Discussion questions

$1.$ When the COVID$-19$ pandemic began, many nations shut down their borders to most international

travel to attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus.$$ Chapter $2$ discusses cross$-$cultural variations

in consumer behavior. Despite the wide variations in culture throughout the world, all people

everywhere had to face similar heath threats of the virus. Social distancing, masking, and healthcare

were suddenly crucial topics across all cultures.

a$.$ Consider the other$-$oriented, environmentoriented, and self$-$oriented values discussed in

Chapter $2.$ Which of these values were most related to the consumer behavior shifts in various

cultures? In what ways were the trends the same in di$$erent cultures? In what ways was the

consumer behavior di$$erent between particular cultures? Justify your response.

b$.$ Chapter $2$ also discusses nonverbal communications. How were these a$$ected by the pandemic?

$2.$ Chapter $7$ discusses di$$usion of innovations. Choose any of the industries mentioned in the case

and draw a picture that represents the di$$usion curve for that industry covering time from $2019$ until the present. An Internet search of data sources to justify your graphical representation is

highly suggested. Explain your reasoning for the shape of the curve you draw.

$3.$ Chapter $8$ discusses perception and marketing strategy and$$ Chapter $9$ discusses brand image

and product positioning. Imagine that you are in charge of making strategic marketing decisions for a company in the industries listed below. Describe how you would position your brand and what

brand image you would create to have the greatest impact on consumer perception in the $$new normal$$ and$/$or $$next normal.$$ What advertising, retail, and media strategy elements would you use?

Explain your reasoning

a$.$ Digital videoconferencing software

b$.$ Consumer packaged goods

c$.$ Campground resort

d$.$ Organic grocery delivery subscription service

$4.$ Chapter $10$ discusses Maslow$$s Hierarchy of Needs. Discuss how the COVID$-19$ pandemic

altered the position in the hierarchy of billions of consumers. What groups of people moved lower

in the hierarchy? Which consumers moved up in the hierarchy? Explain how and why these

movements occurred.

$5.$ Please refer to$$ Table A and$$ Table B$.$

a$.$ Consider the categories and trends listed in the tables. Perform an Internet search and $$nd a recent news article with a real$-$life example of one or more of these trends in action and be

prepared to share with the class for discussion. How sticky was that trend? Were the predictions made in $2020$ correct or incorrect? Discuss your $$ndings$.$

b$.$ Table A includes broad information that relates to consumer behavior trends across major areas of life. However, it is by no means exhaustive. What other consumer trends have you observed

that are not listed in this table? How would you rate the stickiness of the trend that you noticed?

c$.$ In $2020,$ marketing researchers at McKinsey & Co$.$ were unsure about whether or not those trends listed in the $$Questionable$$ column of$$ Table B would be sticky and enduring. Now that

more time has passed between $2020$ and the present time in which you are reading this textbook, re$$ect on which column you would place those trends in now.