due in 5 hours 

you will be doing part 3 base on chapter 7 

MKT 3230 A02 (3 CH)

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Dr. Marcio Coelho
108 Drake, MW 2.30 -3.45 pm

1

Consumer Behaviour Project (20%)

1

This project is designed to enhance your understanding of the processes involved in and the influences o

n

Consumer Behaviour.

The main objectives of the Consumer Behaviour Project are:

• To develop an appreciation for the value of knowledge of Consumer Behaviour in developing a
successful marketing strategy

• To provide a coherent framework for interpreting consumer reactions to marketing stimuli

• To develop an appreciation of the ethical dimensions of consumer marketing

• To develop your knowledge on how to write precisely and concisely for business writing

To achieve these objectives, you will be asked to do some specific tasks:

• Learn and use key terms, definitions, and concepts used in the field of Consumer Behaviour

• Show knowledge and understanding of the course material in your group project

• Engage in and report on your own consumer behaviour with an increased awareness of the
internal and external forces at work when you make a purchase

• Share with the class your applications of Consumer Behaviour theory, using your group’s project

Your group will choose a product (good, service, combination, event, person, place, etc.) which is

currently offered for sale in the Canadian marketplace today by a specific company (it need not be

manufactured in Canada).

After learning about the consumers who buy this product, create the concept of a product extension. This

new product must be something that is not currently marketed by that particular company, that you think

would interest the same customers who are now buying the original product.

EXAMPLE: if you chose Gatorade with their green (and other colours) drink which is marketed to young

sporty people, particularly males, your product line extension might be a line of Gatorade sports clothing.

I should advise you to choose a product for which you will be able to find an advertising campaign; you

may use an ad from the Internet but be sure it can be printed out to hand in, and that it has the elements of

an advertisement and is not just a picture (an ad can be just a picture but that’s a philosophical debate for

another time).

i. Point of View

When writing the project, put yourself in the role of a marketing consultant to the producer of the product

you have selected. Write it like a business report – clear and concise.

1 Project developed by M Louise Ripley, M.B.A., Ph.D from York University, Toronto. Used with Permission

2

ii. General Format for all Five Parts

For each Part of the Project you will hand in within the first

15

minutes of class on the day it is due, the

required number of pages as stated below, typed in standard font – Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Arial

Regular (NOT Ariel Narrow), single-spaced in not less than 11-point type, with 1″ margins all around.

a. Using Theory

As this is a course in an academic business program, I am looking for evidence that you’re using the

theory you are reading about and discussing. So use the theory and use the terms. Don’t waste space

defining terms; we all have the book. Instead, use them.

Remember when you’re working on these assignments that you’re not going to be graded on whether you

get a particular topic (e.g.: differential threshold) right for a particular purchaser of your particular

product .

Sometimes I do not have these “right” answers for all possible products students might come up with —

but you are being graded on whether you use the terms correctly and seem to understand them, and you

are being graded on how well you cover the material using your own product as an example.

b. The Five Parts of the Consumer Behaviour Project

i. Part 1 (0 marks but you can’t go forward without submitting it)

LENGTH – 1 – 2 pages, single-spaced,

Due – Monday, January 20 in the UM Learn

Prepare a cover page like the cover page above.

In short, on no more than 2 pages, do six things (number them):

1. State the brand name and product class of a specific product currently existing in Canada (this is
your original product), for which it would be possible to create a new product within the product

line* (this is your product extension).

2. The product class is the type o product, e.g. transports, food, energy and oil, construction, etc.).
The brand name is the specific brand name of the product currently marketed. Add to this a few

words to tell me what this thing is, if it is not immediately obvious from its name. For example, if

you have the product class soft drinks and you tell me that your current product is Pepsi Diet

Cola, you do not need to tell me that that’s a cola. However, if you have timekeepers as a product

class and you tell me that you’re researching the Bagnasty’s Absquatulator, tell me what it is.

3. State the current target market for the current product and then state the 3 most important
characteristics of the current target market for this product. On a separate line, state the most

important customer need that your product meets. Don’t analyze it; just state it. You should

elaborate this analysis on the last delivery which is due to same day of your group presentation.

Try as much as you can to be sure that this most important need relates directly to the eventual

product extension you will choose.

4. State where the current product is currently sold, both geographically and in terms of its type of
distribution.

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5. State in Canadian dollars the price range at which the current product is usually sold. Maybe you
will need to make a quick research here.

6. State the three most important environmental variable that affects your current product, out of the
basic seven environments (demographic, geographic, economic, natural, technological,

political/legal, socio/cultural); then in not more than 3 lines explain each one of them (three lines

for each).

