Module

3
Consumer Motivation
 Motivation as a Psychological Force

• Motivation is the
driving force within
individuals that impels
them to action.
• Needs are the essence
of the marketing
concept. Marketers do
not create needs but
can make consumers
aware of needs.

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Model of the Motivation Process
Figure 4.2

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 Types of Needs

• Innate Needs
– Physiological (or biogenic) needs that are
considered primary needs or motives

• Acquired Needs
– Learned in response to our culture or
environment. Are generally psychological and
considered secondary needs

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 Goals

• The sought-after results of motivated behavior

• Generic goals are general categories of goals
that consumers see as a way to fulfill their
needs
• Product-specific goals are specifically branded
products or services that consumers select as
their goals

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 The Selection of Goals

• The goals selected by an individual depend on

their:
– Personal experiences
– Physical capacity
– Prevailing cultural norms and values
– Goal’s accessibility in the physical and social
environment

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 Motivations and Goals

Positive Negative

• Motivation • Motivation
• A driving force • A driving force away
toward some object from some object or
or condition condition
• Approach Goal • Avoidance Goal
• A positive goal • A negative goal from
toward which which behavior is
behavior is directed directed away

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 Rational versus Emotional Motives

• Rationality implies that consumers select

goals based on totally objective criteria, such
as size, weight, price, or miles per gallon
• Emotional motives imply the selection of
goals according to personal or subjective
criteria

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 The Dynamics of Motivation

• Needs are never fully satisfied

• New needs emerge as old needs are satisfied
• People who achieve their goals set new and
higher goals for themselves

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 Substitute Goals

• Are used when a consumer cannot attain a

specific goal he/she anticipates will satisfy a
need
• The substitute goal will dispel tension
• Substitute goals may actually replace the
primary goal over time

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 Frustration

• Failure to achieve a goal may result in

frustration.
• Some adapt; others adopt defense
mechanisms to protect their ego.

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 Defense Mechanisms

Construct Items
Aggression In response to frustration, individuals may resort to aggressive behavior
in attempting to protect their self-esteem. The tennis pro
who slams his tennis racket to the ground when disappointed with
his game or the baseball player who physically intimidates an umpire
for his call are examples of such conduct. So are consumer
boycotts of companies or stores.
Rationalizatio People sometimes resolve frustration by inventing plausible reasons
n for being unable to attain their goals (e.g., not having enough
time to practice) or deciding that the goal is not really worth pursuing
(e.g., how important is it to achieve a high bowling score?).
Regression An individual may react to a frustrating situation with childish or
immature behavior. A shopper attending a bargain sale, for example,
may fight over merchandise and even rip a garment that another
shopper will not relinquish rather than allow the other
person to have it.
Withdrawal Frustration may be resolved by simply withdrawing from the situation.
For instance, a person who has difficulty achieving officer
status in an organization may decide he can use his time more
constructively in other activities and simply quit that organization. 12
 Arousal of Motives

• Physiological arousal
• Emotional arousal
• Cognitive arousal
• Environmental arousal

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 Types and Systems of Needs

• Henry Murray’s 28 psychogenic needs

• Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
• A trio of needs

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 Murray’s List of Psychogenic Needs
Needs Reflecting
Needs Associated Needs Connected
Ambition, Power,
with Inanimate with Human
Accomplishment,
Objects Power
and Prestige
Acquisition Superiority Dominance
Conservancy Achievement Deferrence
Order Recognition Similance
Retention Exhibition Autonomy
Construction Infavoidance Contrariance

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 Murray’s List of Psychogenic Needs
(continued)
Needs Concerned Needs Concerned
Sado-Masochistic
with Affection with Social
Needs
between People Intercourse

Affiliation
Aggression Cognizance
Rejection
Nurturance
Succorance
Abasement Exposition
Play
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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Figure 4.10

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 A Trio of Needs

• Power
– individual’s desire to control environment
• Affiliation
– need for friendship, acceptance, and belonging
• Achievement
– need for personal accomplishment
– closely related to egoistic and self-actualization
needs

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Measurement of Motives

• Researchers rely on a
combination of
techniques
• Qualitative research is
widely used
• Projective techniques are
often very successful in
identifying motives.
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Qualitative Measures of Motives

• This method, including the tool termed

METAPHOR ZMET, was discussed in detail in Chapter 2.
ANALYSIS • DuPont used this method to study women’s
emotions regarding pantyhose.

• This method consists of having customers

tell real-life stories regarding their use of
STORYTELLING the product under study.
• Kimberly-Clark used this method to develop
pull-ups.

WORD ASSOCIATION • In this method, respondents are presented

AND SENTENCE with words, one at a time, and asked to say
COMPLETION the first word that comes to mind.

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 Motivational Research

• Term coined in the 1950s by Dr. Ernest Dichter

• Based on premise that consumers are not
always aware of their motivations
• Identifies underlying feelings, attitudes, and
emotions

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