Questions and Answers of Consumer Behaviour

What are boomerang kids?
What are some industries that stand to benefit most from the increasing affluence and vitality of the senior market?
Among Facebook’s various problems over the last few years is that some of the country’s leading employers placed recruitments ads on the platform that were limited to particular age groups.
Several major advertisers including Corona beer have come under fire recently for showing allegedly racist ads that favor white people over black people. In a Facebook ad for Dove body wash, a black
This chapter discussed the dramatic changes in family structure today. The reality is that many other types of families continue to grow rapidly as well. Indeed, some experts argue that as
Many parents worry about the time their kids spend online, but this activity may actually be good for them. A study by the MacArthur Foundation claims that surfers gain valuable skills to prepare
To understand the power of ethnic stereotypes, conduct your own poll. For a set of ethnic groups, ask people to anonymously provide attributes (including personality traits and products) most likely
One pair of researchers took an in-depth look at how 13 and 14 year old integrate the computer into their lives, and how they use it to express their cyberidentities. These tweens have limited
What advice would you give to a marketer who wants to appeal to Gen Y? What are major do’s and don’ts? Can you provide some examples of specific marketing attempts that work or don’t work?
1. What other food categories or brands have rituals associated with them? If you are a participant in one or more of those rituals, do you agree with the study referenced above that this ritual
Invite someone from the funeral industry to come to talk to the class on marketing practices in the industry. Ask students to collect literature from various funeral homes to study before the guest
Have student groups research and report on how student cultures are being affected by the spread of social networking phenomenon. Is social networking sacred or profane consumption? What are its
Go to www.marvel.com and www.dccomics.com. After visiting these two websites, have your group discuss and comment on the use of heroes and antiheroes in these two organizations’ products and
Invite someone from the wedding industry to come to talk to the class on marketing practices in the industry. Ask students to collect literature from various wedding-related businesses to study
Have student groups identify an American custom, more, and convention. Then, have them design a new product or service (or multiple if necessary) that would take advantage of the existence of these
Go to www.snopes.com. As a group, spend some time on this website. Then, choose an urban myth that you find most interesting (regardless of whether it is true or not). Apply the four interrelated
Ask students to identify what they perceive to be a sacred place on campus. How is this place honored? Marketed? How is information about this place passed on to future students? How does the
Have student groups identify what they feel is the most sacred symbol on campus and establish the reasons for this. Then, have the class come together and compare their results.
Have students interview two people from two different foreign cultures. Have the students ask what major differences they see between the cultural values in their country and those in the American
Ask groups to compare a list of rituals that will probably be performed (or that were performed) at their wedding ceremony and reception. What are the marketing implications of these rituals? (It is
Ask students to describe rituals they follow when visiting a shopping mall, movie theater, or restaurant. How could marketers capitalize on these rituals?
Ask each group to design a new holiday to be implemented in the nation. This holiday should have a theme, a date for celebration, and a unique idea that could be marketed. Have the class vote on the
Have students comment on the practice of drinking while attending college. What are their opinions and perceptions of the role of drinking in the college experience? Is it ritualistic? If so, how do
Select a product category of interest. Develop a formal strategy to reality engineer the product. Include specific tactics relating to different components of the marketing mix.
Each student should identify and describe a possession that most people would consider ordinary, but to them is sacred. Have them describe how this sacredness developed.
Visit an upscale-fashion department store or boutique. Interview the manager about fashion. How does the manager decide on which fashion merchandise to purchase? What does he or she do with fashion
Go to a contemporary magazine and find illustrations of high and low culture. Indicate what type of consumers might be attracted to these different messages.
Who are innovators? Early adopters? Laggards?
What is an example of a meme?
''Disney World is a sacred place.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
In the last few years our culture has been shocked by revelations regarding sexual harassment by famous artists, actors, executives, and others as the #MeToo movement accelerated. Prominent companies
Interview people you know who collect some kind of object. How do they organize and describe their collections? Do you see any evidence of sacred versus profane distinctions?
