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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

Chapter 13 Situational Influences


LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1) Understand the types of situations in which the consumption process occurs. 2) Know the five cate ories of situational varia!les and !e a!le to relate each to mar"etin strate y. 3) Know what a ritual situation is and why it is relevant to mar"etin . #) Understand the mana erial use of situations and the constraints that the situation may impose on mar"etin decisions.

S !!AR"
$ar"etin mana ers should view the consumer and mar"etin activities desi ned to affect and influence that consumer in li ht of the situations that the consumer faces. % consumer situation is a set of factors outside of and removed from sta!le characteristics of the individual consumer and focal stimulus. &our cate ories of situations are communications' purchase' usa e' and disposition situations. Situations have !een classified into a scheme of five o!(ectively measured varia!les. Physical surroundings include eo raphical and institutional location' decor' sound' aromas' li htin ' weather' and displays of merchandise or other material surroundin the product. )etailers are particularly concerned with the effects of physical surroundin s. *he sum of all the physical features of a retail environment is referred as the store atmosphere or environment. Atmospherics is the process mana ers use to manipulate the physical retail environment to create specific mood responses in shoppers. %tmosphere is referred to as servicescape when descri!in a service !usiness such as a hospital' !an"' or restaurant Social surroundings deal with other persons present who could have an impact on the individual consumer+s !ehavior. *he characteristics of the other persons present' their roles' and their interpersonal interactions are potentially important social situational influences. Temporal perspectives relate to the effect of time on consumer !ehavior' such as effects of time of day' time since last purchase' time since or until meals or payday' and time constraints imposed !y commitments. Convenience stores have evolved and !een successful !y ta"in advanta e of the temporal perspective factor. Task definition reflects the purpose or reason for en a in in the consumption !ehavior. *he tas" may reflect different !uyer and user roles anticipated !y the individual. &or e,ample' a person shoppin for dishes to !e iven as a weddin present is in a different situation from !uyin dishes for personal use. Antecedent states are features of the individual person that are not lastin or relatively endurin characteristics. Moods are temporary states of depression or hi h e,citement' and so on' which all people e,perience. Momentary conditions are such thin s as !ein tired' ill' havin a reat deal of money -or none at all)' and so forth. % ritual situation can !e descri!ed as a set of interrelated !ehaviors that occur in a structured format' that have sym!olic meanin ' and that occur in response to socially defined occasions. )itual situations can ran e from completely private to completely pu!lic. *hey are of ma(or importance to mar"eters !ecause they often involve prescri!ed consumption !ehaviors.

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

Situational influences may have very direct influences' !ut they also interact with product and individual characteristics to influence !ehavior. In some cases' the situation will have no influence whatsoever' !ecause the individual+s characteristics or choices are so intense that they override everythin else. .ut the situation is always potentially important and therefore is of concern to mar"etin mana ers.

LECT RE TI#S AN$ AI$S


1) *a!le 13-2 is a convenient way to discuss how a situation can !e used to understand needs and to se ment mar"ets and position products. It is useful to conduct the followin in-class e,ercise. a) Select a product such as soft drin"s' coffee' mil"' or another product of interest. !) Identify a roup such as colle e students that is li"ely to have uni/ue needs that the product can meet. c) 0enerate a list of relevant occasions on which this roup mi ht consume this product. d) Identify the "ey !enefits sou ht in each use situation. e) Identify all the products that mi ht provide those !enefits. f) )epeat ! throu h e for other roups of interest. ) 1iscuss how this information could !e used in product positionin and how the mar"etin mi, should !e structured to achieve the desired positionin . 2) Student 2andout 13 4511I60S %S C76U$8*I76 )I*U%9 : provides another e,ample of ritual consumption !eyond that in the !oo". Students can discuss the nature of rituals and how weddin s fit this classification. *hey can also discuss the mar"etin implications and any new trends they see evolvin . 3) %ssi n and;or prepare one or more of the C. 8)5SS 2I029I02*S articles for class discussion.

