Report

On

Consumer Behavior (MKT 481)

Submitted to,

Mr. Suman Prosad Saha

Senior Lecturer,

Department of Marketing,

School of Business,

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)

Submitted by

Group: 6

Name ID
Sayed Iqbal Ahmed 1620360
Minhaj Bin Idris 1530995
Abid Al Hasan 1611021
Hasan Al Imran 1420710
Monjurul Karim Mojumdar 1610445

Submission Date: 8th April, 2020

 Letter of Transmittal

To,

Mr. Suman Prosad Saha,

Senior Lecturer,

Department of Marketing,

School of Business,

Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)

Date: 8th April, 2020.

Subject: Submission of a report that relates herbal toothpaste with five different theories of
consumer behavior.

Respectfully Sir,

With due respect, it is our pleasure and honor to present this report to you. For this report we
have selected Pepsodent charcoal white toothpaste which is a herbal toothpaste and relate with
five different theories of Consumer Behavior as given by you. While preparing the report we
have given our best efforts thoroughly, and we are more than willing to answer any questions
regarding this report and clarify it fully to your understanding.

Thank you very much for all your support, which has helped us significantly in preparing this
report.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Group: 6.
 Selection of Goals
For any given need, there are many different and appropriate goals. The goals selected by
individuals depend on their personal experiences, physical capacity, prevailing cultural norms
and values, and the goal’s accessibility in the physical and social environment.

Like needs, goals can be positive or negative. A positive goal is one toward which behavior is
directed, thus it is often referred to as an approach object. A negative goal is one from which
behavior is directed away and is referred to as an avoidance object. Because both approach and
avoidance goals are the results of motivated behavior, most researchers refer to both simply as
goals.

In our survey we asked two questions to the consumers in order to know whether they are using
Pepsodent herbal toothpaste to approach something or to avoid something.

The first question was designed to know whether the consumers are using the product in order to
approach something. The responses of the consumers indicate that 60% of them strongly agree
and 35% of them somewhat agree that they are using the Pepsodent charcoal white toothpaste
because of their belief that the natural ingredients of the toothpaste will keep their teeth stronger.
On the other hand, 5% of the consumers neither agree nor disagree with the above proposition.

The second question was designed to know whether the consumers are using the product in order
to avoid something. The responses of the consumers indicate that 45% of them strongly agree
and 25% of them somewhat agree that they are using the Pepsodent charcoal white toothpaste,
because they want to avoid those toothpaste which are made by chemical ingredients. On the
other hand, 25% of the consumers neither agree nor disagree and 5% of the consumers somewhat
disagree with the above proposition.
 Substitute goal

When a consumer cannot attain a specific goal, he/she anticipates will satisfy a need, behavior
may be directed to substitute goal. Substitute goals may replace the primary goal over time.

In the survey, when consumers are purchasing Pepsodent charcoal white toothpaste, they like to
find two product qualities that influence their decision most and 55% people somewhat agree
with it, 35% people somewhat disagree with it and 10% of people neither agree nor disagree with
it.

On the other hand, 60% of people strongly agree to choose Pepsodent charcoal white toothpaste
because they like to use those products which is made by natural toothpaste, 15% somewhat
agree and 25% neither agree nor disagree with the proposition.
 Dogmatism
Consumer dogmatism is a personality trait that measures the degree of rigidity that an individual
display towards the unfamiliar and towards information that is contrary to their own beliefs.

The person, who is highly dogmatic, approaches the unfamiliar defensively and with much more
discomfort and uncertainty. Highly dogmatic consumers are often closed-minded and is more
likely to choose an established product, rather than innovative, product alternatives. In order to
make the non-innovators or potentially reluctant consumers to accept the innovation, marketers
often use authoritative figure such as celebrities and experts for their new product’s advertising.
In contrast, low dogmatic consumers are open-minded and prefer innovative products over
established or traditional alternatives. Low dogmatic consumers are more receptive messages
that stress factual differences, product benefits and other form of product-usage information

Along with our survey, the question was designed to know whether the consumers don’t care
about product ingredients but like the pepsodent’s advertisement content. The responses of the
consumers indicate that 25% of them strongly agree and 50% of them somewhat agree that they
have pleasure with the Pepsodent charcoal white toothpaste advertisement rather than caring
about product ingredients. On the other hand, 15% of the consumers neither agree nor disagree
and other 5% of the consumers somewhat disagree and also strongly disagree with above the
proposition.
 Need for Cognition
A promising cognitive characteristic is need for cognition (NFC). It refers to an individual’s
tendency to engage in and enjoy activities that require thinking. Some individuals are more likely
to be responsive to the part of an advertisement that is rich in product related information or
description, and are referred to as being high in need for cognition. Other individuals have
relatively little motivation for cognitively complex tasks, and are more likely to be attracted to
the background or peripheral aspects of an advertisement such as attractive model or well-known
celebrity. These individuals are described as being low in need for cognition.

According to our survey, the question was designed to know whether the consumers are buying
the product after go on critical thinking about the product. The responses of the consumers
indicate that 35% of them strongly agree and 30% of them somewhat agree that they are buying
the Pepsodent charcoal white toothpaste because they are more likely to engage in critical
thinking rather than advertisement. On the other hand, 30% of the consumers neither agree nor
disagree and other 5% of the consumers somewhat disagree with above the proposition.

The other question was designed to know whether the consumers are buying the product because
of packaging. The responses of the consumers indicate that 50% of them strongly agree and 30%
of them somewhat agree that they are buying the Pepsodent charcoal white toothpaste because
they are like their product packaging and they don’t like to engage in critical thinking while
buying the toothpaste. On the other hand, 5% of the consumers neither agree nor disagree, other
5% of the consumers strongly disagree and 10% somewhat disagree with the above proposition.
 Halo Effect
The halo effect is a term for a consumer's favoritism toward a line of products due to positive
experiences with other products by this maker. The halo effect is correlated to brand strength,
brand loyalty, and contributes to brand equity. 

Companies create the halo effect by capitalizing on their existing strengths. With the
concentration of marketing efforts on high-performing, successful products and services, the
firm's visibility increases and reputation and brand equity strengthens.  
When consumers have positive experiences with products of highly visible brands, they
cognitively form a brand loyalty bias in favor of the brand and its offerings. This belief is
independent of a consumer's experience. The reasoning is that if a company is exceptionally
good at one thing, they will undoubtedly be good at something else. This assumption will take a
brand far, parlaying into other new products.

According to survey, these two questions clearly indicates the consumers that are prone to halo
effect. And we can see 55% of the people buy Pepsodent charcoal white toothpaste because of its
brand value and 50% people won’t even read about its ingredients because they already trust the
brand blindly. It is because this brand has a strong hold on the society and if a new consumer
asks for opinion for these products, they will definitely get a good feedback which will even
tighten the hold in the society for that brand and increase the brand value.