Checking date: 11/05/2022


Course: 2023/2024

Advanced Consumer Behaviour
(17118)
Master in Advertising Communication (Plan: 359 - Estudio: 326)
EPH


Coordinating teacher: MELNYK , VOLODYMYR

Department assigned to the subject: Institute for the Development of Enterprises and Markets (INDEM)

Type: Compulsory
ECTS Credits: 3.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:




Requirements (Subjects that are assumed to be known)
None
Objectives
COMPETENCES CB6, To have and understand knowledge that provides a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and / or application of ideas, often in a research context. CB7, That students know how to apply the acquired knowledge and their ability to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study. CB10, That students have the learning skills that allow them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous. CG5, To know the new trends in advertising communication according to the changes of the digital society. CE5, To identify research problems and apply the most relevant qualitative and quantitative methodologies and tools in each case for the study of communicative phenomena in Advertising. CE8, To identify the main models of new consumer behavior and the determining variables. LEARNING OUTCOMES To understand the main variables that make up the models of consumer behavior and identify motivations, attitudes and more fundamental variables to understand the consumer, his decision-making process and the variables of their environment. To be able to set and establish the most appropriate communication and advertising objectives according to brand values and budgetary restrictions.
Skills and learning outcomes
Description of contents: programme
Consumers and their needs are at the core of marketing. The past decades have witnessed a shift from a mere sales- and product-oriented approach (whereby marketing was a matter of pushing already existing product lines and creating awareness for those products) to a consumer-oriented approach (whereby products fit identified needs of well-delineated consumer segments, i.e. products need to be positioned). In order to be able to anticipate today's rapid changes in consumers' motives and needs, a decent understanding of the underlying mechanisms is a sine qua non. The objective of this course is to introduce the student to the principles of consumer behaviour. We start from formal theories and concepts and discuss their usefulness in developing effective marketing strategies in nowadays world with a great importance of digital technologies. Most sessions will be organised around the consumer's purchase decision process, consisting of Need Arousal, Information Search and Processing, Brand Evaluation and Attitude Development, Purchase, Consumption and Postpurchase Evaluation. Other sessions address specific consumer-specific or environmental variables that affect this decision process. This course aims at providing students with a better understanding of consumer buying behaviour in order to be able to describe, explain, and predict how consumers will behave under various marketing conditions and actions. Topic 1: Introduction to Consumer Behavior & Consumer Perception Many factors at the time of purchase dramatically influence the consumer´s decision making process. Marketers need to be concerned about a consumer´s evaluations of a product after he or she buys it as well as before. Perception is a three-stage process that translates raw stimuli into meaning. The design of a product today is a key driver of its success or failure. Products and commercial messages often appeal to our senses, but because of the profusion of these messages most of them won´t influence us. The concept of a sensory threshold is important for marketing communication. Subliminal advertising is a controversial but largely ineffective way to talk to consumers. We interpret the stimuli to which we do pay attention according to learned patterns and expectations. The field of semiotics helps us to understand how marketers use symbols to create meaning. Topic 2: The Self, Personality and Motivation The self-concept strongly influences consumer behavior. Products often play a key role in defining the self-concept. It is important for marketers to recognize that products can satisfy a range of consumer needs. A consumer´s personality influences the way he responds to marketing stimuli, but efforts to use this information in marketing contexts meet with mixed results. The way we evaluate and choose a product depends on our degree of involvement with the product, the marketing message and/or the purchase situation. Our deeply held cultural values dictate the types of products and services we seek out or avoid. Consumers vary in the importance they attach to worldly possessions, and this orientation in turn influences their priorities and behaviors. Topic 3: Attitude Formation and Persuasion Understanding attitudes is important to consumer researchers. Attitudes are more complex than they appear. Attitudes are formed in several ways. Consistency is important in attitude formation. Attitude models are used to identify specific components of an attitude towards a brand, a product or an advertisement. Persuasion can change attitudes. Likelihood of persuasion depends on the source¿s credibility and attractiveness. A buzz can be a very effective marketing tool. The appeal of a message often depends on fear, sex and humor. Topic 4: Social and Group Influences Others, especially those who possess some kind of social power, often influence us. We seek out others who share our interests in products or services. We are motivated to buy or use products in order to be consistent with what other people do. The things that other consumers tell us about products (good and bad) are often more influential than the advertising we see. Online technologies are accelerating the impact of word-of-mouth communication. Social networking is changing the way companies and consumers interact. Certain people are particularly likely to influence others¿ product choices. Topic 5: Individual Decision Making Consumer decision-making is a central part of consumer behavior, but the way we evaluate and choose products (and the amount of thought we put into these choices) varies widely, depending on such dimensions as the degree of novelty or risk in the decision. A purchase decision actually is composed of a series of stages that results in the selection of one product over competing options. Decision-making is not always rational. Our access to online sources changes the way we decide what to buy. We often fall back on well-learned ¿rules-of-thumb¿ to make decisions. Consumers rely on different decision rules when they evaluate competing options Topic 6: Project proposal presentation Conclusions, Question and Answer session for the Exam.
Learning activities and methodology
FORMATION ACTIVITIES Theoretical-practical classes Tutorials Team work Individual student work TEACHING METHODOLOGIES -Exhibitions in the lecturer's class with support of computer and audiovisual media, in which the main concepts of the subject are developed and the bibliography is provided to complement the students' learning. -Critical reading of texts and viewing of audiovisual material recommended by the lecturer of the subject: Press articles, videos, advertising campaigns, reports, manuals and / or academic articles, or for later discussion in class, or to expand and consolidate knowledge of the subject. -Resolution of practical cases raised by the teacher about communication and publicity, individually or in group -Exhibition and discussion in class, under the moderation of the lecturer of subjects related to the content of the subjects, as well as of practical cases -Development of works and reports individually or in groups
Assessment System
  • % end-of-term-examination 50
  • % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 50