U.S. television inspires knockoffs around the world. But to be fair, many U.S. viewers don’t realize that U.S. reality show hits such as Big Brother and American Idol started out as European
The chapter states that experience-oriented gifts (e.g., lessons) do more to strengthen the relationship between givers and receivers than do material gifts. How might a marketer in the travel
Identify the ritual elements of a football game.
Have students talk to other students at the university or college. What forms of complaint behavior do they observe? What strategies could the university or college follow to alleviate these
What is time poverty, and how can it influence our purchase decisions?
Have students employ the method of Day Reconstruction to document their own behavior for a day and report on the findings. What trends do they notice? Are there things that they found that they did
In groups, visit three or four different grocery stores, note the elements of the stores’ environment, and compare them. Based on what you have seen, make recommendations to the store manager in
Go to www.bestbuy.com. The Best Buy website promises interactivity with the customer. What evidence do you find that this has occurred (if any)? Evaluate the Best Buy website as to ease of use and
What are the two dimensions that determine whether we will react positively or negatively to a purchase environment?
Have students go to a shopping mall. Have them analyze the behavior of shoppers based on observation only. Can they determine the nature of people’s reasons for shopping? Have them keep track and
Student teams should go to an activity store to interview the manager. Given that the concept of the store is built around participating in the production of a good, ask the manager what benefits
Go to www.customerssuck.com. As a group, examine accounts given by employees as to the outrageous behavior observed in retail settings. Summarize the findings. What conclusions can be made from this?
Assign each student group a competitive task. Each member of the group should attempt to get an item off Freecycle.org. The competition is: Which member of the group can come up with a free item that
Have groups of students research and catalog recycling/reusing efforts in their community as part of the class project. They can think of this assignment as their contribution to public service. They
Have someone visit a local supermarket and question the manager regarding how shelf space is allocated. What and who determines which products are placed on the shelves, how much space they are
Ask a student to relate to the class a purchase experience in which dissatisfaction resulted from the product or service purchased. Have the student tell the class how he/she reacted in terms of
Have students interview someone older than fifty. What do they look for in a shopping environment? Compare this with your own and/or the student’s expectations. Discuss the differences.
Freecycle something. Then, take something off of Freecycle.org. Report on the experience including the feelings of giving/receiving, the benefit or value to the giver/receiver, etc.
Interview three consumers who have used a sharing economy service, such as Zipcar, Airbnb, Snapgoods, and others. How would you characterize their experiences compare to more traditional models?
People have more leisure time than ever. Why do they feel so rushed, and how can marketers address this problem?
Is the customer always right? Why or why not?
Have groups of students take a common consumable product and apply a fear appeal to promoting the product. Have the students critique the effort with respect to the material presented in the chapter
How do Eastern and Western cultures differ in terms of how people think about the self?
Have students consider the ethical consequences of the products and promotional campaigns produced by both the fashion industry and the fast-food industry. Have them develop their thoughts as a
At the end of the day, are you what you buy?
If our possessions do indeed come to be a part of us, how do we bring ourselves to part with these precious items? Researchers find that people often take steps to distance themselves from a favored
Watch a set of ads featuring men and women on television. Try to imagine the characters with reversed roles (i.e., the male parts played by women and vice versa) Can you see any differences in
How do people you know feel about their cars? Interview some of them about the “relationship” they have. Do they decorate their cars? Do they have nicknames for them? And, check out a video on
Go to www.bebe.com. Analyze the product offerings for this company based on the id and the superego. Do people who buy this brand do so based on one or the other? Explain how the ego may create
1. Discuss how Beyoncé fans – the Beyhive -- connect with your understanding of the role of consumer identity and lifestyle marketing. Are there particular personality or lifestyle characteristics
Go to www.dropzone.com. Apply the ABC model of attitudes to the activity of skydiving. Which of the three hierarchies is most applicable? What modifications could be made to this website?