7. State your best idea at this time for a proposed product extension to be sold to this same target
market and describe it in not more than 3 lines. You may change your idea as you progress

through the assignments, but having an idea at the start of what you will eventually sell to this

target market will help you to focus on what you analyze about them now.

That’s it: No more, No less. This part doesn’t have theory, at least not explicit stated theory. It is designed

to get your group started quickly and to get you to understand the importance of writing concisely.

While preparing Part 1, read the instructions for the other parts and be sure that you can do what is

required in the rest of the assignment with what you propose in Part 1. Here is what an Assignment One

might look like:

1. Original Brand Name of Product: Bagnasty’s Absquatulator

Product Class: Timers

Description: method to account for time spent doing crossword puzzles

2. Current Target Market: Crossword Puzzle Lovers

over age 18 (i.e. not children)

have very little free time

enjoy leisure highly structured

Need: method to help cut down on time spent doing crossword puzzles

3. Currently Sold: across Canada, in bookstores

4. Price Range: $4 – $

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5. Three Major Environmental Factor: socio-cultural, because it involves people’s free-time activities

Technological: this is kind of a new technology that it is not applied to this specific field yet.

Political – Legal: As it will be a new application to this technology, maybe some regulations will

apply on it.

6. Product Extension: Bagnasty’s Pool-Side Absquatulator

Waterproof version of original to enable puzzlers to track puzzle-solving time pool-side or actually in the

pool

ii. Part 2 (10 marks)

LENGTH – 6 to 8 pages total, double-spaced + copy of ad.

Due – Friday, February 3, in the UM Learn

Chapters related to it: 1,5, and 2.

Choose one print ad for your company’s current product and attach a copy of it to this report; make

another copy – you will need it later. In not more than 2 pages for this first part, identify the customers for

your current product and describe them in ways specifically relevant to the course material in Chapters 1,
2 and 5 of Solomon and in ways that clearly relate to how the product and the attached advertisement

appeal to those customers. Put the material relevant to each chapter on a separate page. Two pages for

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each chapter, and label them. Do not overlap or overrun pages and stick to margin etc. limits. Be specific;

think of this partly as an outline of what is most important in these chapters.

Realize that while you are in essence being asked to follow the outline of the chapter, you don’t have

room to list absolutely everything. Use the BLUE TOPICS in the textbook as your guide, and look at the

bolded terms below those. For example, in Chapter 1 there are 15 Blue Topics (The first is Consumer

Behaviour: People in the Market Place) and in Chapter 2 there are 13 (the first is Smell, but note that you

don’t need to write down all the senses, just the one main one that is relevant to your product and/or ad).

Write in true point form and you will have room to cover all of them. Be sure you use the terms in ways

that show me that you understand what they mean. You may relate the term to the current product, the

target market, or your advertisement. DO NOT YET USE THE NEW PROPOSED PRODUCT.

Note that most terms will apply in some way to any product. You cannot for example say that “schema” is

not applicable or that “positioning” is not relevant. There is a schema in every human thought, and no

marketer would start any marketing project without some idea of how to position the product in the

market. For example, while one of the five senses might not seem directly relevant for a product, it may

be relevant simply in the fact that it is NOT part of the product (think about Clinique’s line of scent-free

cosmetics). You should have almost no items listed as “N/A” (not applicable).

In another two pages, choose the five most important points of the chapter and write further at length

(point form or prose) describing specifically how that point relates to your product and its ad.

iii. Part 3 (20 marks)

LENGTH – 8 – 12 pages total, double-spaced.

Due – Friday, March 16 in the UM Learn

Chapters related to it: 6 and 9

Do some informal research for this part – interviews or survey of a small group of current users of the

product or a product similar to yours and use the information in the first part of this Part, which is done

the same way as Part 2. Try to gather some simple information on demographics and psychographics that

might be helpful to you when you introduce your product extension.

You’re looking for some early clues to whether or not your extension would be popular with your current

target market. In not more than 4 pages, further describe your current customers in ways specifically

relevant to the course material in Chapters 6 and 9 of Solomon, making specific reference to what you

found out in your limited market research and again using the Blue Topics as a guide. Put the material

relevant to each chapter on two separate pages, two pages for each chapter and label them. Do not overlap

or overrun pages. Do not include a separate analysis of the information you find out in your research, but

rather make sure it shows up in your writing to illustrate the terms and theories you are explaining
(example: “57% of our respondents said they liked the symbolism in the ad”). As with Part 2, think in

terms of your customer, the current product, and the advertisement that reaches that customer. Ultimately

these three things should be inextricably linked: a good ad will target the reasons that the customer buys

the product.

