Section I: The Theory of Choice

 The following contains core analytic concepts necessary for understanding variations in customer choice across
the different motivational contexts:

1. Varieties of problem solving: Extensive versus limited problem solving versus routinized response.
2. Basic decision-making sequence models:
1. Utilitarian Choice: Awareness Interest Desire Action (KNOW FEEL DO)
2. Hedonic choice: FEEL DO (KNOW)
3. Low involvement choice: KNOW DO (FEEL)
 3. Variations within decision stages (parenthetical examples refer to low involvement, utilitarian, and
hedonic contexts, respectively)
1. Decision process triggers (stock depletion, environmental interrupt, felt need).
2. Types of search processes (passive versus active versus biased confirmatory).
3. Processes for evaluating competing alternatives (casual / limited versus extensive).
4. Processes for refining decision and consideration sets (limited versus extensive)
5. Decision rules and choice heuristics (buy the familiar, the best, or that I like most).
4. Role of price in the decision:
1. Utilitarian Choice: price as trade-off variable
2. Hedonic choice: price as secondary (at best) concern
3. Low involvement choice: price as deciding factor
5. Decision-making units and roles: Buyers, influencers decision makers, users.
6. Factors influencing the purchase decision
1. Personal (e.g., personality disposition, hierarchy of needs, lifestyle, values)
2. Socio-cultural (e.g., social class, gender, age, ethnicity, family, peers)
3. Situational (e.g., competing alternatives, marketer actions, product risk factors)
 Section II: The Theory of Use
Core analytic concepts necessary for understanding variations in the usage experience across the different
motivational contexts include:

1. Relationship description (length of association, frequency of use, relationship history and initiation source, changes
over time, descriptive interpersonal relationship analogue, strength of relationship)
2. Category and brand meanings derived from use. (provision of relationship benefits)
3. Satisfaction models:
Utilitarian: classic expectation confirmation paradigm.
Hedonic choice: relationship quality model; desires congruency model.
Low involvement choice: absence of negatives inertia model.
4. Varieties of brand loyalty.
Utilitarian: reward for performance
Hedonic choice: affective commitment
Low involvement choice: habit
5. Triggers of the re-evaluation process/central threats to the relationship:
Utilitarian: provision of new information
Hedonic choice: competing brand replicating experience; change in brand / self image Low involvement
choice: interrupts in the environment; saliency of alternatives
6. Relationship consequences:
Utilitarian: repeat intention, recommendation to others
Hedonic choice: forgiveness, tolerance, missionary zeal, ignorance of alternatives
Low involvement choice: predisposition to buy
 Core Descriptive Concepts for Analysis of Consumer Behavior
Define the Market
What consumer problems are we trying to solve? Decision-Making Process
What goals trying to help consumers attain? Attributes of Product/Service Influencing Choice?
Type:
What needs, latent or manifest, trying to fill? How do consumers judge similarity/difference in brands? Which attributes are determinant in choosing?
Utilitarian?
What is the relative importance of attributes?
Low involvement? Ego-expressive? Hedonic?
Sequence:
Decision-Making Unit What triggered the need?
Who uses the product? Who makes the purchase? Is there a search for information on:
Who approves the purchase? Who makes the How to choose?
choice? Attributes of Buying Situation Influencing Choice?
Which alternatives to choose among? What criteria to use?
Who influences the choice? Who pays? Why are non-buyers not buying?
How each alternative performs on each criterion? How are
Who evaluates the outcome of the choice? What keeps needs latent (not conscious)? What keeps them passive (low priority)?
alternatives evaluated?
How is subsequent experience fed back into decision? What
would cause the decision to be re-evaluated?

Use Frequency
Heavy Users Light Users
How is the Product Used?
How much, how often, when, where, with whom? What would increase amount used, frequency of use?
Market Diffusion Process Brand Relationship Quality What aspects of the experience are salient/not salient? To what/whom is success credited?
What were consumers doing before product was there? Compared to other brands, how strong is this brand on To what/whom is failure blamed?
What will make the product obsolete? -- love -- commitment How is the product stored when not in use? How is it stored in transit?
What characteristics of product facilitate the adoption? -- trust -- interdependence How is it applied/dispensed?
What characteristics of consumers facilitate adoption? Who -- intimacy --attachment What services accompany the use situation?
are the early adopters?
Who are the laggards?
Relationship Effects
What Characterizes the Ongoing Relationship between Product and Consumer? How likely is consumer to recommend brand to others? How likely to try an extension of brand?
What kinds of things have gone wrong in the relationship? What kinds of positive surprises have happened? How inoculated against competition?
If characterizing relationship by analogy to human relationships, is it: How long is the relationship likely to persist?
•partnership How large is the set of other brands consumer would consider? Does the brand command a price
•master/slave premium?
•best friend
•casual acquaintance Segmentation
•true love Which aspect of consumer behavior serve as the basis for forming segments, for example:
•dependency Benefit segments
•transitory passion Usage frequency segments
Relationship strength (committed, swing vote) or type (friend partner)