How To Advertise: An Analysis of Contemporary Advertising (part 14)

The Consumer Motivation Process

by

Charles Lamson

Motivation refers to the underlying forces (or motives) that contribute to our purchasing actions. These motives stem from the conscious or unconscious goal of satisfying our needs and wants. Needs are the basic, often instinctive, human forces that motivate us to do something. Wants are "needs" that we learn during our lifetime.

Motivation cannot be observed directly. When we see people eat, we assume they are hungry, but we may be wrong. People eat for a variety of reasons besides hunger. They want to be sociable, it is time to eat, or maybe they are nervous or bored.

People are usually motivated by the benefit of satisfying some combination of needs, which may be conscious or unconscious, functional or psychological. Motivation research offers some insights into the underlying reasons for unexpected consumer behavior. The reasons (motives) some people stop shopping at Ralph's Supermarket and switch to Vons may be that the Vons market is closer to home, it has a wider selection of fresh produce, and (most likely) they see other people like themselves shopping at Vons. Any or all of these factors might make a shopper switch even if prices are lower at Ralph's.

To better understand what motivates people, Abraham Maslow developed the classical model shown in Exhibit 1 called the hierarchy of needs. Maslow maintained that the lower physiological and safety needs dominate human behavior and must be satisfied before the higher, socially acquired needs (or wants) become meaningful. The highest need, self-actualization, is the culmination of fulfilling all the lower needs and reaching to discover the true self.

Need	Product	Promotional appeal
Self-actualization	Golf Lessons	“Realize your full potential”
Esteem	Luxury car	“Be in control of the road”
Social	Pendant	“Show her you care”
Safety	Tires	“Bounces off hazards”
Physiological	Breakfast cereal	“The natural energy source”

Exhibit 1

The hierarchy of needs suggests that people meet their needs according to priorities. Physiological and safety needs carry the greatest priority.

In advertising, the message must match the need of the market or the ad will fail. 

Advertisers use marketing research to understand the need levels of their markets and use this information in determining the marketing mix.

The promise of satisfying a certain level of need is the basic promotional appeal for many ads. In such affluent societies as the United States, Canada, western Europe, and Japan, most individuals take for granted the satisfaction of their physiological needs. So advertising campaigns often portray the fulfillment of social, esteem, self-actualization needs, and many offer the reward of satisfaction through personal achievement.

In focus groups for Nabisco SnackWells, for example, it became apparent that middle-aged women today have a high sense of self-worth. Wellness, to them, is no longer about looking good in a bathing suit; rather, it is about celebrating what they do well. The advertiser wondered if it could use women's positive attitude about themselves to change their attitude toward the concept of snacking. Nabisco's agency, Foote, Cone & Belding capitalized on the idea in a new campaign aimed at boosting women's self esteem. The message: "Snacking is not about 'filling' yourself, but 'fulfilling' yourself.

We all have needs and wants, but we are frequently unaware of them. Before the advent of the laptop computer, people were completely unaware of any need for it. But the moment a consumer consciously recognizes a product-related want or need, a dynamic process begins. The consumer first evaluates the need and either accepts it or rejects it. Acceptance converts satisfaction of the need into a goal, which creates the dedication (the motivation) to reach a particular result. In contrast, rejection removes the necessity for action and thereby eliminates the goal and the motivation to buy.

Modern researchers have translated Maslow's theory about needs and motives into more strategic concepts for use by marketers and advertisers. Rossiter and Percy, for example, identify eight fundamental purchase and usage motives. They refer to the first five as negativity originated (informational) motives and the last three as positively originated (transformational) motives.

Negatively Originated (Informational) Motives

The most common energizers of consumer behavior are the negatively originated motives, such as problem removal or problem avoidance. Whenever we run out of something, for instance, we experience a negative mental state. To relieve those feelings, we actively seek a new or replacement product. Thus, we are temporarily motivated until the time we make the purchase. Then, if the purchase is satisfactory, the drive or motivation is reduced.

These are also called informational motives because the consumer actively seeks information to reduce the mental state. In fact, Rossiter and Percy point out, these could also be called "relief" motives because consumers work to find relief from the negative state.

Positively Originated (Transformational) Motives

From time to time, we all want to indulge ourselves by buying some brand or product that promises some benefit or reward. With the positively originated motives, a positive bonus is promised rather than the removal or reduction of some negative situation. The goal is to use positive reinforcement to increase the consumer's motivation and to energize the consumer's investigation or search for the new product.

The three positively originated motives---sensory gratification, intellectual stimulation, and social improvement---are also called transformational motives because the consumer expects to be transformed in a sensory, intellectual, or social sense. They could also be called "reward" motives because the transformation is a rewarding state.

For some consumers, the purchase of a particular product (say, a new suit) might represent a negatively originated motive (they do not really want to spend money on it, but they have to have it for work). But for their consumers, it might be positively originated (they love to shop for new clothes). This suggests two distinct target markets that advertisers must understand and that may call for completely different advertising strategies.

Before creating messages, advertisers must carefully consider the goals that lead to consumer motivations. Chili's restaurants would make a costly mistake if its ads portrayed the reward of a romantic interlude if the real motive of most Chili's customers is simply to satisfy their need to reduce hunger with a filling, low-priced meal.

*SOURCE: CONTEMPORARY ADVERTISING 11TH ED., 2008, WILLIAM F. ARENS, MICHAEL F. WEIGOLD, CHRISTIAN ARENS, PGS. 153-155*

END

Need

Product

Promotional appeal

Self-actualization

Golf Lessons

“Realize your full potential”

Esteem

Luxury car

“Be in control of the road”

Social

Pendant

“Show her you care”

Safety

Tires

“Bounces off hazards”

Physiological

Breakfast cereal

“The natural energy source”