Solomon, Consumer Behavior 6Th Edition

VIDEO LIBRARY Solomon, Consumer Behavior 6th edition

Teaching Notes

Artists’ Perspectives at 2002 Utah Arts Festival Length: 13:52

Segment Summary: Art festivals allow relatively unknown artists the opportunity to increase exposure to their work by presenting them to consumers and cultural intermediaries. The topic of this video is the attitudes and opinions of artists at the Utah Arts Festival, which were captured in one-on-one interviews with artists. The production of the artwork differed for the artists. While one found inspiration internally, another found it in her surroundings. In both cases, the artwork is a product of the artist’s cultural environment. Unlike with other products, the consumer is an integral part of the artwork because consumers interpret artwork individually. The perception of the product changes for each consumer, and therefore so does the consumer behavior.

Applicable Chapters: Chapters 2, 16

Discussion Questions: 1. This video emphasizes how consumer perception creates a different product and unique experience for each person. What are the components of the perceptual process and which stimuli are active in the case of viewing art?

The three components in the perceptual process are sensory stimuli (sights, sounds, smells, taste, and textures), sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin) and the three stages of exposure, attention, and interpretation. In the case of viewing artwork, the consumer’s visual sensory receptors, the eyes, receive the sensory stimuli. The consumer then interprets the meaning of the stimuli in the three stages of exposure, attention, and interpretation. These three make up the process of perception.

2. What is semiotics and why is it important in understanding the consumer behavior behind purchasing art?

Semiotics is the relatively new field of study, which examines the correspondence between signs and symbols and their role in the assignment of meaning. Its application to consumer behavior is that consumers use products to express their social identities. For consumers of art, this is particularly obvious as the object (the piece of art), the sign (the contents of the art image), and the interpretant (the meaning of the piece to the viewer) are not just encapsulated in the marketing message but integral to the product and consumer’s perception.

Teaching Suggestions: Art is in the eye of the beholder. Ask students to go to www.art.com and select three pieces of art that they like. Using the three stages of perception, ask students to write a brief summary of their thoughts for each stage as they relate to viewing the selected pieces of art. Students should also pay attention to use of myths and symbols in each image.

Olympic Souvenir Consumption Length: 9:04

Segment Summary: Shopping is an integral part of travel, which is the reason for the growing number of souvenirs and souvenir shops. The video explores the consumption of souvenirs and the meanings people attach to them and the travel experience. The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City provided a perfect environment due to the number of souvenirs available. The vast number of different types of souvenirs allows the buyer many different ways to shape and preserve their memories and experiences. Souvenirs can take the form of any object, ranging from postcards to home wares. Interviews with buyers show the general motivation for consumption is for friends and family who were not with them to share the experience. By giving them a souvenir, the buyer is hoping to ease their guilt or satisfy an expectation on the part of the receiver. In some instances, the shopping experience is more important than the object acquired. In general, the motivation for consumption is to obtain an object for oneself (or a family member) to remember the time spent at the Olympics.

Discussion Questions: 1. Ask students to list a few souvenirs purchased on their last vacation and have them explore why the object was purchased. Analyze the types of memories that are evoked, and think about how these associations might be employed in a product's promotional strategy.

Student answers will vary. They should be encouraged to evaluate the types of memories and meaning associated with souvenirs. Ask the students to focus on recommendations for translating the special meaning of these products for consumers into effective promotional messages. 2. Needs can be biogenic needs (food, water, air, and shelter), psychogenic needs (power, status, affiliation), utilitarian needs (emphasizes objective, tangible attributes), hedonic needs (subjective and experiential). What type of need does souvenir buying meet?

Souvenir buying meets psychogenic needs. The buyer wants the status associated with giving a gift to a lucky family member or friend. He/she also wants to be affiliated with a location or an event that will prompt memories of the experience.

3. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, what level does a souvenir fall into?

Maslow’s hierarchy is most closely associated with product benefits that people might be looking for. More than likely, the physiological and safety needs of the souvenir purchaser have been meet. The buyer is probably trying to satisfy his/her social or esteem needs.

Teaching Suggestions: Have a student discuss the difference between sensory, short-term, and long-term memory using souvenirs. Explain how these memory functions might (or might not) be different from those found in traditional purchasing situations.

Compile a list of a few common vacation destinations. Ask the class to identify souvenirs they usually associate with those locations. After they have selected the souvenirs, have the class evaluate the memory associations and motivations for the buying habits.

