More than 1.7 million people are living in Europe’s greenest city, the metropolis city of Hamburg, Germany. But there is no smoke without a fire. All of Hamburg’s inhabitants are consumers of a very important service provider: The Sanitation Department of Hamburg, SRH. A civilised cooperation would be unthinkable without the 2,500 men and women who dispose, on average, one million tons of waste annually. Disposal services are multi-million Euro businesses. In 2006, the total output averaged
approximately 350 million Euros. In other words, every Hamburg inhabitant paid directly by utility costs or indirectly by taxes, 206 Euros each.
These costs also include marketing and public relation expenses. At first glance, it is not clear why a public utility (for example, SRH) markets their products because it satisfies basic consumer needs than sophisticated wants. Furthermore, the SRH has a monopoly position. So, in fact, most of its marketing approaches have to be interpreted as community service
announcements.
In the second half of 2005, SRH started a campaign in cooperation with the advertisement agency, MKK Werbeagentur GmbH. The Campaign’s overall goal was to reach a wide effect utilising a low budget. The Campaign’s specific aim was to encourage a higher usage rate of the public wastebaskets which had a quite inconspicuous “working life” during the last decades. For example, prior wastebaskets were a “mouse grey” colour and
then after the Campaign, they were changed to a “fire red” colour. However, there was more changed than just the colours of the wastebaskets, they now also consisted of drawled eyes and naughty written slogans. The change is still taking place. There are still some wastebaskets which do not wear the new provocative outfit.
Hamburg has about 9,000 wastebaskets around the city. Thus, the new image requires an abundance of colour, creativity, and time.
This paper will analyse the Campaign through the perspective of consumer behaviour purposes. More specifically, it will examine the processes which are able to change consumer behaviour by utilising the key aspects of emotions, cognition, motivation, and attitude.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Involvement
2. Emotions
3. Cognition
4. Motivation
5. Attitude
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This study investigates how marketing strategies, specifically those employed by the Sanitation Department of Hamburg (SRH), influence consumer behavior regarding public utilities. The central research objective is to analyze the effectiveness of a creative, low-budget promotional campaign in changing public perception and usage patterns of public wastebaskets by applying behavioral psychology concepts.
- Application of behavioral science to public goods and infrastructure marketing.
- The role of consumer involvement, emotional engagement, and cognitive processing in public utility usage.
- Strategic implementation of humor and visual identity to shift consumer attitudes.
- Evaluation of campaign success through behavioral indicators and public feedback.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Involvement
The most determining variable in the process of activating potential demand for a product or service is the level of consumer involvement. It is the first barrier which has to be negotiated. If the marketer is not able to leverage the communicated message, than he or she probably will not achieve the sought after goals. Following the rule of AIDA, results are not attainable since there is no action without attention.
Public goods induce a special problem since many people do not perceive the value of services which appear to be free. On the contrary, the introduction part clearly displayed the costs. Most likely, people underestimate the indirect costs of common services because they do not have the ability of excluding others. For example, a wastebasket is a typical common good. The colour grey was not really an advantage for SRH, especially in such a Nordic and rainy city like Hamburg. The decision for a new colour was more than overdue.
There are more reasons for the increased level of involvement. The colour red is an eye catcher colour, a worldwide symbol for attention. In addition to the colour change, the drawled eyes and the slogans are more important because these items change the impersonal attitude of the consumer towards the wastebasket.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides an overview of the Sanitation Department of Hamburg (SRH) and the strategic marketing campaign launched to improve the usage of public wastebaskets through visual and emotional rebranding.
1. Involvement: Examines how increasing consumer attention through distinct visual changes and humor helps overcome the barriers associated with perceiving public goods as free or unimportant.
2. Emotions: Discusses the psychological importance of creating hedonic benefits and positive emotional associations to influence consumer behavior beyond functional utility.
3. Cognition: Analyzes how cognitive schemata and memory systems are targeted by the campaign to facilitate behavior change and create a lasting connection between the consumer and the utility.
4. Motivation: Explores the underlying drivers of human behavior, specifically looking at how low-tension needs are managed and satisfied through creative, non-instructive communication.
5. Attitude: Details the process of shifting deeply ingrained consumer stereotypes and attitudes towards public infrastructure by utilizing a mix of diverse communication channels and psychological triggers.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, suggesting that the campaign successfully influenced consumer behavior and created positive public resonance despite the challenges inherent in marketing public goods.
Keywords
Consumer Behaviour, Sanitation Department of Hamburg, Public Goods, Marketing Campaign, Involvement, Emotions, Cognition, Motivation, Attitude, Waste Management, Behavioral Psychology, AIDA Model, Public Utility, Brand Perception, Hamburg.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on applying consumer behavior principles to public utility services, using the Sanitation Department of Hamburg's rebranding of public wastebaskets as a practical case study.
Which thematic areas are central to this work?
The central themes include consumer involvement, emotional engagement, cognitive schemata, motivational drivers, and the long-term shift in consumer attitudes regarding public infrastructure.
What is the primary objective of the study?
The objective is to examine whether marketing processes—traditionally used for commercial goods—can effectively influence consumer behavior regarding public, non-priced services.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The study utilizes a theoretical framework based on consumer behavior literature and analyzes secondary data, such as waste disposal statistics and campaign feedback, to evaluate the campaign's impact.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body breaks down the campaign through the lenses of psychology and marketing, analyzing how color, slogans, and environmental context are used to change user habits.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include Consumer Behaviour, Public Goods, Marketing Campaign, Involvement, Cognition, and Attitude, which collectively represent the intersection of psychology and infrastructure management.
How does the campaign use color to change behavior?
The campaign shifted the color of wastebaskets from "mouse grey" to "fire red" to act as an eye-catcher, utilizing red as a worldwide symbol for attention to increase visibility and psychological engagement.
What role does humor play in the campaign?
Humor is identified as a critical success factor; it avoids the "naughty behavior" instruction trap, rewards cooperation, and makes the wastebasket a more approachable, "buddy-like" figure for the target audience.
Why are public goods difficult to market?
Public goods are difficult to market because consumers often perceive them as free and lack awareness of the indirect costs involved, making it difficult to generate active engagement.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Sascha Krüger (Autor:in), 2007, A Consumer Bahaviour Case Study, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/125811