Stu%ent &an%out 1' (E$$INGS AS CONS !#TION RIT AL 4eddin s are a (oyous moment in the lives of those involved. *he 2.# million weddin s each year in the United States are also !i !usiness -<3= !illion). 4eddin s are not only social' le al' and reli ious rituals> they are also consumption rituals. .ridal owns' tu,edo rentals' !ridal showers' weddin ifts' dinners and receptions' rin s' honeymoons' and other consumption activities are now an inte ral part of a weddin . 4hile details differ' rituali?ed consumption patterns surround this event in most cultures. &rei,enet' mar"eters of Cordon 6e ro spar"lin wine' advertises heavily to this mar"et' @not only for the cases !ou ht' !ut for e,posure of the productA to the many uests. &rei,enet offers a free 4eddin .evera e 0uide' which includes toasts' races' and paper tu,edos to wrap around the wine !ottles. It also provides a coupon ood for a <1 refund per !ottle.

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

.ridal re istries' once limited to department stores' now appear at retailers ran in from hardware stores to sportin oods outlets to the $etropolitan $useum of %rt. $arshall &ield+s emphasi?es customer service in its approach to ainin !ridal re istries. %fter the weddin ' &ield+s sends a coupon offerin discounts on merchandise the couple may not have received from their list. It also hosts an annual @$arria e of StyleA show' featurin a fashion show' a vendor e,hi!it area' and a spea"er+s panel coverin topics such as eti/uette and Bnance. %lmost CDD people attended a recent show. *he Internet is /uic"ly !ecomin a ma(or part of the marria e mar"et. *he 4eddin Channel.com currently ma"es it easy for couples to create personal weddin 4e! pa es on which they can post directions and pictures' notify uests of last-minute chan es' recount how they met' and so forth. *he oal is to have a constantly updated ift re istry availa!le. *his would allow uests to learn what ifts the couple desires that they have not yet received and to order those ifts online from participatin retailers. 4alt 1isney 4orld capitali?es on this consumption ritual !y servin as a weddin site throu h its &airytale 4eddin s department. In the Cinderella weddin ' the !ride arrives in a lass coach drawn !y si, white horses complete with a costumed driver and footman. % fairy odmother and step-sisters mi, with the uests at the reception' where dessert is served in a white chocolate slipper. %lmost 2'DDD couples are married at 4alt 1isney 4orld each year. Source3 C. $iller' @*il 1eath 1o *hey 8art'A Marketing News, $ay 2E' 1CC=' pp. 1:2. CB #RESS &IG&LIG&TS' IN)CLASS $ISC SSION ARTICLES
%rticle 1 6. Fmuda' @4ho Gust $ade a .owl .uyHA Advertising Age' Ganuary 1#' 2DDI' p. # and 2=. Highlights: *he fact that Jictoria+s Secret made its first Super .owl ad !uy since 1CCC. *he rational was that @*he Super .owl "ept ettin later and later' and now it+s very close to Jalentine+s 1ay' so it+s a perfect opportunity for us.A

