Consumer Behavior Exam 2

Self Image Congruence models

• Products will be chosen when their attributes match some aspect of the self

  • These models assume a process of cognitive matching between product attributes and the consumer's self-image 

  • People select self-image based on the context they are in 

ex: coats outdoorsy north face fashionable burbery

Are we what we buy?

Actual self-image

how consumers see themselves

ex: health conscious so buys organic foods and health tracking devices gym memberships

what you are

Ideal self-image 

how consumers would like to see themselves

what you want to be 

Social self-image

how consumers feel others see them

how you are believed to be by others

Luxury handbags (Coach, Gucci, Louis Vuitton): A consumer might think others see them as fashionable and sophisticated when carrying a designer bag.

Ideal social self-image

how consumers would like others to see them

How consumers would like others to see them — the image they hope to project to society.

Rolex: A consumer wears a Rolex watch because they want others to see them as wealthy, powerful, and successful.

Symbolic self-completion theory

• People who have an incomplete self-definition tend to complete this identity when they acquire and display symbols that associate with that role

• When we lose treasured possessions, our self-identity could get hurt

The looking glass self 

• Core Idea: Self-concept develops from imagining how others see us.

• Focus: Social perception shapes identity.

• Example: A student sees themselves as “smart” because peers praise their work.

• Tip to remember: “I see myself through others’ eyes.” Think mirror = reflection of social feedback

The Extended Self

1. Individual - personal possessions - Someone’s iPhone or smartwatch might feel like part of their identity because it holds their photos, contacts, and personal data — it’s an extension of themselves.

2. Family - house and furnishings - A family might keep their grandmother’s antique dining table as a symbol of connection and shared history.

3. Community - neighborhood/hometown - Someone who says, “I’m from Chicago” might wear Chicago merchandise or cheer for the Bulls because it’s part of their identity.

4. Group - social groups (flags, sports teams, frats & sororities) - A person who proudly wears their college sweatshirt or a Dallas Cowboys jersey is expressing their identity through group membership.

Embodied/ Enclothed Cognition

States of the body modify states of the mind

Comprehend a pleasant sentence faster

Formal clothing helps one feel authoritative and powerful

If we understand consumer and their multiple selves, ads can be more relevant/effective

The ABC Model of Attitudes  A

• Affect (affective component) - the way a consumer feels about the object 

  • I love Surstromming 

The ABC Model of Attitudes  B

• Behavior (conative component) - the intention to do something regarding the object 

  • I do NOT want to try Sustromming

 The ABC Model of Attitudes  C

• Cognition (cognative component ) - beliefs (know) that the consumer has about the object (eg , pros and cons)

  • Sutstromming stinks!

High Involvement (Car)

CAB (Cognitiion, affect, behavior)

Low Involvement (Pencil)

CBA (Cognition, behavior Affect)

Experitentail (Giant lolipop)

Affect - behavior - cognition

• Impulse purchases, hedonic consumption

Mutii - Attribute Attitude Model

Regarding attitudes as being affected by attributes of the product or service, consumers ' beliefs, and the importance consumers place on the item's attributes

Theory of Reasoned Action

measures the intentions of future behavior best predictor is intention to act

SOCIAL PRESSURE strong influence of others on our behavior, by measuring the subjective norm

compliance 

The consumer adopts an attitude to gain rewards or avoid punishment, not because they truly believe in it

identification

The consumer adopts an attitude to fit in with a particular group or emulate someone they admire.

internalization

The consumer adopts an attitude because it truly reflects their personal values and beliefs.

Self - Perception Theory

• We observe out own beliefs to determine our attitudes

Self-perception theory: endowment effect  

• IKEA effect)

• We observe our own behavior to determine our attitudes

• IKEA EFFECT (Endowment Effect)

  • We have a tendency to place higher value on things that we have expended effort to create them.

Consistency Principle

• Consistency Principle 

• We value/ seek harmony among thoughts and beliefs regarding one attitude object (Cognitive Dissonance)

• We will change attitudinal components to make them consistent 

Balance Theory

• Considers how a person might perceive relations among different attitude objects and how he/she might alter attitudes to maintain consistency 

• We tend to maintain consistent attitudes toward two related objects

Source Factors

Expertise and trustworthiness (buzzfeed guy and doctor) energy drinks are bad for you

Sources of Attractivenesss

• Social value related to physical appearance, personality, social status, and similarity

Nestle water is less attractive than the Svalbaroi water

Celebrity Endorsements

• like or look up to someone you might be more convinced to buy the product  

Message factors One-sided

• Supportive arguments 

• Honest, sincere care, objective 

Message factors Two-sided

• Both positive (primary) and negative info (should NOT be major issues)

• Two-sided messages are effective with well-educated and not yet loyal consumers

