Consumer Motivation

Learning Objectives
1. To Understand the Types of Human Needs and
Motives and the Meaning of Goals.
2. To Understand the Dynamics of Motivation,
Arousal of Needs, Setting of Goals, and
Interrelationship Between Needs and Goals.
3. To Learn About Several Systems of Needs
Developed by Researchers.

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Concept Of Motivation
Drive Theory: the desire for a product
arises from some inner drives
(physiological or psychological)
Expectancy theory: consumers actions
are mainly driven by expectations of
desirable outcomes rather than push
from inside.
Model of the Motivation Process

4
 The Motivation Process
• Tension: unpleasant state
• Drive:
– The degree of arousal present due to a discrepancy between the
consumer’s present state and some ideal state

• Want:
– A manifestation of a need created by personal and cultural factors.
• Goal:
– The end state that is desired by the consumer.
• Motivation can be described in terms of:
– Strength: The pull it exerts on the consumer
– Direction: The particular way the consumer attempts to reduce
motivational tension (positive or negative)
 Role or functions of motives:
 Defining basic striving: Motives influence consumers to
develop and identify their basic striving which includes general
goals such as safety, affiliation, etc which consumer seeks to
achieve.

Identifying goal objects: Consumers view product or service as

a mean to satisfy their motives. The product is the goal to
consumers.

Influencing choice criteria: Motives guide consumers to buy

certain products and not the other.

Influencing consumer perception and learning: Motives

influences consumer perception and learning process.
 Discussion Question

Does consumer’s needs and goals

constantly change?
 Motivation as a Psychological Force
Motivation The processes that lead people to behave as they
do. It occurs when a need arises that a consumer wishes to
satisfy.

Biogenic needs (Innate needs ): Needs necessary to maintain

life
Psychogenic needs (Acquired Needs)
Culture-related needs (e.g. need for status, power,
affiliation, etc.)

Utilitarian need: Provides a functional or practical benefit

Hedonic need: An experiential need involving emotional
responses or fantasies

• Needs are the essence of the marketing concept. Marketers

do not create needs but can make consumers aware of
needs.
• Needs direct the motivational forces
• Needs are never fully satisfied
• New needs emerge as old needs are satisfied
• People who achieve their goals set new and higher goals for
themselves

Identify innate and acquired needs for global positioning

devices
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 Smart toothbrushes
Procter & Gamble’s Oral-B : First ever web-enabled
toothbrush.

Setting a new standard for dental hygiene, the next

SmartSeries toothbrush includes a smartphone app, helping
users to know if they are brushing too hard or if it’s time to
brush another area of their mouth.
The new Oral-B connected toothbrush experience also
suggests nearby dentists for you, gamifies teeth cleaning,
and even provides weather updates.
Sounds exciting, but does it make sense for the customer?
Discussion Question

This ad was created by

the American
Association of
Advertising Agencies to
counter charges that ads
create artificial needs.
Do you agree with the
premise of the ad? Why
or why not?
Ernest Dichter’s Consumption Motives
power, masculinity-virility, security, eroticism, moral purity/cleanliness, social acceptance,
individuality, status, femininity, reward, mastery over one’s environment and magic-mastery

Understanding which consumption motive drives consumers to purchase products enables

marketers to form the basis of positioning, value proposition and marketing campaigns
Analyze research to understand consumer
Focus should be to find the answers to the follow questions:

• Does the product fulfill psychological needs. If so, which ones?

• How does the product relate to consumer feelings (e.g., competitive drive, self-esteem, security,
etc.)?
• Does the product hold symbolic significance for consumers?
• What fears do consumers hold regarding the product category?
• How do external influences like culture and reference groups impact consumers as they consider
your product or service?

Motivational studies often cannot be proven through survey research – especially if they relate to
unconscious motives. 

Marketers can trigger consumer motives by inducing need recognition, motivation through need-
benefit segmentation, and subconscious motivation,
Enhancing perceived risk, arouse consumers’ curiosity, providing incentives etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL5U5ZeFkZ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=ozKYIBlYqhM&feature=emb_logo
 Motivation Research

Shopping
List

Instant Coffee in the 50s. Two

women are depicted with
having identical shopping lists
with the exception that 1 had
instant coffee on her list and
the other had regular brew
coffee. Can you guess how the
woman who purchased the
instant coffee was viewed as
compared to the one who
bought the coffee that had to
be percolated?

Instant Coffee User Image

By Projective Techniques
 Motivational Conflicts
Different motives may conflict
• Approach-Approach Conflict:
– A person must choose between two desirable alternatives.
– Theory of Cognitive Dissonance: A state of tension occurs when
beliefs or behaviors conflict with one another.
• Approach-Avoidance Conflict:
– Exists when consumers desire a goal but wish to avoid it at the same
time.
• Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict:
– Consumers face a choice between two undesirable alternatives.
The marketer can analyse situations that are likely to
result in a motivational con­flict, provide a solution to the
conflict, and attract the patronage of those consumers
facing the motivational conflict. 
Discuss: Doesn’t every product present an approach-avoid
conflict?