students overwhelmingly reported that the influence came from several sources such as media print ads, television, magazines and newspapers and that they had the desire to purchase something that was considered stylish. There were also students who reported that the preferred the comfort and quality of the shoes. The students acknowledge that they were aware that Nike is known to market the combination of the “cool” shoes with style, comfort, and performance. The results also showed that even younger groups of students could easily identify the higher price of the shoes and the more complex the decision and the more risk there was of satisfaction. (Sprungman, Krishna 2008) These studies show that consumers are emotional and they practice evaluation and analysis in their individual buying decisions. Consumer psychology can be used as a protective measure and it can be used as a persuasive tool. Consumer psychology is an important science and most business people practice it by intuition even if they are not aware of it as a formal field of study. References Consumer Psychology and Marketing, PsychInfo, American Psychological Association, Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pubs/librarians/guides/psycinfo-consumer-psych.pdf Denham, Bryan E., Youth Sports Participation and Attitudes Toward Societal Competition, Concern for material Items and the Consequences of Manipulative Advertising. (2009) Retrieved from http://yas.sagepub.com/content/41/1/124.short Goldberg, Marvin, Gorn, Gerald J., Peracchio, Laura A., Barnossy, Gary. Understanding Materialism Among Youth Journal of Consumer Psychology. (2003) Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/pss/1480217 Sprungaram, Narsimha Vamshi Krishna. Assessing Youth’s Buying Behaviour towards Sports Shoes, A Case Study of Nike, University of Halmstad (2008) Retrieved from http://www.essays.se/essay/480cdb3c43/