Psicología del consumidor

The Roots of Consumer Psychology

Historical Background

• Consumer psychology has its origins in industrial psychology, attributed to Walter Dill Scott from Northwestern University, who discussed the application of psychology in advertising during a 1901 lecture.

• Scott proposed that understanding mental processes is crucial for determining the effectiveness of advertisements, suggesting that psychological components should be leveraged in advertising strategies.

Early Developments in Advertising Psychology

• Scott observed many poorly constructed advertisements and concluded that qualified individuals should design them to achieve optimal results.

• He published two significant works: "The Theory of Advertising" (1903) and "The Psychology of Advertising" (1908), laying foundational principles still relevant today.

Behavioral Psychology's Influence on Advertising

Watson's Contributions

• John B. Watson, considered the founder of behavioral psychology, faced opposition at Johns Hopkins University due to his research methods but later applied these principles to advertising.

• Working with Walter Thompson agency in New York, Watson focused on enhancing message credibility and achieved notable success by persuading influential figures like Queen Marie of Romania to endorse products.

Innovations in Marketing Strategies

• Watson pioneered impulse buying strategies by suggesting product placement near checkout areas, leading to increased sales—a concept now known as merchandising techniques.

Advances in Consumer Behavior Research

Evolving Models and Theories

• Significant advancements have occurred in consumer behavior research since Watson's time, with various theories developed based on observations and measurements.

• Recent efforts aim to create comprehensive models explaining consumer behavior; however, challenges persist due to numerous influencing variables.

Key Models Explaining Consumer Decision-Making

Nicosia Model

• The Nicosia model outlines consumer decision-making as a process transitioning from passive states to active engagement through three dimensions: predispositions, attitudes, and motivations.

Interaction Fields

• Field One: Involves all messaging processes aimed at influencing consumer attitudes through advertising.

• Field Two: Focuses on immediate responses related to consumer characteristics such as attitude evaluation and readiness for action.

• Field Three: Concerns the outcomes of information search leading up to purchase motivation.

• Field Four: Addresses feedback post-purchase affecting future decisions.

Jaguar Jets Model

• This model explains how consumers compare products based on perception, learning processes, and attitude formation while considering four variable sets:

• Input Variables: Marketing stimuli alongside social influences like family or class status.

• Perceptual Constructs: Individual perceptions impacting information gathering for decision-making.

Consumer Behavior Models

Exogenous Variables in Consumer Behavior

• The fourth set of variables pertains to exogenous factors affecting consumers, including culture, social class, personality, economic level, and the significance of purchases. This model reflects the dynamic nature of consumer behavior.

Whitman's Model: Cognitive Processes

• Whitman's model emphasizes cognitive processes and information processing, which Batman refers to as "processing capacity." This affects motivation, attention, information acquisition and evaluation, decision-making in consumption, and learning.

Information Processing Stages

• The information processing occurs through stages: attention to information, comprehension, acceptance, retention in memory; followed by decision-making processes and consumption learning.

Complexity vs. Practicality

• While the complexity of this model is a strength in understanding consumer behavior dynamics, it poses challenges for practical application due to its reliance on numerous interconnections that are more theoretical than empirically validated.

Engel-Kollat-Blackwell Model Overview

• The Engel-Kollat-Blackwell model has evolved since 1986 into four basic components: input variables (e.g., advertising), information processing stages (exposure to information through retention), decision-making process (problem recognition through satisfaction), and influencing variables (environmental influences like culture).

Influencing Variables in Decision-Making

• Influencing variables include environmental factors such as culture and social class alongside personal determinants like motivation and demographics. Despite its broad scope, this model is criticized for being somewhat ambiguous.

Howard's Model: Product Evolution

Stages of Product Development

• Howard's model focuses on product evolution across three stages—introduction, growth, maturity—each generating different levels of decision-making complexity and speed.

Problem Resolution Stages

• The first stage involves extensive problem resolution where consumers categorize products mentally. This requires significant information needs leading to slower decision-making processes.

Limited Problem Resolution Stage

• In the second stage (limited problem resolution), consumers acquire concepts faster with reduced need for information leading to quicker decisions compared to the first stage.

Routine Problem Resolution Stage

• The third stage is routine problem resolution where brand familiarity leads to minimal information needs but rapid decision-making during purchases.

Influence of Familiarity on Purchase Behavior

• As consumers become familiar with product categories and brands over time during maturity phases, their purchase frequency increases due to established criteria for evaluation based on past experiences.

Understanding Consumer Behavior

Key Elements Influencing Consumer Decisions

• The consumer's behavior is influenced by two main elements: the physical advertising stimulus and the perception it creates, which is measured by recall. This affects brand confidence, recognition, and attitude, ultimately shaping brand image.

• Motivation plays a crucial role in purchasing situations as it drives individuals to seek information and make decisions. Information search can be internal (memory-based) or external (market-based).

• Internal search factors include:

• Amount of stored information

• Relevance of that information for choosing a new brand

• Degree of internal conflict

• Importance of the product to the buyer.

External Search Factors

• External search is primarily influenced by:

• Cost vs. benefits offered by the product.

• Brand recognition, defined as the buyer's knowledge about brand attributes without evaluating them.

Attitude and Trust in Purchasing

• Attitude reflects buyers' expectations regarding their needs' satisfaction while trust indicates their certainty in judging a brand. Trust leads to purchase intention by reducing indecision caused by uncertainty.

• Purchase intention represents a mental state reflecting plans to buy specific units from a brand within a set timeframe, culminating in an actual purchase.

Low-Involvement Purchases

• Consumer behavior towards low-involvement products is complex due to their lifecycle stage; these are often termed repetitive purchases linked closely with brand loyalty and perceived risk associated with switching brands.

• In Howard's model, repetitive purchases show that information directly connects with intention while attitudes relate more closely to trust. Price and willingness also influence decision-making as external variables.

Advantages of Howard's Model

• Howard’s model offers practical advantages due to its simplicity and strong theoretical foundation. Its predictive nature allows for testing across various sectors, enhancing consumer behavior research.