DISCUSSION ESSAY

  1. Does buying Kashi cereal satisfy a consumer’s functional or psychological needs? How might this information help a Kashi brand manager better promote the product?
  1. When consumers buy a new notebook computer, what sort of information search (internal versus external) would they conduct? If you were a marketing manager for Sony, how would you use this information?
  1. Explain the factors that affect the amount of time and effort a consumer might take when choosing an oral surgeon to get his or her wisdom teeth removed. How would your answer change if the consumer were looking for a dentist to get a cleaning? How should the office manager for a dental practice use this information?
  1. When evaluating different alternatives for a Saturday night outing at a fine restaurant, explain the difference between the universal set, the retrieval set, and the evoked set. From which set of alternatives will the consumer most likely choose the restaurant?
  1. What can retailers do to make sure they have satisfied customers after the sale is complete?
  2. Tazo makes a blend of exotic green teas, spearmint, and rare herbs into a tea called Zen. Using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, explain which need(s) is (are) being fulfilled by this tea.
  1. Think about your last purchase either online or in a retail store. Were you presented with a nudge? If yes, what was the nudge? Did you make the purchase? If not, which item could have been presented to you as a nudge? Why did you choose this item?
  2. Trek has designed a new off-road bicycle designed to stand up to the rugged conditions of trail riding. Develop a theme for an advertising strategy that covers all three components of attitude.
  1. What can a marketer do to positively influence a situation in which a consumer is ready to buy but has not yet done so?
  2. Choose a retailer you visit frequently and identify how at least two factors of the sensory situation may affect your behavior.