Remember the basic rules of ethical research with human participants, even informal research as this is:

you must identify yourself and tell them what you are doing and why, you must assure them of

confidentiality, and you must tell them that they are free at any time to stop the interview. The sample

need not be large enough to be statistically significant – I’m more interested in how you use your results

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than that those results be statistically significant, I do not need to see your questionnaires or summaries of

data, and I don’t want to see any statistical tables.

In another two pages, choose the five most important points of these chapters and write further at length

(point form or prose) describing specifically how that point relates to your product and its ad.

Although you are writing about your current product and its consumers, you are already beginning here to

think about your new product: what you’re doing here is playing amateur psychologist, and trying to wrap

your mind around the learning processes and motivation that drives these people to buy this product, for

the express purpose of selling them something similar — the very worst of what Marketing is often

accused of doing! Your main focus here is on the current product, but use this opportunity to ask them

briefly about their reaction to your proposed new product – Would they be interested? How much would

they expect to pay? Where would they expect to find the product?

As for this part you should need to prepare some questions, we should follow this dates to prepare the

survey:

Until February 5 – Send me the questions you’ve prepared for the survey.

Until February 12 – I will give you feedback on the survey.

From February 17 to March 16 – Do the survey with as much as people you can. Use the winter break to

collect data and analyse it.

From March 2 to 16 – Prepare the report for the Delivery 3.

iv. Part 4 (10 marks)

LENGTH – 6 pages total, double-spaced.

Due – April 1, 6, or 8.

This final part of the project will be your group presentation. Using what you learned overall, in not more

than 15 minutes, explain to the class about your original product, the advertisement you’ve choose, and

the new product line extension that your group is suggesting the company launches in the market.

Present to the class the most important points that are related with the course content (you should retrieve

the information and feedback gave by the professor on Deliveries 2 and 3.

Describe how you expect your current customers to go through the process involved in moving from

being loyal users of the original product to (you hope) being loyal users of your product line extension

including attempts you make to change their attitude toward a new product. Be specific; think of this

partly as a summary of what was most important to you in the book, in terms of your project.

The presentation will be evaluated for:

• Clarity of presentation: the actual product and the product extension proposed by your group
should be clear and easy to understand;

• Level of relatedness of the presentation with the most important points in the course content;

• The quality of the proposal to attract actual loyal customers to the new product proposed using
Costumer Behaviour concepts (process involved in moving from being loyal users of the original

product to (you hope) being loyal users of your product line extension);

• Persuasiveness of the presentation to senior management.

• Creativity, organization and presentation of relevant information, dress, manner, and speaking
style of the presenters.

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Each group’s member should take part on the presentation. If a student doesn’t present with his/her group,

it won’t receive the grade for this part of the Project.

The group doesn’t need to deliver a written report on this part of the project.

During all the semester, each group should be prepared to make a short presentation before each delivery.

I should give each group the opportunity to share about its project, or could choose one or two groups

instead to do so.

The evaluation criteria of the presentation is found below

MKT 3230 A02 (3 CH)
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Dr. Marcio Coelho
108 Drake, MW 2.30 -3.45 pm

7

Summary of Final Project Analysis Evaluation Criteria

Category High Proficiency Some Proficiency No/Limited Proficiency
Alloc
atio

n

Clarity: Level in
what the new
idea is easy to
understand

Clearly presents information about the actual
product and suggested product line extension,
that doesn’t need further explanation

Successfully presents good amount of information
about the actual product and make suggestions to
the product line extension that needed some
explanation else

The product presented and the product line
extension suggested are hard to understand
without clarification

10

Analysis:
Level of
relatedness of the
presentation with
the most
important points
in the course
content;

The group shows high interpretational skill on the
concepts studied during the term, correctly
relating them with the product line extension
suggested.

The group show some proficiency in analyzing the
concepts. Most of the time these concepts were
correctly related with the course content.

The group failed in correctly analysing and relating
Consumer Behaviour’s concepts and applying them
to the product extension proposed.

30

Proposal to
attract
customers: to the
new proposed
product

The Consumer Behaviour project shows a feasible
and consistent proposal on how to turn loyal
customers to the actual product into customers
to the new product line extension proposed using
concepts studied in this term

The project shows interesting ways to try to turn
loyal customers to the actual product into
customers to the new product line extension
proposed using concepts studied in this term, but
lacks support to the strategy

The Consumer Behaviour project is wear in terms
of how to turn loyal customers to the actual
product into customers to the new product line
extension proposed using concepts studied in this
term

25

Persuasiveness of
the presentation
to senior
management.

