Lecture 6: Intro to Consumer Psychology Flashcards
What is Consumer Psychology?
- Consumer psychology: The study of human responses to product- and service-related information and experiences
What is “product- and service-related information”?
o “Product- and service-related information” includes a large variety of things:
♣ Marketer initiated stimuli (e.g. advertisements, package labels, point-of-purchase displays)
♣ Consumer magazines and other media
♣ Word-of-mouth communications from friends and relatives
What do human “responses” mean in response to product- and service-related information and experiences?
o “Responses” can be very broad and could be:
♣ Cognitive
♣ Emotional
♣ Behavioural
What are the goals of Consumer Psychology?
- To learn about what makes consumers tick
o Describe, predict, influence, and/or explain consumer responses
♣ E.g. Behaviours, feelings and thoughts
o Understand what makes consumers pick certain products
How did the field of Consumer Psychology grow in parallel with the consumer society?
o Industrial Revolution (1800s) significant increase in consumption
o Scientists became more interested in understanding consumers
In the 1840s, Volney Palmer opened the first advertising agency (serving as a broker for ad space in newspapers) but what big event occurred during the 1850s?
- 1850s: Opening of department stores
♣ 1852: Le Bon Marche opens in Paris
♣ 1858: Macy’s opens in New York
o Fixed pricing and wide range of products available
What did Wilhelm Wundt do in 1879?
- 1879: Wilhelm Wundt establishes the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig
o Idea that psychologists should focus on experience instead of just theory
What did William James do in 1890?
- 1890: William James publishes ‘The Principles of Psychology’
o View that our possessions can shape our identity
In the late 1800s, what large-scale action began occurring?
- Late 1800s: Beginning of large-scale advertising
o E.g. Patent medicines
♣ Drugs very unregulated – anything could be sold and claimed to cure/treat anything
♣ e.g. Cole, St Jacob’s oil, cocaine, heroin
During which historical period was there a growing interest in advertising by companies and governments?
1900-1930s
- Growing interest in advertising by companies and governments (propaganda)
What did Henry Ford do in 1913?
- 1913: Henry Ford invents the assembly line
o Manufacturing now easier, cheaper, faster
o Greater competition between brands
Government propaganda campaigns began when?
During WWI
When did the first radio advertising occur in the USA?
1920
In the 1920s and 1930s, there was an increase in what?
Increase in household appliances and cars
The late 1930s saw an overall increase in what?
Increase in consumption
o E.g. Cotton, direct mail order catalogues
What did Harlow Gale do in 1900?
- 1900: Harlow Gale conducts the first experiments on advertising
o Effects of advertising on attention and memory
What did Walter Dill Scott do in 1903?
- 1903: Walter Dill Scott publishes ‘The Theory of Advertising’
o Consumers can be quite irrational –» open to “suggestion”
♣ Direct and indirect suggestions
♣ Indirect (e.g. coupons)
Between 1913-1916, what did Harry Hollingsworth, Daniel Starch and Henry Foster Adams do?
- 1913-1916: Harry Hollingsworth, Daniel Starch, and Henry Foster Adams publish influential books on advertising
o Harry Hollingsworth: How advertising effects purchasing behaviour
o Daniel Starch: Links between attention and response
o Henry Foster Adams: Advocated use of empirical method
What did behaviourist John B. Watson do in 1920?
- 1920: John B. Watson joins an advertising firm
o Classical conditioning
o Testimonial advertising
o Advertisers need to appeal to people’s basic motives and instincts (eg. fears)
♣ Basic drives
What did H.K. Nixon do in 1924?
- 1924: H.K. Nixon publishes eye-tracking studies
o What people get from looking at particular ads
o Where people look when exposed to particular ads (attention)
What did Albert Poffenberger do in 1925?
- 1925: Albert Poffenberger publishes ‘Psychology in Advertising’
What year was the ‘Journal of Marketing’ established?
1936
What year did TV advertising begin in the USA?
1941
In 1942, what happened to the USA’s growth in consumption?
- 1942: Growth in consumption slows as WWII continues, with TV advertising having been heavily reduced
What happened to consumption post-WWII?
Consumption starts to increase again
What did governments do in the 1950s regarding consumption?
- 1950s: Governments around the world actively promote consumer societies
o To rebuild economies
What happened in the UK in 1955?
1955: UK opens its first commercial TV station
What happened to Kurt Lewin during WWII?
- WWII: Kurt Lewin commissioned by the US Department of Agriculture
o Research on housewives showed that level of involvement could increase likelihood of being persuaded to eat offal
♣ Offal marketed as good, nutritious
♣ “Variety” meat
♣ Those actively involved in promotion were more likely to exhibit interest in the product
What did George Katona do between 1946-1971?
- 1946-1971: George Katona pioneers use of survey research to consumer buying; develops the Index of Consumer Sentiment
o Found if people were more confident (about the economy), were more likely to enter into credit agreements
What did Ernest Dichter do between 1946-1972?
- Ernest Dichter founds the Institute for Motivational Research
o Introduces Freudian concepts to the US advertising industry (later made famous by Packard’s ‘The Hidden Persuaders’)
♣ Channel unacceptable desires into socially acceptable outlets
o Idea that people consume things for a purpose
♣ Unconscious motives
o Pioneered the focus group technique
What happened in the 1950s and 1960s?
- Seminal research on attitudes and persuasion conducted
o E.g. Janis et al. (1959)
What important event occurred in 1960?
- ‘Division of Consumer Psychology’ was formed
o Changed name to ‘The Society for Consumer Psychology’ (in 1988)
What are Dichter’s motives for consumption?
o POWER: Large breakfasts, fast cars, power tools
o MASCULINITY/VIRILITY: Coffee, red meat, heavy shoes
o STATUS: Scotch, carpets (were originally expensive)
o FEMININITY: Cakes and biscuits, tea, silk
o MORAL PURITY/CLEANLINESS: Cotton fabrics, harsh household cleaning chemicals, bathing
o MAGIC/MYSTERY: Soups, paints, carbonated drinks
♣ Soups often used as remedy when ill
