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Summary and Definitions Principles of Consumer Studies
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Chapter 1 – An introduction to consumer behaviorPart I – Consumption in Europe ? The European consumer?
§1 – Consumer behavior: people in the marketplace
Aspects of consumer behavior: Target group; market segmentation
Personality; demographics and strategies.
psychographics. Self-concept fit; brand image.
Social environment; e.g. consumption Loyalty.
communities serve as reference group. Hidden meaning – How society feels that
Cultural values/beliefs. people should define themselves.
Country of origin.
Consumer behavior: The study of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use or
dispose of products, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy needs and desires.
§2 – Consumers are actors on the marketplace stage
Main purpose of consumption:
‘Acting’ in various Identity-seeking. Being an activist.
‘plays’. Pleasure-seeking. Sometimes
Choosing. Being a victim. simultaneously.
Communicating. Rebelling.
§3 – Consumer behavior is a process
Early stages; Buying behavior moment of purchase.
Now; Consumer behavior process.
§4 – Consumer behavior involves many different actors
People that may be involved in (consumer) process:
Purchaser. Organizations/groups in which one person
User. may make the decision.
Influences. Large group of people.
Part II – Consumers’ impact on marketing strategy
§1 – Market segmentation: to whom are we marketing?
Segmentation variables: Segmentation process’ criteria:
Demographics. Product needs.
Geographic. Differences among segments.
Psychographic. Large profit.
Behavioral. Reachable.
Desired response.
Part III – Marketing’s impact on consumers
§2 – Virtual consumption and the power of crowds
Social network; biggest marketing phenomenon of this decade. Online interaction; synchronous/asynchronous.
§3 – Marketing ethics
Guidelines for conduct: No high-pressure/misleading tactics.
Disclosure of substantial risks. No selling/fund-raising as “market
Identification of added features; increased research”.
costs.
No false/misleading ads.
§4 – Public policy and consumerism
Consumer policy is promoted by EU; reflected in laws; details vary across countries:
1. Buy what you want, where you want. 6. Possibility to change mind.
2. If it doesn’t work, send it back. 7. Comparing prices easy.
3. High safety standards. 8. No misleading.
4. Know what you are eating. 9. Protection on holiday.
5. Contracts should be fair. 10. Redress in cross-border disputes.
Part IV – Do marketers manipulate consumers?
§1 – Do marketers create artificial needs?
,Answer: No, but they have a role in creating the social environment that define needs. Need is never artificial;
always ‘real’ to the people who feel them. Want is one way society taught us to satisfy the need. Basic objective of
ads is to create awareness that certain needs exist.
§2 – Is advertising necessary?
Answer: Yes, to communicate availability; economics of information perspective.
§3 – Do marketers promise miracles?
Answer: Yes. Is this a problem in itself?
Yes; socialization by the market. Advertising creates/changes consumption patterns.
No; subtle effect, no simple manipulative persuasion.
Part V – Consumer behavior as a field of study
§1 – Interdisciplinary influences on the study of consumer behavior
Phenomenon can be studied in/at different ways/levels; training/interests of researchers.
§2 – The issue of strategic focus
Business gets better research from non-strategic, unbiased (fundamental) research projects. Not all consumer
behavior and marketing activity is necessarily beneficial to individuals/society.
§3 – The issue of two perspectives on consumer research
Positivism Paradigm shift Interpretivism; consumer culture theory (CCT).
Chapter 2 – A consumer society
Part I – Consumer culture
Consumption activities provide both meaning and structure to the way we live. Consumer culture can be a positive
or negative frame of reference. It is more decisive for our personal and social identities how we consume instead
of what we do for a living. Consumption choices are statements about personality, values, aspirations, sympathies
and antipathies, and the way of handling social relations. Consumption is to be taken seriously (personal/social/
economic level). It is also about our roles as consumer in the consumption system.
§1 – Popular culture
Consumer culture; basic relationship market forces–consumption processes–basic characteristics of ‘culture’.
Part II – The meaning of things
§1 – The meaning of consumption
Meaning is often the main reason for consumption. Cultural symbols/product meanings are powerful (and self-
fulfilling). Meaning transfer:
Destinations of movement: Cultural values/symbols Consumer goods Individual consumer
Instrument of movement: Advertising and fashion systems Consumption rituals
§2 – Cultural categories
Cultural categories; times of day/genders/occasions/groups/etc. Goods are ‘signs of the times’.
§3 – What do we do, when we consume? Product meanings in use
Four types of activities; consuming as: Classification outgroup.
Experience Play shared experience.
personal/emotional/aesthetic. Not mutually exclusive.
Integration ingroup.
Part III – A branded world
What brand means is ultimately decided by consumer. Types of brand relationships:
Self-concept attachment.
Nostalgic attachment.
Interdependence.
Love.
Brands we dislike are important, too; defining the self. Brand–communities can arise in both
ways. Reasons: Impression
Social identity. Engagement. management.
Social networking. Brand use (learn).
§1 – Experience economy
Experience economy; increasing (historical shift) through differentiating the experience.
, §2 – Postmodernism
Postmodernism; people become more skilled consumers; features:
Fragmentation. Anti-foundationalism; anti-campaign
De-differentiation. campaign.
Hyperreality. Pluralism.
Chronology; nostalgia. Combining personal expression.
Pastiche.
Part IV – Global consumer culture
Brands are signs of a global ideology of cultural (&commercial!) value & power. Consumer culture and marketing
are the most important drivers of globalization. Consumer styles:
Price-sensitive consumer. Brand-loyal consumer.
Variety seeker. Information seeker.
Etic perspectiveOutsiders Some common/general categories&measurements are valid for all cultures.
Emic perspectiveInsiders Closer due to technology/media/exchange processes, cultural differences prevail.
§1 – A global consumer?
Luxury goods/international pop culture are inherently ‘global’; way varies. Ways of evaluating global brands:
Global citizens: Global dreamers; global brands quality
Global success signal of products.
quality&innovation. Antiglobals; skeptical&no trust.
Concern of companies behaving Global agnostics; don’t base purchase
responsibly. decisions.
§2 – Coca-Colonization: exporting Western lifestyles
The west is a net exporter of popular culture. Other cultures incorporate Western objects into traditional practices;
enriching/producing stresses/strains. Chinese middle classes; ‘a new generation of brand-conscious individualists’.
‘Western’tools are used to maintain cultural identity; Asian managers construct a universe of ‘Asianness’.
§3 – Emerging consumer cultures in transitional economies
Transitional economies; difficult; rapid change required in social/political/economic dimensions; global
communications&external market pressures.
Coping strategies: Consequences of transition to capitalism:
Shut out modern consumer lifestyle. Loss of confidence and pride.
Embrace dreams. Alienation.
Shattered identities; traditional and Frustration.
consumer identity. Increased stress.
§4 – Glocalization
Glocalization; food consumption:
Global food culture. Nostalgia food.
Expatriate food. Creolization.
Globalization increased focus on the local and coexistence of all forms.
Part V – The politics of consumption
Consumer society/globalization; pressure with negative outcomes:
Erodes cultural differences. Climate change.
Creates superficial/inauthentic forms of Unsustainability of many consumption
social interaction. practices.
Inspires competition/individualism. Politics turned into marketing/branding.
Over-consumption; structural problem. Social and political consequences, too.
Aggravating environmental crisis.
Affluenza; anti-consumption practices/movements. Risk society made consumers skeptical.
§1 – The ethical consumer
Consumers are also social citizens with social responsibilities; ethical/political consumer and culture jamming.
Factors predicting boycott: Self-enhancement.
Desire to make a difference. Counterarguments (inhibit boycotting).
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