The group present clear information and
concepts that would likely convince the firm’s
senior management to adopt the product line
extension proposed.

The group present good information and concepts
on Consumer Behaviour, but lacks evidence and
reasons to convince the firm’s senior management
to adopt the product line extension proposed.

The presentation fails in persuade the Senior
Management to adopt the product line extension
because missed some important concepts or
clarification

20

Creativity,
organization;
Dress, manner,
and speaking
style of the
presenters

The group presented the final report in a creative
manner, well dressed, with loud, clear and proper
speaking style, and could be done to senior
management in a real firm

The group made a good presentation, but could
have improved the creativeness, the dressing, the
voice style and the persuasiveness.

The presentation lacks in creativity, group
dressing, voice style and persuasiveness

15

8

Consumer Behaviour Project (20%)
i. Point of View
ii. General Format for all Five Parts
a. Using Theory
b. The Five Parts of the Consumer Behaviour Project
i. Part 1 (0 marks but you can’t go forward without submitting it)
ii. Part 2 (10 marks)
iii. Part 3 (20 marks)
iv. Part 4 (10 marks)

Summary of Final Project Analysis Evaluation Criteria

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 1

Attitudes

Chapter 7

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 2

Chapter Objectives

• Understand that it is important for consumer researchers to understand the
nature and power of attitudes.

• Understand that attitudes are more complex than they first appear.
• Understand that attitudes are made up of three components: affect,

behaviour, and cognition.
• Understand that we form attitudes in several ways.
• Understand that a need to maintain consistency among all of our attitudinal

components often motivates us to alter one or more of them.
• Understand that we use attitude models to identify specific components and

combine them to predict a consumer’s overall attitude toward a product or
brand.

• Understand that social norms can impact the degree to which consumer
attitudes will influence their behaviours.

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 3

The Power of Attitudes
Attitude

Lasting, general evaluation of people, objects,
advertisements, or issues
• Attitude object (AO)
• Help to determine a number of preferences and

actions

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 4

Functional Theory of Attitudes
• Katz: Attitudes exist because they serve some

function

• Determined by a person’s motives

• Attitude functions:
• Utilitarian
• Value-expressive
• Ego-defensive
• Knowledge

• Marketers emphasize the function a product serves

for consumers (what benefits it provides)

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 5

Functional Theory of Attitudes
• Marketers emphasize the function a product serves

for consumers (what benefits it provides)

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 6

Functional Theory of Attitudes
• Katz: attitudes exist because they serve some

function

UTILITARIAN
FUNCTION:

Relates to rewards and
punishments

VALUE-EXPRESSIVE
FUNCTION:

Expresses consumer’s values
or self-concept

EGO-DEFENSIVE
FUNCTION:

Protect ourselves from
external threats or internal

feelings

KNOWLEDGE
FUNCTION:

Need for order, structure, or
meaning

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 7

Functional Theory of Attitudes cont’d
• Marketers emphasize the benefits a product serves

for consumers
• Example: Study of football fans identified three

clusters:

Cluster Sports Marketer’s Strategy

Die-hard team fans Provide greater sports knowledge
Relate attendance to personal values

Those who enjoy
cheering for winning team

Publicize aspects of visiting teams,
such as sports stars

Those who look for
camaraderie

Provide improved peripheral benefits
(e.g., improved parking)

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 8

The ABC Model of Attitudes

Attitude has three components:
• Affect: The way a consumer feels about an attitude

object.

• Behaviour: Person’s intentions to do something with

regard to an attitude object.
• Cognition: Beliefs a consumer has about an attitude

object.

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 9

Hierarchies of Effects
• Impact/importance of attitude components depends

on consumer’s motivation toward attitude object

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 10

Hierarchy of Effects
• High-Involvement Hierarchy

• Consumer “bonds” with the product over time
and is not easily persuaded to experiment with
other brands.

• Seeks out a lot of information, carefully weigh
alternatives, and come to a thoughtful decision.

• Low-Involvement Hierarchy
• Consumer does not have strong brand preference
• Consumers swayed by simple stimulus-response

connections

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc.

ZAJONC’S MODEL OF HEDONIC CONSUMPTION

According to the experiential hierarchy of effects, we act
on the basis of our emotional reactions.

• hedonic motivations
• emotional contagion
• cognitive-affective model
• independence hypothesis does not eliminate the role

of cognition in experience

7 – 11

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 12

Product Attitudes Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Attitude Toward the Advertisement

• We form attitudes toward objects other than the
product; acn influence product selections.