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

Use in Discussion: *his is an interestin article to !rin out various situational aspects. &irst is the role of the temporal or time dimension in the sense of @whenA the ads air versus when the tar et purchases season occurs. *he second relates to ta"in advanta e of a ritual situation in the form of Jalentine+s 1ay and the fit with lin erie. %rticle also points out the communications situation of the Super .owl in that it is a prime time' family-friendly venue and so they have to !alance so as not to !e too ris/uK !ut also not too modest or !orin . %rticle 2 $. &ra?ier' @$ore *han a Sales &orecast'A Advertising Age' 7cto!er 2' 2DDL' p. 3 and ==. Highlights: 2ow companies are usin sophisticated weather consultin companies to help plan product roll-outs and advertisin timin . 5,ample3 Casual $ale uses data from 8lanalytics in decisions a!out when and where to ship men+s clothes' citin that with men it+s @I need a coat now' it+s cold. 4e et a lot of spi"es associated with weather.A Systems are pretty accurate to 12 months out and can help in ad(ustin inventory levels' shippin times' etc. Use in Discussion: Students may !e surprised how sophisticated and important this data can !e. .asin inventory decisions on last year is !ad if you sell winter coats and there is a cold snap that happens early this year. 1ata predictin this weather chan e helped .on-*on ad(ust and paid off in sales and profits. *his deals specifically with physical surroundin s aspect of situation. Can have students enerate additional uses for such data. %rticle 3 G. 6eff' @&lu &ear 5/uals $ar"etin .onan?a'A Advertising Age' 7cto!er 2=' 2DD#' p. I. Highlights: &act that flu season really opens up opportunities for certain products. 5,amines the special feature of Kleene,+ %nti-Jiral tissues which have @moisture-activated middle-layer treated with an anti-viral formula. 4hen snee?e or cou h residue hits the middle layer' it "ills CC.CM of flue viruses in the tissue within 1= minutesNA Use in Discussion: Can have students identify the situational aspects involved. Could !e cate ori?ed as temporal -time of year;season) aspects of the social situation. $ay also want to pro!e the @ritualA aspects of how consumers deal with flu season or how mar"eters mi ht create such rituals. *his mi ht include @wipin down the phoneA prior to use with disinfectant wipes' usin anti!acterial soap or 8urell after every social encounter' and so on.

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

INTERNET E*ERCISES
.5 SU)5 *7 C25CK *25S5 SI*5S .5&7)5 %SSI06I60 *25S5 8)7.95$S. 45. SI*5S C%6 %61 17 C2%605' SUC2 *2%* S7$5 SI*5S $%O 67 97605) 5PIS* 7) C76*%I6 *25 1%*% 655151 *7 %6S45) *25 QU5S*I76. 1) Jisit several online retailers. 2ow would you characteri?e this shoppin situation relative to shoppin in a physical storeH *his can !e a fun e,ercise. 2ave students list the various situational dimensions and then compare online shoppin to physical store shoppin on those dimensions. 8hysical aspects will vary as will social aspects. 2ave students discuss the advanta es and disadvanta es of each' how each format can !e seen as complementary' and how each format could !e improved from a situational dimension standpoint. 2) 4hat type of online environment does .arnesand6o!le.com haveH BarnesandNoble com is a multi-product online store -offerin !oo"s' music' cards' ames' etc.). .arnes and 6o!le has created its site in a way that ena!les you to et much of the information on !oo"s' movies' music and a host of other products that you would normally et from as"in a sales person at a traditional storeRwith the convenience of doin it from the comfort of your home or office. *he environment is strai htforward' product and information oriented' and fairly utilitarian. It aids the shoppin and !uyin process which is also efficient and desi ned to enhance security. Students should !e encoura ed to rate the various situational dimensions of the site as in /uestion 1 and discuss how the site mi ht !e improved from the perspective of situational influences. 3) 8repare a report listin and descri!in several useful sites for atherin current information a!out ritual situations such as marria es' hi h school raduation' *han"s ivin ' or proms. Search results will !e len thy and diverse includin shoppin sites' we! portals' online ma a?ines' discussion roups' etc. #) 5valuate the 4eddin 4indow.com. *he students+ responses will depend on the style and content of the site' which chan es over time.

REVIE( + ESTIONS
1) 4hat is meant !y the term situation! 4hy is it important for a mar"etin mana er to understand situational influences on purchasin !ehaviorH % situation is a set of factors outside of and removed from the individual consumer' as well as removed from the characteristics or attri!utes of the stimulus o!(ect that the consumer is ta"in action on. $ana ers must loo" for situational influences !ecause those influences can have impacts on consumers that may ne ate or wor" a ainst mar"etin strate ies. 2) 4hat are physical surroundings -as a situational varia!le)H 0ive an e,ample of how they can influence the consumption process. Surroundin s are those apparent' physical -real) aspects of any situation such as sound' li ht' confi urations of merchandise' etc. *he decor of a restaurant affects -or can affect) consumers and influences their purchase -choice) and consumption.

