Motivation and Means-End Chain Model

Saurav Banerjee 1
 Motivation & values
The reason behind one’s action irrespective of one’s articulation, is
motivation
Motivation types
 Utilitarian (attribute, feature oriented, Akai TV commercial)
 Hedonic (subjective & experiential – Chevrolet & the Karva Chauth
imagery)
Motivation Theories
 Drive Theory
 Degree of arousal
 Tension reduction, motivation receding temporary or permanent
(Homeostasis), though examples contrary to this is also there when
one rather increases the drive than satisfying it
 Expectancy Theory- Behavior pulled by expectation of achieving desirable
outcome, not pushed from within

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Motivational conflicts
 Approach- Approach
- Cognitive dissonance reduction (pls refer to Miller Lite beer, next
slide)
 Approach-Avoidance
- Consumers’ craving as well feeling of guilt, chocolate, ice-cream & fear of
calories creating there by sugar free mithais, fat free ice-cream, fake fur,
light beer, nicotine free smoke, decaf coffee etc.
 Avoidance-Avoidance
- Hobson’s choice, marketers lessen the blow by offering benefits,
mortgage, consumer finance, use now pay later options,
promoting‘Wrinung kritwa ghreetang pibet’ culture

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 Miller Lite – the lesson in positioning & consumer behavior
 Beer positioned as light, low calorie, to male beer drinkers and those
failed:
 Gablinger (1968) (This brand generated trials but could not sustain
it)
 Meister Brau Lite (1970)
However, Coorg Lite Beer was successful, but it was positioned for
women.
Miller tweaked the positioning platform from less fattening (male heavy
beer drinkers did not bother about fat, calorie etc) to ‘Less filling –
one third less calorie meant for them three beers instead of two.
“Everything you’ve always wanted in a great beer. And less.” The rest,
as they say, was history as far as positioning and branding goes.
From CB perspective less filling & great beer bundles several benefits
together

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Maslow’s Need Hierarchy

Raymonds -The Complete Man

Self
Actualization
Ego needs, Reid
& Taylor Bond
with the Best
Belongingness, Pepsi –
You’re in the Pepsi
Generation

Safety, LIC - Jeevan Ke saath bhi, jeevan ke baad bhi

Physiological, Domino’s Pizza - Hungry Kya?

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The Means-End Chain Model
 Means end chain analysis looks at consumer product knowledge from
the relationship of attributes (means), values (ends – the desired state)
and the connecting consequences/benefits which link the attributes to
the values. The theory proposes that consumer product knowledge is
hierarchically organised, spanning different levels of abstraction and a
fundamental assumption that the model is based on is that values,
defined here as desirable end states of existence, play a dominant role
in guiding choice patterns.

 A research approach incorporating values, very specific product attributes are

linked at levels of increasing abstraction to terminal values
 Products are valued as the means to an end
 Technique used is laddering
 Based on consumer feedback, hierarchical value maps are created that show
how specific product attributes get linked to end states

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The Means-End Chain Model contd…
 The Means-End chain model can be used to understand the consumers’
perception (positive or negative) about a category and accordingly promotion or
communication can be designed to address issues / concerns
 - Denmark, despite having huge fish industry and enough supply, had
lower per capita fish consumption than neighboring European countries.
the Danish housewives’ concern was ‘a fish dish would lack variety and
taste’
 - An ad was designed on the Means –End Chain model to address the
above query and fun, convenience and good taste was highlighted more
than the health benefit
 Result – immediate hike in fresh fish consumption
 This model has been used to find out the resistance to internet banking

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Consumer behavior &
Influences of market realities of the host country

Market offerings based on 4P’s and beyond

McDonalds
 Big Maharaja yes but No Big Mac (Big Maharaja has mutton whereas
the worldwide McDonald’s standard Big Mac has beef, no Pork either
for Muslim sensibilities
 For a sizeable vegetarian population McD offers vegetarian fare like
Mc AlooTikki Burger an Indian innovation that was exported!
 Claimed use of vegetable oil only in India (Bharti case of using lard in
finger chips was for US only).
Anchor
 Vegetarian toothpaste
Dabur, Amul
 Cheese made of vegetable rennet (microbial) instead of abomasum
(coming cow’s stomach)