• We often form product attitudes from ads
• Aad: Attitude toward advertiser +

evaluations

of ad

execution + ad evoked mood + ad arousal effects
on consumer + viewing context

• Think about it: When you read a pleasant ad
are you interested in the product or the
atmosphere?

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 13

Ads Can Create Powerful Feelings
Commercials evoke

emotion
• Upbeat feelings:

amused, delighted,
playful

• Warm feelings:
affectionate,
contemplative, hopeful

• Negative feelings:
critical, defiant,
offended

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 14

Forming Attitudes
• Classical conditioning: Repeated often
• Instrumental conditioning: Reinforcement, modeling

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 15

Attitude Commitment
Degree of commitment is related to level of

involvement with attitude object

COMPLIANCE
Lowest level: consumer forms attitude because it

gains rewards or avoids punishments

IDENTIFICATION
Mid-level: attitudes formed in order to conform to

another person or group

INTERNALIZATION
Highest level: deep-seeded attitudes become part

of consumer’s value system

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 16

Consistency Principle

Principle of cognitive consistency:
• We value/seek harmony among thoughts, feelings,

and behaviours
• We will change components to make them

consistent

• Think about it: Do you ever make choices that
your know are unhealthy, but do it anyway?
Why?

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 17

Cognitive Dissonance and
Harmony Among Attitudes

Theory of cognitive dissonance
When a consumer is confronted with inconsistencies
among attitudes or behaviours, action is required to resolve
the “dissonance”

• Example: Two belief statements
about smoking:
• “I know smoking causes cancer”
• “I smoke cigarettes”
• Consumer will resolve the

dissonance by either satisfying
urge to smoke or stopping the behaviour

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc.

Post purchase dissonance
• Postpurchase dissonance

can occur in situations
where the consumer
has a choice between
more than one
favourable alternative
• dissonance resolution to

commit to the chosen
object even more
after purchase

• Marketers can reaffirm
that the consumer made
the right choice

7 – 18

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 19

Self-Perception Theory
Self-perception theory
We use observations of our own behaviour to determine
our attitudes
• We must have a positive attitude toward a product if
we freely purchase it, right?

• Low-involvement hierarchy (after the fact)
• Foot-in-the-door technique (start with small

request)
• Low-ball technique (ask for small favour)
• Door-in-the-face technique (ask for big favour)

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 20

Social Judgement Theory
Social judgment theory
We assimilate new information about attitude objects in
light of what we already know/feel

• Initial attitude = frame of reference
• Latitudes of acceptance and rejection

• Assimilation and contrast effects
• Brand preference

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 21

Balance Theory
Balance theory
Considers relations among elements a consumer might
perceive as belonging together
• Involves triad attitude structures:

• Person
• Perception of

attitude object
• Perception of

other person/object
• Perception can

be positive or
negative

• Balanced/harmonious triad elements
• Unit relation and sentiment relation

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 22

Restoring Balance in a Triad

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 23

Basking in reflected glory
• Consumers often like to publicize their connections

with successful people or organizations to enhance
their own standing.

• Marketing Applications
• Marketers use celebrity endorsers of products to

create positive associations –
• Budweiser release of a limited edition “Fan Brew”

beer for Winnipeg Jets fans.
• Can backfire if public opinion of celebrity shifts

e.g., Tiger Woods.

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 24

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 25

Attitude Models

• Attitude assessment can be complex
• Product/service may have many attributes
• Attitudes are affected by other factors (approval of

others)
• Attitude models help identify influencers of

evaluations

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 26

Multi-Attribute Attitude Models
• Multi-attribute models: Consumer’s attitudes toward

an attitude object depends on beliefs she has about
several or many attributes of the object

• Three elements
• Attributes of AO (e.g., college)

• Example: scholarly reputation
• Beliefs about AO

• Example: University or College is strong
academically

• Importance weights
• Example: stresses research over athletics

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 27

Fishbein Model

Measures three components of attitudes:
• Salient beliefs about AO
• Object-attribute linkages
• Evaluation of each important attribute

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 28

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 29

Strategic Applications
of Multi-Attribute Model

• Capitalize on relative advantage: Convince
consumers that product attributes are important in
brand choice

• Strengthen perceived product/attribute linkages: If
consumers don’t associate certain attributes with
the brand, make the relationship stronger

• Add a new attribute: Focus on unique positive
attribute that consumer has not considered

• Influence competitors’ ratings: Decrease the
attributes of competitors

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 30

The Extended Fishbein Model

Theory of reasoned action: Considers other elements
of predicting behaviour

• Intentions versus behaviour: measure behavioural
intentions, not just intentions