Refutational argument

is especially effective - a negative issue is raised, then dismissed

Message appeals - Humor Appeal 

Benefits
Attention
• High recall
• Improves brand image/awareness
• Improve the mood
• High involvement
Effective when it is related to
some benefit that the
customer can derive without
which the joke might
overpower the message

elaboration likelihood model

• Requires lots of cognitive efforts
  • Attention and careful analysis
  used to judge message merit
  • More successful in long-term
  attitude change (stable)
  • Occurs in ways that involve few
  cognitive efforts
  • Short-term success, but attitude
  change may weaken over time
  (unstable)

• theory of persuasion that explains how people process persuasive messages and how those messages can lead to attitude change

Predictors of Central and Peripheral Processing

• Involvement
  Perceived relevance of the object based on inherent needs, values, and interests.

• Motivation
  The driving force behind human actions

• Ability to think
  Available cognitive resources and prior knowledge

• Personality Traits
  e.g., need for cognition

Habitual decision making (hamburger)

• A decision is the selection of an option from two ot more alternative choices

• The choice we make with little or no conscious effort 

• Find a satisfying (“good enough”) solution

Brand Loyalty

• is a form of repeat purchasing behavior reflecting a conscious decision to continue buying the same brand.

• Active involvement 

• Emotional/objective reasons

Inertia

• Many people buy the same product/brand every time due to Inertia

  • A product/brand is brought out of habit merely because less effort is required

Cognitive Decision making (coach bag)

• The choices we make rationally and deliberatively 

• Active and effortful problem solving 

• find a maximizing solution

Step 1 :Problem recognition

• We recognize problem when Actual state ≠ Desired state

• Need recognition actual state declines 

  • My TV is broken

• Opportunity recognition ideal state moves upward

  • There is a new model launched

step 2: Information search

• Types of Search

  • Pre-purchase search 

  • Ongoing search - browsing used by veteran shoppers for up-to-date information

• Information Sources 

  • Internal search - memory scan 

  • External search - info obtained from ads, websites, friends etc

Determinants of Search

Expertise / Knowledge - meaning search first increases, then decreases as knowledge grows.

Risk - As perceived risk increases, the amount of search usually increases — but only up to a point.

Step 3: Evaluate Alternatives 

• Evalative Criteria: Dimensions we use to judge the mertie of competing options 

Important product attributes

The Consideration Set (also called the Evoked Set)

This is the group of brands or products a consumer actually considers when making a purchase decision.

• Out of all the possible brands in the market (the total set), consumers typically only seriously evaluate a few.

• For example:
  If there are 20 sneaker brands on the market, you might only consider Nike, Adidas, and New Balance — that’s your consideration (evoked) set.

The set of brands a consumer is aware of and actively considers as acceptable options during the decision process.

Evoked

• Brands the consumer will consider purchasing.

• They are seen as acceptable and favorable options.

• Example: Nike, Adidas, New Balance.

Inert Set

• Brands the consumer is aware of but feels neutral about — neither positive nor negative.

• They might not stand out or seem different enough to consider right now, but could be reconsidered later.

• Example: Puma or Reebok — you know them, but they don’t stand out.

Inept Set

• Brands the consumer actively dislikes or rejects.

• These are viewed as unacceptable or unworthy of consideration.

• Example: Skechers — maybe you think they’re low quality or not stylish.

Step 4: Product Choice

• Compensatory rules: allow the product to be evaluated on multiple dimensions: Positives can offset negatives 

  • Consumers must be motivated to process complex information 

• Non-compensatory rules: If a product does NOT meet a minimum criterion, the item is not chosen 

• Lexicographic Rule

  • Choose the brand that scores highest on the most important attribute.

  • Example: You care most about battery life → pick the phone with the best battery, even if the camera is average.

  • Establish minimum acceptable levels for all attributes — product must meet all.

  • Example: You won’t buy a car unless it’s under $30,000, gets 30+ MPG, and has 4+ safety stars.

Lexicographic rule

select the brand that is the best on the most important attribute

Conjunctive rule:

eliminates options based on not meeting several; criteria

Step 5: Post - purchase 

The post-purchase stage occurs after the consumer buys and uses a product, and it focuses on how the consumer evaluates their decision and overall satisfaction.

Limited decision making

• people have already purchased product before but not regularly

• moderate degree of perceived risk

• prices of products range between low to moderate

• evaluation of few alternative brands

• moderate involvement in selection process

• purchasing process is shorter

• heavily rely on heuristics (mental shortcuts)

• skip the extended decision making process  

Heuristics used in consume decision

metal short cut to decision making 

• country of origin

• familiar brand names

• higher prices

• incentives

• scarcity

Rational appeal vs Emotional appeal

Rational appeal is easy to recall then emotional appeal