UNDERSTANDING

TARGET AUDIENCE
DECISION MAKING

© Larry Percy
 Behavioural Sequence Model

A planning tool for IMC that looks

at how decisions are made and
the roles people play in the decision process

© Larry Percy
 Developing a Decision Model

First determine the stages people go through in making a

purchase or usage decision, then for each stage
determine:

• Who is involved and the roles they play

• Where it occurs
• The timing of each stage
• How it occurs

© Larry Percy
 Generic Behavioural Sequence Model

© Larry Percy
 Stages should be added, modified,
or deleted to suit your specific
target audience,product category,
or even brand

© Larry Percy
 Possible Decision Stages for Various Choices

Laundry D etergent Notice getting low – Shop – Select Brand – Purchase – Use

Casual Eating Out Need arousal – Decide w hat ‘in mood for’ – Decide on
restaurant from that type – Go to restaurant – Eat

Exterminator Service Need arousal – Identify services – Evaluate services – Decide

on service – Contact and schedule service – Evaluate results –
D ecide on w hether to retain service

Wholesale Plumbing Monitor manufacturer and w holesale competitors – Identify

D istributor Stocking items to evaluate – Evaluate items – Contact vendor –
Evaluate vendor – Order and stock item – Evaluate sales
performance - Reorder

© Larry Percy
 Who: The Decision Roles Involved

• An initiator who proposes the purchase or usage

• An influencer who recommends (or discourages)
the purchase or usage
• The decider who actually makes the choice
• The purchaser who actually makes the purchase
• And the user who uses the product or service

© Larry Percy
 BSM For Choosing a Snack
Decision Roles Involved
Decision Stages

© Larry Percy
 BSM For Choosing a Word Processing System
Decision Roles Involved
Decision Stages

© Larry Percy
 When we communicate with advertising
or other marketing communication we are
talking to individuals, but as
individuals in a role

Our message must be consistent

with that role

© Larry Percy
 WHERE: Where the Stage Is Likely to Occur
Some common locations (or situations) for the occurrence of
decision stages in the BSM would include:

• home - for media exposure to usage

• shopping malls
• office - private or sales calls
• social occasion
• commuting - private car or public transportation
• point-of-purchase
• phone calls - friends or business
• contact with expert

© Larry Percy
 BSM For Choosing a Health Food Supplement
Where the Stage Is Likely to Occur
Decision Stages

© Larry Percy
 Factors to Consider in Each Location
or Situation in the BSM

•Advertising communications or promotion accessibility

•Presence of more than one role-player
•Time pressure (the opportunity to process the message)
•Decision participant’s physical and emotional state

© Larry Percy
 WHEN: Timing of the Stage

The time and timing of each BSM stage is

important for media planning -- especially scheduling

Overall timing, from the start to finish of the

BSM stages generally reflects the buyer’s
purchase cycle for fmcgs

© Larry Percy
 BSM For Choosing a Dessert
Timing of Stages
Decision Stages

© Larry Percy
 HOW: How the Stage is Likely to Occur

These ‘hows’ for each decision stage in the BSM

are vitally important in aiding the formulation
of the positioning strategy for the
marketing communication

© Larry Percy
 BSM For Choosing a Holiday
How the Stage is Likely to Occur

Decision Stages

© Larry Percy
 Target Audience Decision-Making Model
for a Major Holiday Trip

© Larry Percy
 The BSM helps set overall communication
objectives, and can also help understand:

• the complexity of the target audience

• the complexity of the purchase and usage decision
• opportunities for trade incentives
• the need for multiple messages
• opportunities for unique message delivery
• the likely importance of retail messages

© Larry Percy
 DETERMINING
THE BEST
POSITIONING

© Larry Percy
 Initial Positioning Decision

Centrally Positioned Brand must be able to deliver

on all the benefits of the category

Differentially Positioned Seek benefit different from primary

category benefit to differential from
market leader and competitors

© Larry Percy
 Options for Positioning Brand
Relative to Competitors

User-Oriented Positioning •When marketing to specific segment

•When social approval is primary purchase motivation
Product-Benefit-Oriented Positioning •In all other cases

© Larry Percy
 General Model of Brand Positioning

What is it? What does it offer?

Category
Brand Benefit
Need

Brand Awareness Brand Attitude

© Larry Percy
 Considerations in Selecting Benefits for
Marketing Communication

• It is important to the target audience

• the brand can deliver it
• It can be delivered better than other brands

© Larry Percy
 n
 i=1 a b
i i


where:A0 = attitude towards the object

ai = importance of belief

bi = belief about the object

© Larry Percy
 Applying The Expectancy – Value Model

© Larry Percy
 Determining Relative Benefit Strength

© Larry Percy
 Different Aspects of a Benefit

Attribute An objective component of a product (anti-bacterial, no calories)

Characteristic A subjective claim about a product (easy to use, tastes great)

Emotion A feeling associated with the product (excitement, relief)

© Larry Percy
 Micromodel of Benefit Focus

1 Attribute
2

3 Characteristic

4 5
(-) (+)
6 Emotion

© Larry Percy
 Motivation and Benefit Focus

Negative Motivation:

Subjective characteristic without support c

Attribute supports subjective
a c
characteristic

Emotions related to problem resolved

by subjective characteristic
e¯ c

© Larry Percy
 Motivation and Benefit Focus

Positive Motivation:

Subjective characteristic leads c e+

to emotion

Emotional consequence alone e+

© Larry Percy
 Benefit Focus Options

Negative Motivation

Positive Motivation

© Larry Percy
 The Three Steps to
Effective Brand Positioning
Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

© Larry Percy