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 31

The Extended Fishbein Model
Theory of reasoned action: Considers other elements
of predicting behaviour

• Social pressure: Acknowledge the power of other
people in purchasing decision

• Subjective norm: What we believe other people think
we should do

• Attitude toward buying: Measure attitude toward the
act of buying, not just the product

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 32

Obstacles to Predicting Behaviour
in the Theory of Reasoned Action

Fishbein model’s weaknesses include:
• Doesn’t deal with outcomes of behaviour, including

those beyond consumer’s control
• Doesn’t consider unintentional behaviour, such as

impulsive acts or novelty seeking
• Doesn’t consider that attitudes may not lead to

consumption
• Doesn’t consider the time frame between attitude

measurement and behaviour
• Doesn’t differentiate between consumer’s direct,

personal experience, and indirect experience

Copyright © 2017 Pearson Canada Inc. 7 – 33

Normative Influences
Two types:

• Descriptive norms – norms that convey what others are
doing

• Injunctive norms – norms that convey what others think
you should do

• Descriptive norms can be very powerful
• Cialdini and colleagues reuse of hotel towels

research
• Especially combined with feedback – Opower

 

 
 
 

Group Project Part 1 / Delivery 1

 

By: Zachary Toupin, Chaewon Lee, Takudzwa Mushosho, Paramvir Bajwa and Synclaire Ocici

 

MKT 3230 Consumer Behaviour

Instructor: Marcio Coelho

 

January 21, 2020

 
 
 

Group Project Part 1 Example

1:     Original Brand Name of Product: KitKat

         Product Class: chocolate bar / candy

         Description: chocolate bar (wafer covered with milk chocolate)

2:     Current Target Market: people of all ages and chocolate lovers

         Are of all ages

         People who like chocolate

         Busy people who need a break

         Need: having a snack, quick convenient way to eat

3:     Currently Sold: Across Canada, in grocery stores, corner stores, convenience stores, etc

4:     Price Range: $1 – $4

5:     Three Major Environmental Factors are:

         Demographics (ages / busyness)

         Natural: ethical sourcing of ingredients (cocoa)

         Political: ethical sourcing of ingredients again

6:     Product Extension: Caffeinated KitKat (KitKat with caffeine added)

         Same as original KitKat bar, but with added caffeine, helps those taking breaks to “recharge their batteries” or get a boost of energy, instead of coffee or energy drink

 
 
 
 

Group Project Part 2 / Delivery 2

 
By: Zachary Toupin, Chaewon Lee, Takudzwa Mushosho, Paramvir Bajwa and Synclaire Ocici
 

MKT 3230 Consumer Behaviour A01

Instructor: Marcio Coelho
 

February 2, 2020

 

This is our group’s chosen advertisement for Kit Kat. This ad for Kit Kat appeals to the large target market Kit Kat has chosen to advertise towards. Since Kit Kat is a food item, it tries to appeal to the public and consumers in general, although more consumers will be attracted if Kit Kat offers them something of value. Kit Kat has cemented itself as a snack you have when you need to take a break, or if you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed. Thus, Kit Kat also targets busy people who need a break, giving them that extra reason to purchase a Kit Kat over its competitors. The ad shows how anxiety will diminish when a person consumes a Kit Kat, giving those busy consumers a reason to try Kit Kat.

Chapter 1 

As a group we decided that our target audience is anyone in general that likes chocolate. But to be more specific, our target audience could be people in the workforce, or people in general, that need a break – hence Kit Kat’s famous quote “Have a break, have a Kit Kat.” This is reflected in our chosen ad, as breaks are featured in the advertisement.

Since our product is a chocolate bar, we are not limited in the age groups we are targeting. The ages of our audience vary from toddlers all the way up to seniors. Our younger audience will be more attracted to our product for the sole reason that it is a chocolate bar, but our older audience may be more inclined to eat a Kit Kat as opposed to other brands because they associate having a break to having a Kit Kat. 

Chocolate is a very diverse product that brings people from around the world together. The customers we are targeting specifically are people that are on the run and have a fast-paced lifestyle. This is a particularly good target market for our product, because these consumers with fast-paced lifestyles are becoming a growing trend in the fast-paced world we live in today. Kit Kat targets men and women of all ages that love chocolate. But what draws consumers to this particular brand is again the slogan “Have a break, have a Kit Kat.” Therefore, by targeting consumers that are very busy or always on the move, we can create a need that did not exist before. Every time someone needs a break, they will automatically think about having their favourite waffle bars covered in chocolate, leading to a need to purchase one if they do not have a Kit Kat already. 

