FREE online courses on Consumer Behaviour and Motivation - How Buyers
Perceive Themselves and the Products
Buyers see themselves and the products they buy in terms of
images. Patterns of buying behavior are influenced by the images. Consumers have
images of different products, particular brands, companies retail outlets and of
themselves in their minds. As the images affect consumers buying behavior,
marketers take them into account in drafting promotional plans. Differences
among individual products, brands and the like result in different images and
motivation research is used not only to identify the nature of images but to
detect the implications for marketing action.
Self image: Self
image is the picture a person has of himself, the kind of person he considers
himself to be and the kind of person that he imagines that others consider him
to be. A basic tenet of motivation research is that in many buying situations,
an individual prefers to buy those products and brands whose images appear
consistent with his or her self‑image.
The brand image:
In the minds of the consumers familiar with a particular brand, there tends to
be a considerable consistency in the brand image or as it is sometimes called
the “brand personality.” But for compelling brands there are usually distinctive
images in the minds of consumer.
In numerous cases a brand image has developed without the
managements intending it. Whether or not a particular brand image was shaped
deliberately, management should identify its nature precisely. Otherwise
ignorance of the brand image may result in poorly planned promotional programs.
According to Festinger when a person makes a decision,
dissonance or discomfort will almost always occur. The person making the
decision knows that it has certain disadvantages as well as advantages. After
making his decision, the person tends to expose himself to information that he
perceives as likely to support his choice and to avoid information that may
favour the rejected alternatives. Customers suffering from cognitive dissonance
may need reassurance that their decision are or were wise ones. This can be
accomplished by providing information that permits them to rationalize their
decisions.
Buying motivation of industrial users: Industrial users tend
to be more rational in their buying than do ultimate consumers. Industrial users
buy to fill in needs of their organization and these needs normally are of a
very practical nature. Thus even industrial purchases may be made on emotional
bases as in the case of the purchasing agent who buys from a particular supplier
only because the salesman is a good friend of him.
