Coursework
(Buyer Behaviour)

Essay

‘The importance to marketers of understanding human motivation’

‘Recommendation on how to market a fair trade food from the
consumer-behaviour-perspective’

Monday, February 17, 2003

Part 1 – Essay

‘The importance to marketers of understanding human motivation’

Not only due to the increasing globalisation, economies in developed countries have an existence of a large scale in differentiated products and services. Furthermore, consumers can not only distinguish between different options of products to cover their needs but also between a large variety of companies which offer often similar products.

As every company tries to maximize its sales revenue and hence to extend the market share to gain a higher return-on-investment it is likely that the company which has got the best sound understanding of its customers will be the most successful. Simon (1996) underlines that a company will be the ‘champion’ within its industry if it knows its markets and the needs of its customers very well.

There is little doubt given that a well developed corporate strategy contributes a part of this success, too. However, in satisfied markets in which products show little differences in their values of purpose, it is an imperative for companies to generate extraordinary stimuli and values in their products offered, to gain a higher attraction from consumers. But what motivates people to prefer a specific product of a certain company instead the similar product of the company’s competitor? Is it possible for marketers to influence the consumer–decision–making process to gain a positive attitude of the specific consumer towards the company’s products?

To understand what is meant by ‘human motivation’ and why motivations of human-beings are important to marketers we should first put things in an appropriate order. What actually means ‘consumer behaviour’? Belch & Belch (1995) define consumer behaviour as ‘the process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to satisfy their needs and desires’. The figure of the consumer-decisin-process, shown in the appendix, helps to understand where the unit “motivation” can be found within this process.

Whereas the consumer-decision-process describes the decision-process rather from a superficial aspect, the internal-psychological-process (see appendix) shows what happens in the mind of a specific person at the same time. For example a recognition of a problem may be the need to purchase a new car, indeed. But what motivates the person to buy a new car? Is it because a 25-year-old man (single, no kids) wants to improve his life-standard or is it for the reason that a man of the same age (married, 2 kids) wants to have a securer vehicle for his family as he would like to know is family save regarding to a possible car crash?

In relevant literature e.g. Dubois (2000) and in many decision-process-models, for example the Engel, Kollat Blackwell Model (1978), the Nicosia Model (1966) the Howard and Sheth Model (1969) or the Howard-Ostlund Mmodel (1973) the words ‘motive’ or ‘motives’ can be found. But what exactly is the meaning of motivation? Are not all our actions related to motives in a certain extend?

When a company’s marketing department refers to how to motivate a target group to buy the company’s products Fonvielle (1997) recommends that it has first to be considered what people within this target group really want. i.e. what kind of desires does the specific target group have that makes them to buy the products of that this company? Hence, the central question is: How and in what way are motives generated? On the other hand the marketers have to take into account wherefrom these motivations origin.

To explain how motives are generated by human beings, an introduction to a few theories of motivation will follow in the next few paragraphs. Furthermore, some practical examples in relation to these theories will be shown.

Reviewing the literature and theories which relate to human motivation, Felser (2001) mentions different categories of theories. At first there are the so-called mono-thematic theories. These theories assume that human beings only want to satisfy one particular motive. The best known theory amongst these theories is the motive-theory pioneered by Freud (1927). Freud attributes this central motive (sexual lust) to the libido. Other scientists state different single needs to be satisfied. Examples therefore are Adler (1927) who explains that current needs are influenced by experiences in early childhood or Horney (1945) who relates motivations to anxiety.

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