Consumer Motivation

Needs and Motivation

• Needs are the essence of the marketing
concept.
– Marketers do not create needs but can
make consumers aware of needs.
• Motivation is the driving force within
individuals that impels them to action.
– Produced by a state of tension - the result
of an unfulfilled need.
• Need: The gap between an actual and
desirable state.
• Motive: An aroused need that energizes
behaviour and gives it direction.
• Motivation: An activated state that
causes a person to initiate goal-
directed behaviour.
• Incentive: Something believed capable
of satisfying a particular motive.
Model of the Motivation Process
 Types of Needs (Maslow)
• Physiological Need: A need based on
biological functioning, like the need for
food, water and air.
• Safety Need: Security concerns
• Social / Psychological Need: A need
stemming from interaction with the social
environment; belongingness
• Esteem Need: Enjoying respect
• Self – Actualization Need: Realizing inner
potential
 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
 The Selection of Goals
• The goals selected by an individual
depend on their:
– Personal experiences
– Physical capacity to use
– Prevailing cultural norms and values
– Goal’s accessibility in the physical and
social environment
 Rational versus Emotional
Motives
• Rationality
– Cognitive Processes
– Logic driven
– Reasoning based
• Emotional
– More to do with feelings
– People tend to get carried away
– Are able to relate and empathize
Discovering Purchase Motives
2 Types of Motives-
• Manifest motives are those that are
known and acknowledged.
• Latent motives are those that are either
unknown to the customer or ones that
the customers are reluctant to
acknowledge.
– Researching latent motives often requires
use of projective techniques (like tests).
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Conscious vs.
Unconscious
Motives
The Dynamic Nature of Motivation
• Needs are never fully or permanently
satisfied
• New needs emerge as old needs are
satisfied
• Goals are influenced by success or
failure
• People who achieve their goals set new
and higher goals for themselves
• Multiplicity of needs
 Measurement of Motives
• Researchers rely on a combination of
techniques
• Combination of behavioral, subjective,
and qualitative data
• Construction of a measurement scale
can be complex
 Motivational Research
• Qualitative research designed to
uncover consumers’ subconscious or
hidden motivations
• Attempts to discover underlying
feelings, attitudes, and emotions