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

3) 2ow does crowdin affect shoppin !ehaviorH %s more people enter a store and;or as more of the space of the store is filled with merchandise' an increasin percenta e of the shoppers will e,perience a feelin of !ein crowded' confined' or claustropho!ic. $ost consumers find these feelin s to !e unpleasant and will ta"e steps to chan e them. *he primary means of doin this is to spend less time in the store !y !uyin less' ma"in faster decisions' and usin less of the availa!le information. *his in turn tends to produce less satisfactory purchases' an unpleasant shoppin trip' and a reduced li"elihood of returnin to the store. #) 4hat is store atmosphereH *he sum of all the physical features of a retail environment is referred as the store atmosphere or environment. =) 4hat is atmosphericsH %tmospherics is the process mana ers use to manipulate the physical retail environment to create specific mood responses in shoppers. L) 4hat is a servicescapeH %tmosphere is referred to as servicescape when descri!in a service !usiness such as a hospital' !an"' or restaurant. E) 4hat are social surroundings -as a situational varia!le)H 0ive an e,ample of how they can influence the consumption process. Social surroundin s deal with the other people present that could have an impact on the individual consumerSs !ehavior. Shoppin with one+s parents will often produce different !ehaviors and purchases than shoppin with one+s friends. I) 4hat is temporal perspective -as a situational varia!le)H 0ive an e,ample of how it can influence the consumption process. *emporal perspectives deal with the effect of time on consumer !ehavior. &or e,ample' the len th of time availa!le for a rocery shoppin trip will have an effect on the amount of purchasin one does' as well as on the store one selects. C) 4hat is task definition -as a situational varia!le)H 0ive an e,ample of how it can influence the consumption process. *as" definition is the purpose or reason for en a in in the consumption !ehavior. .uyin a product for self-use versus as a ift has a su!stantial effect on the amount of shoppin done and the features considered. 1D) 4hy do people ive iftsH Consumers ive ifts for many reasons. Social e,pectations and rituali?ed consumption situations such as !irthdays often @re/uireA ift ivin independent of the iver+s actual desires. 0ifts are also iven to elicit return favors either in the form of ifts or actions. %nd' of course' ifts are also iven as an e,pression of love and carin .

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

11) 2ow mi ht the receipt of a ift affect the relationship !etween the iver and the receiverH *he nature of a ift can si nify the type of relationship the iver has or desires with the receiver. % ift of stationery implies a very different desired relationship !etween two individuals than does a ift of colo ne. 12) 4hat are antecedent conditions -as a situational varia!le)H 0ive an e,ample of how they can influence the consumption process. *hese are features of the individual person that are not lastin characteristics. *hey are momentary moods or conditions. .ein an ry or upset' for e,ample' mi ht well influence reaction to a sales presentation and' therefore' affect !uyin !ehavior. 13) 4hat is a mood! 2ow does it differ from an emotionH 2ow do moods influence consumption !ehaviorH $oods are transient feelin states that are enerally not tied to a specific event or o!(ect. *hey are less intense than emotions. $oods may affect all aspects of a personSs !ehavior> however' they enerally do not completely interrupt on oin !ehavior as an emotion mi ht. 1#) 2ow do people mana e their moodsH 4e often see" situations' activities' or o!(ects that will alleviate ne ative moods or enhance positive ones. 8roducts and services are on means consumers use to mana e their mood states. *hus a person feelin sad or @downA mi ht view a situation comedy on television' o to a cheerful movie' eat at an up!eat restaurant' or purchase a new compact dis"' shirt' or other fun product. 1=) 2ow do moods differ from momentary conditions! $oods are transient feelin states that are enerally not tied to a specific event or o!(ect. *hey tend to !e less intense than emotions and may operate without the individualSs awareness. 4hile moods may affect all aspects of a personSs !ehavior' they enerally do not completely interrupt on oin !ehavior as an emotion mi ht. 4hereas moods reflect states of mind' momentary conditions reflect temporary states of !ein such as !ein tired' !ein ill' havin a reat deal of money' !ein !ro"e' and so forth. 1L) 4hat is meant !y the statement' @Situational varia!les may interact with product or personal characteristicsAH 6ormally' no one varia!le will !e totally responsi!le for !ehavior. Some com!ination of two or all three varia!les will usually !e present. &or e,ample' the personal characteristic of ur!an or rural !ac" round may interact with the social surroundin situation of crowdin -or the perception thereof) to influence !ehavior. 1E) %re individuals randomly e,posed to situational influencesH 4hyH 6o. $ost people create the situations they face. In other words' consumers normally choose to en a e in certain activities and therefore e,pose themselves to the situation.