The Cult of Mac Length: 22:30

Segment Summary: Consumer attitude toward Macintosh computers comes close to being religious. Consumer opinions transcend the product into assumed personality and lifestyle of the Mac user. Mac occupies only 4% of the computer market, but these consumers are distinguished by their fierce loyalty to the product. Apple has nourished the myth of the Mac, which has led to its sustained market share in the face of Microsoft. A large part of the following of these computers is attributed to the image of the two founders, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniack. They embody the hero myth, saving the world from Bill Gates. The video explains the elements of the hero myth as it applies to the development of Apple computers. Explained in this myth is the history of Apple, its challenges, near bankruptcy, and current successes. Just before Apple went under, Jobs realigned the company around its original vision and released a series of highly profitable products.

Apple is trying to be different and leverage the image of creativity and innovation. Such examples are evident in the logo, product design, and advertising. This positioning explains why a large part of Mac users are creative developers. Mac users also characterize themselves as SUV drivers, consumers of whole foods, democrats, and are in general “outdoorsier” than PC users. The Mac customer loyalty is built on myth, rebellion against Microsoft, belief in a “cause,” and love of the product.

Applicable Chapters: Chapters 6, 7, 14, 16

Discussion Questions: 1. According to the book, there are three components to attitude – affect, beliefs, and behavior. What are Mac users’ attitudes toward this product, based on these three areas, and which hierarchy best describes a Mac user?

Affect – Mac users have very strong feelings toward this product. The feelings surpass the product and move toward the emotional connection with the company in a mythic manner. Behavior – Mac users are loyal and therefore are repeat customers. Belief – This group believes a Mac is a far superior product to the PC. Further, they believe that PC users are acting as cattle and not thinking individually. The experiential hierarchy best describes a Mac user, as this hierarchy is concerned with emotional response as part of attitude.

2. Using the VALS segmentation system on page 208, which of the eight VALS types would you think Mac users most likely fall into?

Actualizers: successful with many resources, open to change. Fulfilleds: satisfied, reflective, comfortable, practical. Experiencers: impulsive, young, offbeat, love risk. Believers: strong principles, favor proven brands. Makers: action-oriented, self-sufficient, do-it-yourselfers.

3. What would a psychographic analysis of Mac users contain for characteristics in the areas of activities, interests, and opinions?

Following is a list of possible answers. Student input will vary: Activities: Outdoor sports, frequent stores like Trader Joes and Wild Oats, involved with other Mac users. Interests: Possibly a designer, likes SUVs and VWs, reads broadly, listens to NPR Opinions: Strongly anti-Microsoft, democrat, like to support the underdog

Teaching Suggestions: The Mac is a cult product on par with Harley Davidson and Krispy Kreme donuts. Consumers have strong relationships with their Macs and demonstrate a high level of product involvement. Conceptualizing Involvement, Figure 4.3 on page 124, shows that cause and effect relationships result in differing levels of involvement. Ask students to use this figure as a model to diagram the Mac user’s involvement with the product. An Honorable Calling Length: 20:33

Segment Summary: The topic of this video segment is a group of 55 Civil War re-enactors of the 15th Alabama Infantry located in Bellingham, Washington and the product consumption of artifacts associated with the reenacting. The re-enactors are a diverse group of people who are very involved with piece of history via their activities, books they read, and purchases they make. Purchases include uniforms, rifles, pins, and other assorted artifacts of this period.

Motivations for involvement in the reenacting group include increasing family time together around a meaningful activity and spending time with friends. Actors like the simpler way of life this era offers. The events and weekend allow this group to step back in time to the 1800s and experience the different culture and norms surrounding the Civil War lifestyle. They identify with the cause of the Union fighters and like the underdog status that seems to create a tight community bond.

Discussion Questions: 1. What is affinitization and how does it apply to the Civil War re-enactors in the video?

Affinitization is defined as the organization of groups around special interests. The group of Civil War re-enactors have formed a very tight group around the reenacting of Civil War life, events, and activities. Additionally, the location of the group in Washington leads to an even tighter affinity between members who share a common bond about the Confederate cause found normally in Southern states.

2. The textbook references several trends that are becoming more prevalent in our society. List those trends and indicate which one is most likely driving the re-enactors’ comments about preferring Civil War-era society.

The trends referenced in the book are:  A decline in concern for the environment.  Emphasis on the value of time-saving products  Decreased emphasis on dieting and nutritional foods.  Moving toward a more laid-back lifestyle and casual work environment. The last trend most likely is the reason re-enactors are drawn to host events to relive the Civil War period. 3. Do students think the re-enactors’ group is a reference group? If it is, does the membership in this group have significant influence on the participant’s behavior?

