CUSTOMER EMOTIONS

Needs and emotions are closely related. Emotions are generally triggered by
environmental events. Anger, joy, and sadness are most frequently a response to a set of
external events. However, we can also initiate emotional reactions by internal processes
such as imagery. Athletes frequently use imagery to psych themselves into a desired
emotional state.
Emotions are accompanied by physiological changes. Some characteristic changes are (1)
eye pupil dilation, (2) increased perspiration, (3) more rapid breathing, (4) increased heart
rate and blood pressure, and (5) enhanced blood sugar level.
Emotions also have associated behaviors. While the behaviors vary across individuals
and within individuals across time and situations, there are unique behaviors characteristically
associated with different emotions: fear triggers, fleeing responses, anger triggers striking
out, grief triggers crying, and so forth.
Finally, emotions involve subjective feelings. In fact, it is the feeling component we
generally refer to when we think of emotions. Grief, joy, anger, jealousy, and fear feel very
different to us. These subjectively determined feelings are the essence of emotion.
Figure 2.1 Nature of Emotions Types of Emotion
If asked, you could doubtless name numerous emotions and your friends could name
others that did not appear on your list. Thus, it is not surprising that researchers have
attempted to categorize emotions into manageable clusters. Some researchers have
suggested that three basic dimensions pleasure, arousal, and dominance (PAD) underlie
all emotions. Specific emotions reflect various combinations and levels of these three
dimensions. Table 2.1 lists the three primary PAD dimensions, a variety of emotions or
emotional categories associated with each dimension, and indicators or items that can be
used to measure each emotion.
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CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Table 2.1 Emotional Dimensions, Emotions and Emotional Indicators.
A model of Emotion
Although a number of psychologists have tried to explain emotions, the most
contemporary theory is Schachters two factor theory. According to psychologist Stanley
Schachter, the experience of emotion depends on two factors, automatic arousal and its
cognitive interpretation, or meaning analysis. In this model, we recognize that the initial
stimulus can come from the external environment as well as from the inside of the organism,
such as hunger pangs or a headache.
Marketer can adapt or respond to customer emotions by (1) designing the stimulus
and (2) aiding the meaning appraisal. The first intervention takes the form of making
DBA 1722
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product or service designs to fit appropriate consumption emotions. The second takes the
form of communication, such as in attaching symbolism to products or services in advertising
or in explaining certain aspects of the marker offering or certain deviations from the expected
marketplace events or outcomes. For example, positive attempts to help a customers
meaning appraisal process might include a physician explaining treatment procedures to a
patient or a serer explaining why there is a delay in serving food at a restaurant.
Scales to Measure Plutchiks Eight Emotions
Plutchiks emotions can be measured by rating the following triads of an adjectives,
each rated on a five-point scale, ranging from not at all to very strongly. How do you
feel at the moment?
Fear : threatened, frightened, intimidated
Anger : Hostile, annoyed, irritated
Joy : Happy, cheerful, and delighted
Sadness : gloomy, sad, and depressed.
Acceptance : helped, accepted, trusting
Disgust : disgusted. Offended, unpleasant
Anticipation : alert, attentive, curious
Surprise : Puzzled, confused, startled
WINDOW ON RESEARCH
Customer Moods
Moods are simply emotion s felt less intensely, they are also short-lived. They are
easy to induce, and they appear and disappear frequently and readily. They are pervasive
in that we are always in some kind of mood-happy mood or sad mood, pensive mood or
careless mood, irritated or pleased, amused or bored. Moods affect our behavior of the
moment in general and our response to the marketing activities to which we might be
exposed at the time. For this reason, moods are important for marketers to understand.
Moods are induced by external stimuli as well as internally by autistic thinking that is,
recalling some past incident or fantasizing about some event. Among the marketing stimuli
that can induce positive or negative moods are:
The ambience of the store or service delivery facility
The demeanor of the salesperson
The sensory features pf the product
The tone and manner of advertising