Assessment type: Midterm assignment

BCO225 – Consumer Behavior

Task 1.3: Midterm Assessment

Case study with 4 questions

Student: Angelina Levkovich

Professor: Dr. Anne Walder

Table of content

1. As part of the launch, if the Wilson NYC had allowed consumers to sign up for

early booking before the Dog Menu was launched:

a. What category of adopters would the consumers that signed up early fall into?

b. What would be some possible reasons behind the Wilson NYC offering early sign-

ups?

2. Describe how each of the following groups would have a different perspective on

cause-related marketing and how they would react if the Wilson NYC was campaign

partnering with an SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

a. Sceptics

b. Balancers

c. Attribution-oriented consumers

d. Socially concerned consumers.

3. Referring to Question 2, to which of those groups of perspectives on cause-related

marketing do you personally belong? Why? Explain your answer thoroughly.

4. Which generational group do you think would serve as the best target market for

Wilson’s Dog Menu? Would more than one be viable? Explain your answer.
 1. a. According to existing types of buyer behaviors such as innovators, early

adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards, it is possible to analyze the

adaptation of these types and their correlation with the product. In this case, the product is

new, specific and very popular on the American market, especially for those who like new

things, have a dog and prefer to eat on the coast.

In order to accurately define the consumer segment, we will understand each definition

in more depth. Innovators are well educated and take risks, they are able to deeply study and

analyze information, understand and apply complex technical knowledge, and are not afraid

of difficulties and defeats. Early adopters are venerable social leaders, famous, educated,

eager to use new technologies to bring innovation into society, risky, priceless. The early

majority are of the cautious type and have many informal contacts. The following life credos

are typical for them: "Don't be the first in something new!", "When it's time to move, let's move

all together!" Late majority are skeptical about many things, deeply traditional, prudent and

have a low social status, the price is important for them, and they can accept innovations only

under the influence of the majority of the population. The laggards are traditional, they are

wary of innovation, they are not leaders and have narrowly focused views, most of this type

of people is isolated from the external environment.

In our case, to a greater extent, innovators and early adopters will be interested in

visiting a restaurant Wilson NYC, a little less this will be characteristic of the early majority.

For late majority and laggards, it won't matter at all, as this is an innovation that is beyond

their understanding.

b. The term “dog-friendly” means an accessible environment for pet dogs and their

owners: any territory where a pet is welcome. The “dog-friendly” policy now helps

establishments to increase their popularity, as well as earn more and at the same time be

friendly to all customers, including their “four-legged” friends. This establishment was very

popular for New Yorkers, and with the advent of the menu for dogs, the number of people

has increased even more, so early booking is necessary to organize the flow of customers

and ensure a comfortable stay for everyone.

 2. According to the theory and classes during this semester, there are four consumer

types, such as sceptics, balancers, attribution-oriented consumers and socially concerned

consumers. In my humble opinion, consumer skepticism is a necessary and useful skill

that can protect the consumer from marketing gimmicks and enable them to look at things

objectively. However, skepticism should be reinforced through education and training. It is

important to remember that naysayers are the type of people where unhealthy skepticism

often prevails. Furthermore, in the case of a restaurant, they can be embarrassed and feel

uncomfortable that a dog will sit at the next table and eat food from a plate almost on an

equal footing. Given that the restaurant caters to all customers and is not only catered to

customers with dogs.

Secondly, balancer consumers follow the strategy that there should be a measure

in everything. In the modern world, such a theory works in twenty percent of cases, since

the world is changing at a tremendous speed. Balancers are realists, they believe that there

is nothing forbidden and completely accessible, that there is no only white and black or bad

and good. On the other hand, this type of consumer, more often than other consumer

segments, pays attention to important issues. Therefore, it is important for them to be in

comfort and harmony in society, regardless of whether it is a society of people or people

with animals. In the case of supporting an advertising campaign in conjunction with the

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, they are also more likely to support this

initiative, weighing all the pros and cons. This measure is a solution for many animals that

need it.

Thirdly, attribution-oriented buyers, when a situation arises, return to the memories

of past experiences and draw conclusions about the quality of the product when using it. In

the case of the advent of the menu for dogs and the idea of holding a joint company with

an SPCA, it is difficult to predict how this or that person will behave, because it is his past

experience that will influence his decision. Moreover, for this type of buyer, the price

matters, as they evaluate the value of the product. Brand, quality, place in the market are

important for them. For attribution-oriented consumers, associations are significant, if a

restaurant has a dog-friendly image or a menu specifically for dogs, then they will like it.

Accordingly, they will become potential customers of the Wilson NYC restaurant.

Finally, a socially conscious consumer is a potential customer of a restaurant,

because in the first place for him are such factors as ethics and environmental friendliness.

They vote for their values with their wallet and are willing to pay more for sustainable

products. Helping animals and dog-friendly cafes are innovations and very important things

that contribute to improving the ethical qualities in society, as well as saving lives. These

are environmental concerns and remain a top consideration for socially conscious

consumers.