Reference groups can have significant influence on a person’s behavior because consumers voluntarily change behaviors to please or to identify with people they admire. The ultimate referent power is dependent upon whether or not the consumer admires the group. The participants interviewed indicate the re- enactors’ group is very strong, and, more than likely, it is a primary reference group from most of these people. They are strongly involved because the whole family participates, substantial investment is made in uniforms and artifacts, as well as the fact that many weekends are devoted to reenacting. This is a great example of a very strong reference group.

Teaching Suggestions: Ask the students to make a list of groups and potential groups in which they are members or hope to become members. Ask students to examine how they are influenced by these groups – informational, utilitarian, and value-expressive. Then ask them to assess whether the influences are normative or comparative. Which of these groups is the most influential? How do these groups influence your behavior? Do they influence your consumer behavior?

The Elizabeth Smart Case: Enactment of a Suburban Nightmare Length: 11:19

Segment Summary: This video segment looks at the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, an event that received nationwide news attention. Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped at gunpoint from her house in Salt Lake City, Utah. This event not only horrified her parents, but also greatly affected the community. The video explores critical community discourse through the media, which is looked at as adding to, rather than skewing, social discussion. Further, understanding how the media affects culture is also explored. Culture can be defined as the pattern that connects these elements: caring, worship, comparison, and play. Media is integral to connecting and creating this cultural pattern through images, sounds, and spectacles. This kidnapping is used as an example of how subcultures can be delineated and how the characteristics associated with these subcultures affect societal perceptions.

Discussion Questions: 1. How do you determine a person’s social class? What consumption cues can you use to determine the Smart family’s social standing?

People are assigned to social classes by virtue of their social standing in the community. Indicators for grouping are occupation, lifestyle, ideas and values, and income. In the case of the Smart family, the neighborhood they live in is a big indicator, as is their membership in the LDS church. Additional consumption cues that may be used to determine the Smart social standing include their cars, homes, clothing, speech, and types of people with whom they socialize.

2. What type of appeals, rational or emotional, is the media using in presenting about the Smart case? (The messages are interpreted by the interviewees and may not represent the media’s intent.)

Emotional appeals can be used to increase the level of TV viewers’ involvement with the issue. Some of the interviewees responded and commented on the media’s emotional appeals, which is also demonstrated not just in the messages but also in the frequency of the story. Rational appeals may have been presented when factual updates were aired.

Teaching Suggestions: Ask students to discuss a hot political issue (e.g., war in Iraq, war on terrorism, AIDS). Next, have students examine their attitudes toward the subject and how the media has influenced these attitudes. How much of their attitudes are based on media information? How much is based on word-of-mouth? Assess the source credibility. What would it take to change their attitude about the issue?

Using the Lloyd Warner social class scales, ask students to explore the differences between each class. Have students list attributes most likely to characterize each group. Were there disagreements about what classified different classes? How can marketers use social class in marketing efforts?

Recapturing Humanity: Embeddedness in Market Communities Length: 30:40

Segment Summary: This video examines the market behavior in the age-old setting of a bazaar located in Calcutta, India. Based on the new classical theory of economics, markets are considered as separate economic spheres, devoid of social influences. This video challenges this theory by demonstrating the embeddedness of social norms in markets. The 60-year-old bazaar consists of roughly 200 shops that sell everything from electronic goods to fresh produce and range in size and inventory level. The vendors are also as varied as the shops with the higher-end retailers living in middle-income housing close to their permanent shops and the temporary fruit sellers traveling in from their poorer houses in the countryside. Buyers are from nearby neighborhoods, including lower-class, working- class, and middle-class purchasers.

Social embeddedness is evident in the community that is formed between buyers and sellers. The market is an organic part of the community as relationships are formed between buyers and sellers, and sellers and their competitors. The video provides several different examples of how relationships and friendships develop between buyers and sellers and how camaraderie and solidarity develop between sellers. Purchasing patterns then start to develop that are not based on commodity/product, but on emotion and feelings. Bargaining is also part of purchasing habits and expected behaviors. Further, purchasing habits are not necessarily determined by marketing mix variables, but by the commitment to a relationship, known as the norm of commitment. The norm of cooperation is evident as sellers work together, not trying to marginalize each other, but instead to strike a balance between the gain of the individual and the gain of the collective. The norm of trust implies buyers and sellers are expected to trust each other in the market for exchanges to happen. In summary, the video covers market transactions that are characterized by close relationships and how these relationships influence the behavior of both buyers and sellers.

