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MKTG 3100 |
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COURSE NAVIGATION
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CB Journal Assignments There are 20 assignments for this course that will require some basic field research or reflection upon your experiences as a consumer. The course requires that you write a short (150 word) essay on each of the 20 topics. Essays longer than 150 words on each topic are fine. Your Consumer Behavior journal grade will be computed at the end of the semester and will be based on the length and quality of your postings on the 20 required topics. As you finish the class, you should compile these into one paper by copying and pasting the journal text into the body of an e-mail to me through the Blackboard e-mail system associated with this course. This component of the course will be worth 25% of your final grade.
1 For this assignment, I would like to have you visit and compare a "high-end" retailer such as Dillard's and a "low-end" retailer such as Wal-Mart. Of course, consumers can shop in both stores, depending on the product, recipient, or occasion. In this exercise, I would like to have you compare and contrast the two stores in terms of the type of shoppers you see there. How are they dressed? Do there seem to be differences in status or social class? How can you tell? Are customers shopping individually, in couples, in groups, or in family units? What is the age composition of the customers you see in the two stores? How do they interact with one another? I look forward to reading your essay. Just for fun: People of Wal-Mart.
2 Go to the magazine rack at a local library, discount store, or grocery store and look through the magazines on display. Identify two magazines that seem to be aimed at very different audiences. Give the name and date of each magazine and describe the picture on the cover. What is the apparent target audience of each magazine? How do they differ with regard to the image they project? How does the advertising reflect the target audience? What differences do you notice in their advertising? I look forward to reading your essay.
3 Think back to a smell that you associate with a specific time or place -- a vacation, a location, or a special event. What smells do you associate with this time (ex: baking bread, fresh mown grass, new car smell)? Second only to the sense of smell in eliciting memories is music. Are there certain songs that elicit strong memories for you? How might scents or songs be used by marketers to influence your behavior? I look forward to reading your essay.
4 First make sure that you understand the concept of stimulus generalization according to our textbook. Then go to a grocery store and look for examples of the use of stimulus generalization by looking at products on the store shelves. Examples might include similarities in stimuli such as colors, packaging, and labeling in areas such as manufacturer brands and store brands (i.e. Vick's Nyquil and Equate Nighttime Cold Remedy). Describe at least two examples you found that relate to the use of stimulus generalization in the retail environment. Are there products that you insist on by brand name? I look forward to reading your essay.
5 Think back to your high school days. Think of two products or consumption activities that mark your memories of those days. (Ex: certain songs, specific restaurants, stores, hangouts, cars, movies, clothing styles, foods, etc.) For each, why is it memorable? What feelings does each elicit? How might marketers use nostalgic themes incorporating such experiences to influence your behavior? I look forward to reading your essay.
6 Think of situations in your own experience that fit the criteria for each of the three motivational conflicts identified in the text: Approach-Approach, Approach-Avoidance, and Avoidance-Avoidance. Here is one set of possible examples: choosing between two attractive vacation destinations (Approach-Approach); enjoying an expensive indulgence when you know that it will break your budget (Approach-Avoidance); getting your teeth cleaned to avoid having more painful and expensive dental work done later (Avoidance-Avoidance). Identify and describe three real situations from your own experience, one for each type of motivational conflict. How did you resolve each dilemma? I look forward to reading your essay.
7 Where do you end and your possessions begin? What about your sunglasses or eyeglasses? Are there things that you always wear that have such deep meaning that they are a part of you (a wedding ring or other jewelry). What about piercings or tattoos? Do you have possessions that symbolize you in some way: a pet, a set of scriptures, a vehicle, an heirloom? Identify two of your most valued possessions, items that have an important role in defining who you are. What are these possessions? Why is each possession significant? What is its meaning? What memories and feelings does it elicit? What does each say about who you are? I look forward to reading your essay.
8 You have probably seen and heard a lot of advertising in your lifetime. Think about some ads that you really liked and some ads that you really disliked. Identify an ad that you liked and an ad that you disliked. For each ad that you liked, identify what made it likeable. For each ad that you disliked, explain what you disliked about it. Did these feelings "rub off" on the respective brands that were advertised? I look forward to reading your essay.
9 Identify a celebrity endorser who you think is high in source credibility. Why do you think they are believable? (Consider such things as attractiveness, expertise, and product match.) Next, identify a celebrity endorser who you think is low in source credibility. Why do you think they lack credibility? (Again, consider such things as attractiveness, expertise, and product match.) What are some of the dangers of using celebrity endorsers? Why might animated characters like the Keebler Elves be preferable? I look forward to reading your essay.
Explore the web to identify some interesting online ads. Identify and discuss two, addressing the questions below. In your view, what made each ad interesting? What made each online ad effective? Do you have any suggestions on how the online ads could be improved? I look forward to reading your essay.
11 Select a product you would like to discuss (ex: camera, computer, automobile, wine, etc. Which countries do you think produce the best quality of that product? Why do you think so? Which countries do you think have a poor reputation for quality in making that product? How might these perceptions affect your purchase decision in that product category? I look forward to reading your essay.