1. Choose four of the moments of truth. What specific strategies could P&G employ in each one to increase the probability of a sale and repeat business?2. For a consumer purchasing a new car,
As an in-class activity, discuss with the class the concept of risk. Distribute a list of several different consumer products or have a student do this. Then ask students what types of risk they
This project will require student groups to conduct consumer interviews. They should contact people (acquaintances, friends, etc.) and ask them questions about a recent purchase or consideration of a
Have a student identify countries-of-origin of popular U.S. cars. Find out how many cars that we identify as “American” are made in other countries and how many cars we identify as “foreign”
What sources of information are most valuable to you when making a decision on purchasing (a) A computer, (b) An expensive piece of jewelry, (c) Selecting a place to worship,
Ask students to contact the gay and lesbian student club on campus. Select a sample from both genders and ask them about how they view products marketed to their segment. Do they see a difference
Ask groups to interview other students on campus and determine the type of behaviors and activities they are engaged in to appeal to others they meet both on and off campus. Do they change their
As a group, visit several social networking sites. How are members at various sites expressing themselves? What kinds of information are they providing? What does that tell the reader about them? Are
Ask a student to bring to class two brands within the same product category that project different images to the consumer. Have the student discuss the projected images by comparing and contrasting
Go to www.tattoo.com. Need a tattoo? Ever thought about getting one? Well, this website might just get you started in that direction. After reviewing the site, what are your impressions about
Ask students to interview the managers of two retail-clothing stores. See if they can discover the degree to which the managers believe that consumer personalities and self-images are important to
What is fattism?
Have male students and female students (separately) interview three women and three men whom they think are just about the right weight for their height and bone structure (instruct students to tell
Have each group design a role-playing scenario that deals with one of the following situations: (a) A 40-year-old male suddenly announces to his wife that he plans to get a tattoo. (b) A
What does “the looking-glass self” mean? How do feelings about the self influence what we buy?
Have students find media examples of men exhibiting agentic as well as communal goals. Have them do the same for women. How much did they find that each gender tended to adhere to the societal
Ask your students to compile a list of ten household chores. Then have each student interview two married couples (one newlywed and the other seasoned) to determine who usually performs that
Assign students to collect advertisements that would tell a stranger something about their self-concept (and image). Have them put these ads on a poster board and bring them to class. Display the
As wearable computing takes off, so too will the possibility of “chipping” people so that they can directly interact with their devices without having to go through an interface like a
Assign students to collect five ads that show male or female models exhibiting tattoos or body piercing (they may want to consult tattoo-related magazines or they may print ads from the Internet).
Are you what you post online?
Within a 10-mile radius of the campus where the students are taking this class, have students put together a list of the tattoo parlors. Have them call each and find out how long they have been in
Students should visit a website for cosmetic surgeons. Have them find testimonials from actual patients that describe the reasons why they obtained the augmentations that they did.
Breastaurants” represent a popular category of dining establishments. Is it ethical to hire women as waitresses because they have certain physical characteristics? Is it ethical to exclude others
One consequence of the continual evolution of sex roles is that men are concerned as never before with their appearance. Men spend $7.7 billion on grooming products globally each year. A wave of male
The mainstream media have sent a clear message for the last several years: It’s cool to be slutty. Role models like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and even Bratz dolls convey
Many people feel that a preoccupation with physical appearance diverts consumers from discovering true happiness, i.e. “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” On the other hand, recent research
The chapter discusses the “empty self” explanation for the popularity of selfies among young people. Do you agree?
Have students develop print or video advertisements that apply Freudian and Trait theory principles for products or services that target college students. Have them explain if their advertisements
Have students collect print advertisements that portray some of the aspects of Freudian principles in action. Do they seem effective? Is the message lost in the execution?
First, print out the VALS types along with their descriptions. Hand them to the students and have them select the type they think they are. After noting their choices, have them visit
Core values evolve over time. What do you think are the three to five core calues that best descrive U.S. Americans today?
Using AIO segmentation, have groups of students design a new advertising campaign for a chain of restaurants targeting young professional college graduates. Have them explain the process they went
Have each student develop a description of his or her own pleasure principle as it relates to consumption. In other words, how is their pleasure maximized and pain minimized when they buy certain
Have students select an ad or series of ads from a well-known campaign. Based on the ad, how have archetypes been formed among consumers?
Have students select a product category. Then, have them develop a simple survey asking respondents how much they would be willing to pay for: 1) a generic version of the product, 2) a minor brand in
Is it accuracte to claim that sustainability is now a core value for U.S. Americans? Why or why not?

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