Consumer Psychology

Abstract

Professor Mark Crispin Miller of NYU assesses that “What advertising has always wanted to do is not simply to suffuse the atmosphere but to become the atmosphere. It wants us not to be able to find a way outside of the world that it creates for us” (Goodman, Rushkoff, & Dretzin, 2003). Welcome to the matrix. A world where consumers are simple commodities used to power the advertising machine; mined for their coolness, their emotional responses to words, and their primal needs and desires. In this world, advertisers have all the power, or so they would have us believe. For years, marketers have employed varying methods trying to understand the psychology of the consumer mind. They have studied, engaged, and enticed with the hope of making us believe that we only want what they say we want. Arguably, there is a thin line between advertiser wants and consumer needs and vice versa.  But current consumers are more complex than ever, and advertisers are forced to be as creative as possible to woo them. 

 

Treatment

Advertisers have long used traditional methods of persuasion as outlined by masters in the field to understand the consumer mind. In the early 90’s, this took the form of “pseudo-spiritual marketing” as labeled by author Naomi Klein (Goodman, Rushkoff, & Dretzin, 2003). This meant that brands began to sell themselves as being about more than just products, but about concepts, such as community, transcendence, or racial diversity (Goodman et al, 2003). They deduced that people were as loyal to brands as cults are to their leaders, because we all have a need to belong, to join with others to make meaning of the world around us.  This idea was further corroborated by research (Robson, 2009) that indicted activities done in groups, in unison, engendered loyalty. “Loyalty beyond reason” a CEO from a top advertising agency suggested was what companies needed in order to make big profits (Goodman et al, 2003). Companies hired marketing gurus, like Clotaire Rapaille and Frank Luntz, to help them determine how to build costumer loyalty.

Although Rapaille and Luntz had distinctly different ideas about what motivated consumers, they both understood the power of influence. Rapaille asserted that basic instinctual impulses influenced consumer behaviors. Decision-making abilities, he determined, exist beyond the conscious mind, beyond the emotions, at our primal cores (“Interview: Clotaire Rapaille,” 2003). Luntz, on the other hand, determined that language, positive words, influenced consumers to act emotionally. His contention is “that words and emotion together are the most powerful force known to mankind” (“Interview: Frank Luntz,” 2003). Contrary to these perspectives, pioneers of “cool hunting” projected that influence was held by those who were respected, admired, and trusted by their friends (Dretzin & Goodman, 2007). These “cool” individuals were trendsetters whose behaviors would be modeled by the masses. The problem, of course, is that with most things, over exposure to the mass market causes it to lose its appeal. 

While all of the mentioned models have significant value, current consumer behavior fueled by technology and an over saturated advertising market demand a multi-dimensional approach. Carol Cone, a leader in the marketing industry suggests companies "develop programs that are authentic, sustainable, transparent, and well communicated" (Cone, 2007). She pioneered the term “cause marketing” when she devised ways for organizations to align with a cause.  Consumers were empowered knowing that a portion of their spending dollars were donated to the cause supported by the company. Cone further suggests that in today’s market, consumers need even deeper levels of engagement and technology is making it easier to achieve this. Laura Beech, an American Express executive, maintains that it is important for consumers to see that companies are listening to them (“Brands on the Brink,” 2003). Using the world of blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, brands can have a presence and actively engage consumers in providing feedback and spreading news about products.

Conclusion

The quest to understanding the consumer mind is complex, requiring marketers to develop a multidimensional viewpoint on how to effectively provide services. Marketers would do well to consider that consumers have a wide range of perspectives, are motivated by both their emotion and intellect, and are impressed by what’s cool. The best marketers use traditional market research methods, social media methods, and methods that allow consumers to feel a connection to societal issues. Advertisers who creatively engage consumers, acknowledging them as active participants in a mutually beneficial relationship will reap continuous success.

   

References

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Robson, D. (2009). How to Control Your Herd of Humans. New Scientist, 201(2694), 13. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy