Page 190 - Marketing Management

ANALYZING CONSUMER MARKETS | CHAPTER 6 167

Problem Recognition

The buying process starts when the buyer recognizes a problem or need triggered by internal or
external stimuli.With an internal stimulus, one of the person’s normal needs—hunger, thirst, sex—
rises to a threshold level and becomes a drive. A need can also be aroused by an external stimulus.
A person may admire a friend’s new car or see a television ad for a Hawaiian vacation, which
inspires thoughts about the possibility of making a purchase.
Marketers need to identify the circumstances that trigger a particular need by gathering infor-
mation from a number of consumers. They can then develop marketing strategies that spark
consumer interest. Particularly for discretionary purchases such as luxury goods, vacation
packages, and entertainment options, marketers may need to increase consumer motivation so a
potential purchase gets serious consideration.

Information Search

Surprisingly, consumers often search for limited amounts of information. Surveys have shown
that for durables, half of all consumers look at only one store, and only 30 percent look at more
than one brand of appliances. We can distinguish between two levels of engagement in the
search. The milder search state is called heightened attention. At this level a person simply be-
comes more receptive to information about a product. At the next level, the person may enter an
active information search: looking for reading material, phoning friends, going online, and visit-
ing stores to learn about the product.

INFORMATION SOURCES Major information sources to which consumers will turn fall
into four groups:
• Personal. Family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances
• Commercial. Advertising, Web sites, salespersons, dealers, packaging, displays
• Public. Mass media, consumer-rating organizations
• Experiential. Handling, examining, using the product
The relative amount and influence of these sources vary with the product category and the
buyer’s characteristics. Generally speaking, although consumers receive the greatest amount of
information about a product from commercial—that is, marketer-dominated—sources, the most
effective information often comes from personal or experiential sources, or public sources that are
independent authorities.
Each source performs a different function in influencing the buying decision. Commercial
sources normally perform an information function, whereas personal sources perform a legitimiz-
ing or evaluation function. For example, physicians often learn of new drugs from commercial
sources but turn to other doctors for evaluations.

SEARCH DYNAMICS By gathering information, the consumer learns about competing
brands and their features. The first box in Figure 6.5 shows the total set of brands available.
The individual consumer will come to know a subset of these, the awareness set. Only some,
the consideration set, will meet initial buying criteria. As the consumer gathers more

Total Set Awareness Set Consideration Set Choice Set Decision |Fig. 6.5|
Successive Sets
Apple Apple Apple Apple ?
Dell Dell Dell Dell Involved in Consumer
Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard Toshiba Decision Making
Toshiba Toshiba
Compaq Compaq
NEC
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