Psychological Influences on Consumer Behavior

The specific business measures that involve the tedious processes of effectively marketing and advertising goods and services may have evolved in more ways than one through the years. However, what has remained relatively constant is the articulate persuasion which aids customer-purchase—highlighting the benefits and features of various products and services with a sense of urgency, indispensability, and unique method of presentation. Marketers recognize these characteristics and attributes and communicate them via an effectual execution of genius promotions, entertaining advertisements, and clever tag-lines, to name a few.

Psychological Influences on Consumer Behavior Amidst the ever-changing world of business and the science which involves marketing various goods and services, the importance of “Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” has remained relatively constant and significant (Kotler, Keller, Ang, Leong, & Tan, 2006, p. 190). Marketers are very well aware of the product benefits they have to offer and know just how they would aptly suit the different needs of their targeted consumers.

As what is stated in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, “In order of importance, they are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization” (Kotler, et al. , 2006, p. 190). Marketers create business strategies that would speak-out how their products and services would complement and have a most suitable use and role in their customers’ lives. Philip Kotler defines a motive as a “need that is sufficiently pressing to drive the person to act”— which marketers do realize, control and dictate, at many extents (Kotler, et al. , 2006, p.

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188). With this recognition and influence, marketers extend several motives for purchase through extensive product campaigns which include easy-to-recall tag-lines, memorably entertaining advertisements and enticing promotional offers. To illustrate, consider the advertisement of Carl’s Jr. with the “Don’t bother me, I’m eating” tagline featuring a man in the solace of his room whilst enjoying relaxing television viewing (DMR Films, 2008, n. p. ). As he decides to further the quality of rest and relaxation, he decides to enjoy all this with a Carl’s Jr. Hamburger.

He is enjoying the great blend of great food and TV when build-up of smoke begins to manifest within the confines of his room, taking everybody’s alarm and attention in the household, except for the man who is enjoying his Carl’s Jr. meal in the room. The advertisement portrays a physiological need (the basic need of food, water, shelter), but as simple as it could have been, a clever emphasis has been placed on the effect of having what Carl Jr. has to offer—it makes one forget everything else around one’s surrounding, and it puts one’s focus only all unto the hamburger.

Marketers stress the quality of their product by visually portraying seemingly outrageous situation in balancing comic relief, entertainment, and above all, product advantage. In another example, consider the L’Oreal advertisement which states: “Because you’re worth it. ” One commercial shows Hollywood movie star Scarlett Johansson putting on L’Oreal’s Glam Shine Lip Gloss. The advertisement touches upon an aspect of a safety need and esteem. Being that the ad presents a woman’s lip accessory, it conveys the concept of a woman’s well-being and self-esteem, which fall under safety and esteem needs respectively.

Realizing this, L’Oreal chose a prominent figure of the limelight that could communicate a message of confidence, poise, and self-assurance, hence Scarlett Johansson. Marketers do understand the importance of product recall and association; thus, they only put their best-foot forward. This too, is done with strong sporting products like shoe lines of Nike, where athletes of superhuman athletic caliber and promise of marketability are made via strong sustaining campaigns which feature the likes of LeBron James.

References DMR Films. (Producer). (2008, February 21) Carls Jr Commercial [commercial video]. Retrieved February 13, 2009 from http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=e2pIgMBbIbE. Kotler, P. , Keller, K. L. , Ang, S. H. , Leong, S. M. , & Tan, C. T. (2006). Marketing Management: An Asian Perspective (Fourth Edition). Singapore: Prentice Hall. Scarletjohansson. (2007, October 07) Scarlett Johansson – L’Oreal Glam Shine [commercial video]. Retrieved February 13, 2009 from http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=8ThI6aA-yeE.

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