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

1I) 4hat is a ritual situation! 4hy are they importantH % ritual situation can !e descri!ed as a socially defined occasion that tri ers a set of interrelated !ehaviors that occur in a structured format' that have sym!olic meanin . )itual situations can ran e from completely private to completely pu!lic. *hey are of ma(or importance to mar"eters !ecause they often involve prescri!ed consumption !ehaviors. 5very ma(or %merican holiday -ritual situation) has consumption rituals associated with it. 5ven such reli ious holidays as 5aster involve meals and clothin purchases. 1C) 1escri!e a process for developin a situation-!ased mar"etin strate y. Individuals do not encounter situations randomly. Instead' most people @createA many of the situations they face. *his allows mar"eters to consider advertisin and se mentation strate ies !ased on the situations that individuals selectin iven lifestyles are li"ely to encounter. %fter determinin the influence of different situations on purchase !ehavior for a product cate ory' a mar"eter must determine which products or !rands are most li"ely to !e purchased when that situation arises. *hen an appropriate positionin strate y can !e developed. *a!le 13 - 2 illustrates the first part of this methodolo y for suntan lotion. 9ecture *ip 1 provides a uideline for doin this in class.

$iscussion +uestions
2D) 1iscuss the potential importance of each type of situational influence in developin a mar"etin strate y to promote the purchase of - ifts to;shoppin at) a) %udu!on Society !) %pple!ee+s c) i8hone d) Coca-Cola Fero e) 2ealth insurance f) 5yewear *his is a ood /uestion to open discussion. Students can enerally name numerous situational influences. 4rite them on the !oard and have them place each in the appropriate cate ory. 8ush the students to thin" a!out who will encounter the situation they have descri!e and how different types of people will respond to the same situation. 4hat should mar"eters do with this "nowled eH 21) 4hat product cate ories seem most suscepti!le to situational influencesH 4hyH %s a eneral cate ory' service type products -restaurants' theaters' and so forth) seem particularly suscepti!le to situational influences. *raditional ift items such as flowers and candy will also !e mentioned. 8roducts desi ned in part to meet situational needs such as sports drin"s or coffee should also !e discussed. 6ecessities that are privately consumed and purchased' such as toothpaste' pro!a!ly are less suscepti!le to situational influence as a class.