Basic Bibliography
  • Solomon, Michael R., Gary Bamossy, and Margaret K. Hogg . Consumer Behavior: A European Perspective. 5th edition. Pearson Higher Education, Boston.. 2016
Additional Bibliography
  • Berger, J., & Fitzsimons, G . Dogs on the street, pumas on your feet: How cues in the environment influence product evaluation and choice. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(1), 1-14.. 2008
  • Briley, D. A., & Aaker, J. L.. When does culture matter? Effects of personal knowledge on the correction of culture-based judgments. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(3), 395-408..
  • Bruno, P., Melnyk, V., Volckner F.. Temperature and emotions: Effects of physical temperature on responses to emotional advertising. . International Journal of Research in Marketing, 34, 302-320. 2017
  • Dhar, R., Wertenbroch, K.. Consumer Choice between Hedonic and Utilitarian Goods. Journal of Marketing Research, 37, 29¿44.. 2000
  • Gao, L., Wheeler, S. C., & Shiv, B.. The "Shaken Self": Product Choices as a Means of Restoring Self-View Confidence. Journal of Consumer Research, 36(1), 29-38.. 2009
  • Griskevicius, V. Goldstein, N. et al. Fear and Loving in Las Vegas: Fear and Loving in Las Vegas: Evolution, Emotion, and Persuasion.. Journal of Marketing Research, 46, 384¿395..
  • Gu Y., S. Botti, D. Faro. Turning the Page: The Impact of Choice Closure on Satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(2), 268-283.. 2013
  • Kahn, B. E., & Wansink, B.. The influence of assortment structure on perceived variety and consumption quantities. Journal of Consumer Research, 30(4), 519-533.. 2004
  • Shiv, B., & Fedorikhin, A.. Heart and mind in conflict: The interplay of affect and cognition in consumer decision making. Journal of Consumer Research, 26(3), 278-292.. 1999
  • Spangenberg, E. R., Sprott, D. E., Grohmann, B., & Smith, R. J. Mass-communicated prediction requests: Practical application and a cognitive dissonance explanation for self-prophecy. Journal of Marketing, 67(3), 47-62.. 2003
  • Tversky A., D. Kahneman. Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases.. Science, 185, 1124-1131. 1974
  • Werth, L., Foerster, J.. How regulatory focus influences consumer behavior. European Journal of Social Psychology 37 (1), 33-51.. 2006
  • Wänke, M., Bohner, G., & Jurkowitsch, A.. There are many reasons to drive a BMW: Does imagined ease of argument generation influence attitudes?. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(2), 170-177. 1997
  • Zeelenberg, M., & Pieters, R.. Beyond valence in customer dissatisfaction: A review and new findings on behavioral responses to regret and disappointment in failed services. Journal of Business Research, 57, 445-455. 2004

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.


More information: http://www.business.uc3m.es/en/faculty/profesor/perfil/vladimir-melnyk