3. According to analyzed information, I am sure that my consumer type is balancer

(35%) and socially conscious (65%). To begin with, I believe that balancer consumer type

is about me since I am sure that in everything there should be a minimum and a maximum

in life. Moreover, despite my age, I am a realist and believe that the world is not divided into

white and black, there are also shades of gray. It is very important for me to be in comfort

and harmony in society, but a “four-legged” friend at the next table cannot interfere with me,

because animals for me are family members. I would fully support such a marketing

collaboration between the Wilson NYC restaurant and the SPCA. On the other hand, I will

never save money when the speech is going about eco- or green- products. I understand

that this is the great marketing policy, because all of the goods have price 40 per cent more.

Moreover, I would be ready to reserve a table at the Wilson NYC restaurant, because I like

spending spare time with my family, friend and doggy, and ready pay for it.

4. Mostly dog-friendly establishments are coffee shops, much less often high-class

restaurants. However, restaurants like Wilson NYC are usually not visited along the way

and dressed in such a way that it is simply inconvenient to take a dog with you, and guests

want to enjoy food and a relaxed atmosphere, and the high status of the establishment does

not contradict the dog-friendly views of its owners. I believe that is why a special menu was

developed so that the audience could carry out their plan after the end of the working day.
 Capturing the attention of consumers is already difficult, but when you have to

address fundamentally different demographic groups, the task becomes even more difficult.

After all, representatives of the older generation have a rather cool attitude towards modern

technologies, while young people have a completely different set of values.

There are next generational groups in the marketing theory:

 Gen Z: Born 1996 – TBD. I was born in 1998 that is why I am a part of Gen Z.

We are optimistic and pay great attention to our personal ambitions. Self-realization is of

paramount importance for us, along with full-fledged work and a positive working

atmosphere, nothing is impossible for us. Representatives of Z are always in touch, they all

use instant messengers and social networks to connect with friends and family. Most likely,

I will be interested in visiting this restaurant, because I like delicious dishes and expensive

cuisine. I have a dog - a dwarf Spitz, and I would love to walk along the coast with him, and

then I would buy together. Considering that we belong to the digital generation, the first

thing I noticed was the Instagram of the Wilson NYC restaurant (link in the list of sources).

I was attracted by the visual and the fact that they constantly update the feed and stories.

Of course, many of our generation are now actively using delivery and do not really want to

move much. However, this is very individual.

 Millennials: Born 1977 – 1995. By general definition, Generation Y is very free

in their preferences, hobbies and work. Among worship Y, most of all are entrepreneurs

and self-employed. Moreover, they worry less about financial stability, they pay more

attention to the ethical side of consumption, so they are interested in food outlets such as

dog-friendly restaurant, green economy, eco food and cosmetics, and so on. Global values,

self-development and new experiences are the ingredients for a happy life for Generation

Y.

 Generation X: Born 1965 – 1976. Representatives of this generation are very

busy people, they try to do everything in time and combine a career, raising children and

household chores. This audience is very conservative and skeptical about similar visits to

such restaurants, both from the standpoint of views and from the standpoint of time costs.
They'd rather just walk the dog and come home for dinner.

 Baby Boomers: Born 1946 – 1964. They still prefer live communication to

chatbots and usually do not respond to advertising methods used in social networks. In the

US, this generation often has a dog, they are already retired and can afford to enjoy life,

walking along the coast with a dog to a restaurant and at the same time resorting to offline

communication with friends and family meetings. However, they prefer to go to restaurant

without any early reservation.

 The Silent Generation (born 1945 and before) is named because the fear of

saying too much, severe censorship and denunciations, and then the world war taught

these children to be silent and not stand out from the crowd. The silent generation is

characterized by the following traits: patience and law-abidingness, compliance with the

rules, caution and thriftiness, diligence and attentive attitude to health. I think that they will

not like this type of recreation, although it all depends on the nation, family arrangements,

prerequisites, income level and development.

In inclusion of this question, in my humble opinion, representatives of Millennials and

older people from Gen Z will like visiting the Wilson NYC restaurant with dogs and friends,

because it is extremely convenience and is in line with generational theory. To a lesser

extent, the restaurant will be popular among the remaining groups. However, my views and

judgments are built purely from my own experience, life in Europe and interaction with

representatives of different generations.

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eatatthewilson.com. 2022. The Wilson Restaurant [online] Available at: <https://eatatthewils

on.com/nyc/> [Accessed 13 March 2022].

youtube.com. 2019. Dog Fine Dining: Restaurant Serves $42 Steak for Dogs |

Localish [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhOWGa4NxRI>

[Accessed 13 March 2022].

instagram.com. 2022. thewilsonnyc [online] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/thewi

lsonnyc/> [Accessed 13 March 2022].

euruni.online. 2022. Dr Anne M. Walder. Week 2 Segmentation [online] Available at: <

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