Applicable Chapters: Chapters 9, 10, 16

Discussion Questions: 1. The market beliefs, or heuristics, of the buyers in the video are driven by not only their habits, but also their culture. On page 313, there is a list of common market beliefs of U.S. buyers. Using the five general categories provided, what are the beliefs held by the Indian buyers? Suggested answers: Brand – All brands are basically the same. Brands are added to by seller influence. Store – The quality of the store is characterized by the trustworthiness of the seller. Prices/Discounts/Sales – Price is negotiable. Bargaining is expected. Advertising/Sales Promotion – Seller’s opinions carry more influence than traditional advertising and sales promotion. Product/Packaging – A good product is recommended by the seller.

2. What is(are) the general shopping orientation or hedonic shopping motives of Indian buyers?

The video explains in detail the complex and diverse social motives for going shopping. The motives include: Social experiences: The interactions between buyers and sellers are an integral part of the community in which they live. Sharing of common interests: Indian buyers and sellers spend part of the transaction talking about politics, sports, or other social topics. Relationship building: The camaraderie between sellers and buyers demonstrates how the shopping experience also builds relational bonds. 3. What are some of the ideologies, myths, or rituals that are part of Indian consumer behavior covered in the video?

While the video did not cover individual societal myths or rituals, there were a few obvious activities that can be defined. Bargaining is a ritual of buying. Both buyer and seller expect to bargain and it is part of expected behavior. Taking a good from another seller or a buyer from a seller without pay or receipt is also a ritual of this marketplace. The closely held moral principle, ideology, of trust allows such a transaction. The ideology of fairness and helping the less fortunate is also demonstrated in market transactions. Myths are not overly obvious, but the video alludes to the fact that face powder is part of a beauty myth embodied by Indian women.

Teaching Suggestions: This video focuses on how important relationships are in consumer decision making in the Indian culture. The varying aspects of buyer/seller relationships are not part of U.S. consumer decision making. Using the information provided in Chapter 9, walk through the stages in consumer decision making for the gentleman in the video buying conditioner. Examine how information searches, evaluation of alternatives, and product choices are different for a buyer in the Indian market than a buyer in the U.S. market.

Money to Burn: Consumption by the Dead in China Length: 26:41

Segment Summary: The video segment provides an interesting glimpse into Chinese customs and practices relating to consumption by the dead. In China, it is common to burn paper objects, such as fake money, checkbooks, money trees, and coins, for the dead to use. Other objects, such as paper clothing, eyeglasses, brand-name luxury goods, and houses are also common. In order to ensure the goods find their way to the deceased, their name is written on each object burned. This practice is so common that the industry is estimated to be $2 billion and is focused primarily in the southern part of China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

The primary motivation for relatives of the dead to burn paper objects is to memorialize the deceased and show respect, love, care, and honor for their life on earth. There are specific practices and customs associated with when to burn and how often. Regional, urban vs. suburban, rich vs. poor influences play a large part in the practices and types of objects burned. The video not only looks at the consumption of paper objects for the dead, but the type of paper objects are indicators of what goods Chinese people consume while alive.

Applicable Chapters: Chapters 12, 16 Discussion Questions: 1. Describe the three stages of the rite of passage associated with dying in Chinese culture.

Rites of passage include three phases: · separation: detached from original group – detachment from the family, friends, and earth · liminality: person is literally in-between statuses – the time between death and the time paper objects are burned · aggregation: person reenters society after rite-of-passage – in this case the reentry is not into life on earth, but the Chinese afterlife

2. What are the crescive norms operating in funeral practices and in China? What products and services are affected by these norms?

Crescive norms cover the gambit of customs, mores, and conventions regarding burning paper objects. The set of norms include timing and frequency of burning, which signifies respect and honor of the loved one. The type of objects burned is based on conventions, depending on whether the family is urban or suburban. The quantity and quality of the objects is also a crescive norm. All of the products and retail stores surrounding this practice are due to the norms associated with death in China.

3. Based on the video, are Chinese marketers influencing the industry of gift-giving by stimulating increased burning of paper objects? Into which of the three gift-giving stages does this fall?

Answers to the first question will vary. Burning of paper object falls into the gestation stage, where the giver is motivated by an event to buy a gift, and it is structural instead of emergent, as it is prescribed by culture.

Teaching Suggestions: Ask the class to compare a list of Chinese funeral rituals to American funeral rituals. What are the major differences between the cultural values in the United States and China? What are the marketing implications of these rituals? How are funerals affected when people are from different religions?

Ask a group of students to analyze the American and Mexican funeral industries, specifically looking at the marketing practices in both countries. Students should collect literature from various funeral homes, look for any traditional advertising, and interview a few people about the marketing messages they notice about funeral homes.