Kit Kat’s slogan also connects well with Kit Kat’s target market, being consumers of all ages and genders, especially those people who love to eat chocolate. The break mentioned in the slogan is intended to indicate a break during work or study, thereby also targeting teenagers and students as well as workers. Along with our perception, we concluded that these targeted consumers would not prefer necessarily to have variety in chocolates and purchase premium brands. There is no higher tendency for them to try chocolates with more sophisticated or luxurious brands, such as Godiva or Royce. This is the reason why we could put the segmented consumer for social class and income as general workers and students, with little to no level of income.

An issue could be brought up in regards to Kit Kat’s business ethics, with the issue of ethical sourcing of ingredients for the product. However, Kit Kat has already made significant progress on this front, as in 2016, Kit Kat became the first global chocolate brand to use 100% responsibly sourced cocoa in its chocolate confections.

Chapter 2:

Our chosen product is a chocolate bar and it is one for people who are lovers of chocolate and who are consumed in their busy lives that they would need a bit of a distraction, just like a chocolate bar to snack on. The Kit Kat bar is really convenient compared to other chocolate bars, because it can easily be carried around and perfectly fits into pockets. Additionally, Kit Kats can be easily broken apart into several evenly shaped wafers, making sharing the product between multiple consumers easier as well. The Kit Kat bar’s design also fits well into the palms of your hands and feels appropriate to break apart, appealing to the sense of touch of all consumers of all ages. 

As marketers know today, our eyes play a large role in what we take into our stomachs. Kit Kat is no exception to this fundamental concept when it selects its packaging. It is known through research that people tend to actually eat more, hence consume more, when the products are wrapped in small packages. It is no wonder that Kit Kat has many of its chocolate bars wrapped in very little packaging, which has been made as easy to remove as possible. Consumers are hence attracted to buy more chocolate bars in the long run, sometimes without even noticing. This is leveraged even further by Kit Kat, because it has already made sharing the product between multiple consumers easier by the very design of the product.

Furthermore, the colour used in the ad is suitable to grab the attention of the target group. We know today the fact that colour can greatly boost a brand’s image and make it stand out from its competitors. Research today also shows that 93 percent of people are captured by the visuals of an ad. The target group, as mentioned earlier, are rather busy people and so using bold colours such as red helps to easily grab the attention of the consumer. In addition, with the different kinds of chocolate being advertised, using red is essentially relevant to make the Kit Kat bar stand out and be easily remembered in the minds of consumers.

It is also noted that the older one gets, the duller colours appear and so older consumers would typically prefer brighter tones. Our chosen ad can also appeal to these types of older people with busy schedules because such ads would more easily noticed by this demographic of consumer. Also, the ad purposefully reflects the message of the brand’s positioning. Kit Kat seeks to have its consumers view it as a snack that people can easily have during their breaks. This falls under the positioning dimension of occasion. It is no wonder that this ad skilfully plays around a graph showing one’s anxiety levels against their breaks, demonstrating that the shorter one’s break is, the higher their anxiety levels and hence the more of a Kit Kat bar they should consume.

Chapter 5

Kit Kat’s advertisement helps ease the self-concept and self-esteem of those who purchase our product. Our chosen ad depicts how your anxiety levels go down after taking a break with a Kit Kat. This helps to ease any negative feelings about eating something that is considered unhealthy, because the consumer is actually getting something positive out of the product, and not just a good tasting snack. Thus, negative feelings that could arise in the consumer’s self-concept from eating something considered “junk food,” is diminished if not eliminated, safeguarding the consumer’s self-esteem. The advertisement for Kit Kat can also create a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. Since our chosen ad shows how your anxiety level will go down after consuming a Kit Kat, consumers will believe it has that effect and will also potentially feel their anxiety levels being reduced by the product. This would be another positive for Kit Kat, as it gives the product another edge over its competitors, despite the fact it may or may not actually reduce anxiety. 

Symbolic interactionism can also be leveraged by Kit Kat. Because Kit Kat markets itself as a snack for busy people to help them take a break, it can be said that consumers may gravitate towards Kit Kat because of the message it gives out to other consumers. If a consumer would like to be seen as a busy person leading a busy lifestyle, they may be more inclined to purchase a Kit Kat over another brand of chocolate bar. This would also fit in with self-image congruence models. Since busy people will be consuming Kit Kat bars, it can be seen how a busy consumer would choose a Kit Kat bar over other chocolate bars, because Kit Kat has attributes that match those of busy people needing breaks.

