CHAPTER 2: A Framework for Consumer Behavior - The Wheel of Consumer Analysis

Consumer Affect and Cognition

Two types of mental responses consumers exhibit towards stimuli and events in their environment.

Affect

Consumers' feelings about stimuli and events, including emotions, feeling states, moods, and attitudes.

Cognition

Consumers' thinking processes, including knowledge, meaning, beliefs, and understanding of stimuli and events.

Consumer Behavior

The physical actions of consumers that can be directly observed and measured.

Overt Behavior

Consumer actions that can be observed and distinguished.

Covert Behavior

Consumer actions that cannot be observed and distinguished.

Consumer Environments

External factors that influence consumers' thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Social Stimuli

Actions of others in cultures, subcultures, social classes, reference groups, and families that influence consumers.

Physical Stimuli

Store environments, products, advertisements, and signs that can change consumers’ thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Reciprocal System

A system where any element can be either a cause or an effect of a change at any particular time.

Comprehensive Analysis

Any analysis of consumers must consider all three elements (affect, cognition, behavior) and their relationships.

Starting Point for Analysis

Any of the three elements (affect, cognition, behavior) may serve as the starting point for consumer analysis.

Dynamic View

Recognizes that consumers can continuously change over time.

Society, Industry, Market Segment, Individual

Consumer analysis can be applied at several levels:

Marketing Strategy

A set of stimuli placed in consumers’ environments designed to influence their affect, cognition, and behavior.