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

22) &lowers are @appropriateA ifts for women for many situations !ut seem to !e appropriate for men only when they are ill. 4hy is this soH 2ow mi ht 1-IDD-&9745)S chan e thisH *his discussion could revolve around attitudes and how mar"eters can chan e attitudes toward a product. *his discussion can tie !ac" nicely to the material on chan in values and ender roles from Chapter 3 and attitude chan e in Chapter 11. 23) 2ow could the store atmosphere at the followin !e improvedH a) *he main li!rary on campus !) *he !an" lo!!y near campus c) % $e,ican restaurant near campus d) % convenience store near campus e) *he student advisin office &orce students to apply what they "now a!out the physical surroundin s of these esta!lishments in ma"in realistic improvements. 7ften times this is a very creative and fun e,ercise. 2#) Speculate on what a matri, li"e the one shown in *a!le 13-2 would loo" li"e for the followin a) 9emonade !) 5yewear c) Ice cream d) Shoes e) .icycles f) Coffee. Students find this difficult and it is !est done in small roups. Students sometimes find the followin instructions helpful3 a. Identify a roup that is li"ely to have uni/ue needs that the product can meet. !. 0enerate a list of relevant occasions on which this roup mi ht consume this product. c. Identify the "ey !enefits sou ht in each situation. d. Identify all the products that mi ht provide those !enefits. e. )epeat a throu h d for other roups of interest. f. Identify -1) those !enefits that are sou ht across most situations !y all roups' -2) those that are sou ht across most situations !y uni/ue roups' -3) those that are sou ht across all roups for the same situation' and -#) those that are uni/ue to a situation and roup.

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

. 2=) 1oes *a!le 13-1 have implications for outlets other than restaurantsH If yes' which ones and whyH Oes. %ssumin that the type of music would cause people to lin er or accelerate the time spent in a store' most retail outlets should play slow music to encoura e lin erin -and more unplanned purchases). 2owever' as the test indicated' matchin the music to the preferences of the tar et audience is pro!a!ly more important than tempo for most outlets. 7f course' this should !e verified !y e,periment for a particular type store !efore full implementation. %nd' restaurants that rely on fast turnover would li"ely want to use fast-paced music -and other elements such as !ri ht colors and hard seats to encoura e fast turnover). 2L) 1o your shoppin !ehavior and purchase criteria differ !etween purchases made for yourself and purchases made as iftsH 2owH Students will enerally ive replies similar to those descri!ed in the te,t. 8ush them to thin" of differences in how they shop for ifts for different people and why those differences e,ist. 2E) 1escri!e a situation in which a mood - ood or !ad) caused you to ma"e an unusual purchase. 4rite the responses on the !oard. %fter you have 2D or so' see if you can enerali?e in terms of type of moods that cause purchases or types of products that are purchased. *hen discuss the mar"etin strate y implications of these enerali?ations. 2I) 1escri!e a relatively private ritual that you or someone you "now has. 4hat' if any' consumption pattern is associated with it. *his will vary widely across students !ut they should have little trou!le namin several. 4rite them on the !oard. *his will illustrate how pervasive rituals are. 1irect the discussion to the mar"etin implications. 2C) 1escri!e the consumption rituals your family has associated with the followin a) &amily !irthdays !) Summer vacations c) 4inter holiday d) 2alloween e) $other+s 1ay f) &ather+s 1ay ) 6ew Oear+s 5ve *his will vary widely across students !ut they should have little trou!le descri!in several. 4rite them on the !oard. *his will illustrate how pervasive rituals are. 1irect the discussion to the mar"etin implications.

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Chapter 13 - Situational Influences

3D) )espond to the /uestions in Consumer Insi ht 13-1. 0ettin students to discuss this topic fran"ly may !e difficult !ecause of the social ris" involved. 2owever' focusin on the social pressure aspect of impulse !uyin should allow students to discuss the topic in a more open manner. Clearly the results su est that advertisin that encoura es shoppin with ood friends would !e the most effective at encoura in more impulse !uyin . 2owever' the ethical concerns are that such advertisements yield ne ative consumer conse/uences such as !urdensome credit card de!t. Ideal social self -how you want others to see you) seems to !e particularly relevant to the pressure that is felt to act -or not act) a certain way' in this case' to impulse !uy. % copin mechanism often tau ht !y parents is to delay ma"in the decision' there!y avoidin ma"in a !ad impulse decision. Students mi ht !e encoura ed to enerate various other strate ies' and discuss the sociali?ation strate ies that parents mi ht use.

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