12 Pay a visit or think about a recent visit to a store or restaurant that creates an interesting and engaging retail environment. Think of all the sensory input that the place has to offer. Consider the physical environment (stage), music, aromas, the actors (employees) and the audience (customers). What image or personality is the store or restaurant trying to project? How is that image supported by using atmospherics: colors, scents, and sounds? Costumes? Props: display racks, seating, décor, etc.? Is there a consistent theme in the retail environment? Are there obvious inconsistencies or mixed messages "on the stage"? How do you think "the show" might be improved? I look forward to reading your essay.
As you know, a consumption constellation is defined in our text as "a set of products and activities used by consumers to define, communicate, and perform social roles." This also known as a "role-related product cluster." A non-membership group with a positive attraction is known as aspirational reference group. Think of a group that you would meet the criteria of an aspirational reference group for you. Some examples might include “young mothers” or “junior executives” or “marathon runners.” What distinctive products come to mind when you think about that group? What distinctive activities do they engage in? What products and consumption activities would define you as a member of that group? Finally, think of a group that you want to distance yourself from. What products do people in this "avoidance group" use? How might this influence your behavior as a consumer? I look forward to reading your essay.
14 Imagine that you are in the market for a new notebook computer. Think about someone that you know who would be an opinion leader for this type of purchase. This is a person who would influence you in forming attitudes about notebook computers and where to buy them. (A salesperson in a store would not fit this definition, unless you already knew them from outside the store.) What is it about this person that makes her or him an opinion leader in this product category? How would you go about getting information from her or him? How do you think she or he gets information about this product category? Finally, is there a product category for which this person would definitely not be an opinion leader, based on what you know about them? I look forward to reading your essay.
15 Think back on your childhood. If you had two parents in your home, what were their respective duties, functions or roles in the household? How did your parents divide up the household responsibilities? Who did most of the grocery shopping? Who did most of the housework? For what product decisions was your mother primarily responsible? How about your father? What decisions were made jointly? On what decisions were you were consulted as a child? How did these consumption decision roles change over time? (If you grew up in a single parent family or foster home, modify the questions above to fit your situation. For example, if you spent time in two households (one from each parent), you might find it interesting to compare and contrast roles and decision-making in the two households.) I look forward to reading your essay.
16 Think of some products that you buy or consumption activities that you engage in that are important to maintaining your sex role in our society. These examples should be specific to you, but might include such things as shaving your legs, watching Monday night football, attending wedding showers, "pumping iron," and so forth. How does each of these products or activities support your sex role? Do you engage in any activities that might be considered inconsistent with your traditional sex role in today’s culture? How and where did you learn these meanings? I look forward to reading your essay.
17 When we think about materialism, we can distinguish between instrumental materialism (where we acquire products as a means to an end) and terminal materialism (where we acquire products merely for the sake of owning and perhaps displaying them). For example, I might buy a sports utility vehicle (SUV) in order to get to my job at a ski resort. Or, I might buy an SUV merely because it has become a status symbol and I want to impress my friends and neighbors. Think of a product that you bought recently that fits the criteria of instrumental materialism. What was it and what ends was it aimed at serving? What message themes do advertisers use in promoting these products? How effective was this advertising in influencing your decision-making? Next, think of a specific product that people seem to buy for reasons of terminal materialism – merely for the sake of owning and displaying it. How might these people justify these purchases to themselves or others? What you think the product means as a status symbol and how is this meaning is conveyed through advertising? Finally, do you think that the production and marketing of terminally instrumental products constitutes a waste of society’s limited resources? Why or why not? I look forward to reading your essay.
18 Go to the magazine rack at a local library, discount store, or grocery store and look through the magazines on display. (Yes, you really have to go somewhere and look at them.) Identify a magazine that seems to be targeted toward people from an ethnic subculture that is different from your own. There are a number of magazines serving the needs of Black or Hispanic consumers, for example. Find a magazine that has both editorial content as well as advertising. Give the name and publication date of the magazine and describe what is on the cover. What do you find interesting about the editorial content of the magazine? Did you find topics that were different from what you expected to see? What about the advertising? To what degree were the products advertised in the magazine aimed specifically at members of that subculture? What "mainstream" products were advertised? Did the advertising theme or execution reflect the audience of the magazine (use of appropriate models, language, etc.) Did you notice any obvious problems with the advertising that might interfere with its ability to communicate with readers from that subculture? I look forward to reading your essay.
19 Identify from the textbook the generation to which one (or both) of your parents belong. To what degree do your parents fit the textbook description of their generation? What specific characteristics do they seem to share with others in their age cohort? What historical events shaped their lives and their world views? In what ways are your parents different from most of the other people in their age cohort? How are these similarities and differences reflected in their consumption activities? What are some of the differences between your generation and that of your parents? How have these differences been reflected in the conversations you have had with your parents about how to shop, what to buy, what to do with your life, etc.? I look forward to reading your essay.
20 Think about your experience growing up in your "family of orientation." If you grew up in a single parent family or foster home, modify the questions to fit your situation. From the time you were a child, you were learning how to be a consumer and how to use products properly. What were some of the consumption rituals that your family engaged in? (Ex: what did you do on Saturdays? on Sundays? What did you do on specific holidays or birthdays?) Describe at least two of these consumption rituals and the products that were used in performing them. What feelings are elicited as you think about these activities? Do you plan to pass these rituals on to your own children in your "family of procreation" that you form through marriage? I look forward to reading your essay. |