Those who are often self conscious will often pay more attention to information about the product. People may feel self conscious about the quantity of food they eat or having unhealthy snacks like chocolate. Consumers may even believe that the costs of eating Kit Kats outweighs the benefits. Our chosen ad helps to eliminate this feeling of being self conscious. It is communicating to the consumers in the most simple way possible how Kit Kats can help you cope with anxiety. This is particularly important because of the day to day difficulties people face that may produce anxiety, which Kit Kat would help moderate. As a result of this marketing tool this may aid consumers in becoming less self conscious about the product itself. It will also help in eliminating doubts about the benefits the product may have. This ad will help show that there are more benefits than costs. It will in turn change how the public view the product and create a more positive mindset.

In addition, consumers are constantly evaluating their body image and the impacts of products they consume to their body image. If these products fail to contribute to their body image in a positive manner, they may be reluctant to consume the product. Our advertisement helps to combat this issue because it does not make mention of body size or ideal beauty. It addresses this issue by displaying the images of the different sizes of Kit Kats one can consume in the form of a graph. This ad is making an attempt to ensure consumers that the product is able to accommodate their needs in relation to how much they would like to consume in order to contribute to their ideal body image. Kit Kat is adaptable for all. Our ad also helps address this issue by not making body image the center of attention. No models are used and there is no idealistic view of beauty or body perfection created. People are being given the chance to define beauty and perfection on their own terms.

Questionnaire Questions

1) Do you consider yourself a busy person?

2) Do you like / consume chocolate?

-if yes, what do you know about kit kat? –Do you like kit kat?

3)Do you like / consume coffee?

-If yes, how much coffee do you drink a day?

4) Do you eat something during your breaks?

5) How old are you? (Demographic question)

6) Are you employed? (Demographic question)

7) Do you feel a need for a boost of energy during your day? (Which a break provides)

· If yes, how? 

8) Are you willing to replace coffee with a caffeinated chocolate bar?

9) How much do you spend on coffee/energy products daily? Weekly?

10) How many breaks do you take/permitted while at work? (usually allowed 2 + lunch break)

11) Thinking about companies that provide chocolate, what companies come to mind?

12) When choosing a chocolate brand, what do you mostly consider? (price, quantity, quality) 

13) If the chocolate bar was low in calories (i.e low sugar/fat) would you consider switching from coffee to a chocolate bar? If not, why not?

14) How much are you willing to pay for a caffeinated chocolate bar? 

15) If you need to choose either a coffee or a caffeinated chocolate bar, what would you choose and why? 

 
 
 

Group Project Part 3 / Delivery 3

 
By: Zachary Toupin, Chaewon Lee, Takudzwa Mushosho, Paramvir Bajwa and Synclaire Ocici
 
MKT 3230 Consumer Behaviour A01
Instructor: Marcio Coelho
 

March 12, 2020

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

 

Survey Summary

To summarize our survey results, we found various insights into our target market. For our survey, we used a wide range of respondents so we could come up with some good data and responses to our survey. We interviewed various people whose ages ranged from 18 to 60, giving us a good sample of different people to respond to our survey. Of the people we interviewed, the majority of them said they were busy with work, with the second most common answer being busy with school and studying. This is characteristic of our target market as they are people who consider themselves busy. We also saw that the majority of our respondents also stated they liked and consumed both coffee and chocolate, although chocolate was consumed a lot less on average as compared to coffee. This again bodes well for our product, as many respondents are already familiar with similar products to our product extension and would thus be inclined to try, or to at least notice, the introduction of our new product extension. Additionally, our respondents indicated that they considered themselves at least fairly busy, as the majority answered with a 4 or higher to our question. This also proves a good data point we can leverage for our product extension, as we could aim our product to people who consider themselves busy. Another point to note is that environmental issues are important for our target market. Most respondents answered that environmental issues are a 4 or higher in importance for them. This would also prove a good point to exploit in our extension by highlighting our product’s sensible decisions regarding environmental issues, such as using ethically sourced ingredients like cocoa and palm oil. Most respondents also said they felt the need for a boost of energy in their daily lives. This need would prove easy for our product to exploit, as it would give these consumers that boost of energy they are looking for. Although this might be a bit hard to do, given most consumers we surveyed indicated they use coffee to fulfill this need usually. Most respondents said they would also rather coffee over a caffeinated chocolate bar. This is definitely detrimental for our product extension, as we initially thought our product could serve as a substitute for coffee. But as our survey results showed us, this might not be the most successful position for our product to occupy. Thus, we suggest that our product not be an outright substitute for coffee in our initial launching of the product, but rather an accompanying product that could occasionally substitute for coffee. This would help the product get introduced to the market without excluding those who like and/or still prefer coffee.