Business
Administration Department
BA342 Consumer Behavior
Dr.
Geoff
TERM PAPER PROJECT
Overview
In
lieu of the two written assignments or of participating in a debate, you may
select one of the following term paper options designed to have you synthesize
and apply concepts learned from the readings and from class to real-world
phenomena. This assignment is designed
to show some evidence of significant learning taking place outside of the
classroom throughout the term.
The
rationale for this assignment is two-fold:
(1) Students should learn more from the directed study of a topic in
which they have expressed a personal interest, and (2) it encourages the expression
of creativity—a critical characteristic of a good marketer.
In the standard
grading plan, this assignment will be worth 22 to 34% of your final grade,
depending on your individualized weights (instead of 12 to 24%, as with the two
written assignments or debate). In
computing your final course grade, this allows you to subtract ten percentage
points from the graded requirement in the course on which you scored poorest.
Objectives
The
purposes of this assignment are that you learn to:
- Apply consumer behavior concepts to
specific situations.
- Develop your written skills and
ability to think critically and creatively
- Cultivate your research skills.
Format of Papers
Your
written report should be approximately fifteen double-spaced, typewritten
pages, excluding exhibits. Follow
format procedures noted on both the syllabus and the experiential exercises
handout. You should especially be sure
to include endnote/source citations and a list of references consulted.
For
citations, any standard reference format may be used. I recommend that you list references
alphabetically at the end of the paper.
Then, employ an in-text citation format that uses the reference's number
(e.g., 14, p. 61). Also, cite the
periodical or Website address (URL) and date for each ad, either on the ad’s
exhibit or in your discussion of the ad.
(Note: Since this course draws on behavioral concepts from disciplines
such as psychology, sociology and anthropology, you may, if you wish, interview
other professors from those disciplines to obtain their perspectives, ideas,
and guidance).
Staple
all sheets together, top left, with a simple typed covering page and a table of
contents.
Evaluation of Papers
Your
paper will be evaluated on the same criteria that written experiential
exercises are graded on. However, the
"content" criterion will also include thoroughness of background
research.
Research Paper Options
Option
1 - Evaluation of Use of Behavioral Science Concepts by Two Competing Brands
1. Select
a specific product category (e.g., dog food, laptop computers, cola drinks,
airlines, perfume, fast food restaurants, automobiles, cosmetics, hotel/motel, cell
phones, MP3 players, etc., etc.).
2. Acquire
and summarize background information on this product class in terms of each of
the following areas (you need not obtain every type of data listed for each
area):
a. Market
(size and growth rate of market; segments and their characteristics; number,
names, and sizes of firms; shares of market; sales volumes; profitability; etc.);
b. Description
of the product category (definition of product, number of brands; types of
variations such as line extensions and sub-product categories, features and
benefits, functions and uses, branding and packaging, imagery; stage in product
life cycle, etc.);
c. Consumer
behavior (consumer decision process, including level of involvement, level of
decision making, type(s) of consumer purchasing decision situations, sources of
information consulted, criteria used in making a purchase decision and their
relative importance, sociocultural and other environmental influences,
psychological influences, attitudes, etc.)
d. Pricing
(price range, price points by brand, pricing strategies and techniques, etc.);
e. Distribution
(where sold, types of stores and other distribution channels [including any use
of e-commerce], extent of availability, etc.);
f. Promotion
(promotional tools used, messages, media, spend level, etc.).
3. Select
two brands within your product category with very different marketing/promotion
strategies. Submit as exhibits items
such as sample ads and/or other promotional materials, TV/radio commercial
transcripts/descriptions/URLs, website materials, packages, and any other
relevant marketing artifacts.
Compare
each marketing/advertising campaign in terms of the sociocultural and
psychological impact it should have on the consumer, citing specific behavioral
science concepts. Which market segments
(demographics, psychographics, and/or behavioral) is each marketer attempting
to reach? How is each trying to position
the product? How is each marketer trying
to appeal to the consumer in behavioral terms?
4. Based
upon the above discussion, identify which of the two marketing/advertising
campaigns is more effective in application of behavioral science concepts and
discuss the reasons for your opinion.
This should include an analysis of each marketer's use of knowledge of
consumer behavior in 2c above.
Note: Secondary data
sources should be thoroughly searched for articles describing the market and
product category. In addition, you
should consider interviewing personnel, contacting companies asking for the
information you need, visiting relevant websites, and interviewing consumers having
experience with the product.
Option
2 - Identifying Consumer-Relevant Concepts in Advertising Appeals
a. Select ten behavioral science concepts
from the key terms (bold-faced and bold italicized concepts) from each of the
chapters we will be reading this semester.
For each concept selected, find a print advertisement (last twelve
months), TV or radio commercial, website, or one article from a recent (last
twelve months) business publication or its website (e.g., Advertising Age, Business
Week, Wall Street Journal, etc.)
that you believe illustrates or embodies the concept as a consumer appeal. You should have a mix of five ads and/or
websites and five articles.
For each print ad, commercial, or
website, identify the behavioral science concept involved, write an explanation
of how you think it is being used by the advertiser, and critique how well you
think it succeeds in fulfilling the advertiser's objectives, and why.
For
each article, identify the behavioral science concept involved, and explain how
the article serves as an application or illustration of the concept.
b. Suggest how each of the ads, commercials,
or websites could be improved, either by
more effectively using the behavioral concept discussed above and/or by
incorporating other behavioral science concepts studied in this course.
c. For one of the product categories
featured in one of the above ads, describe the market and product category as
in Option 1, Part 2a and b above.
Discuss the impact of some of these market/product factors on the marketer's
advertising strategy.
Notes:
1.
You must include a citation for each print ad or article (i.e., the media
source and publication date); a URL (domain name) and date of visitation for
each website; and a date, time, and where you viewed or heard a TV/radio
commercial (or website where you found it).
2.
Each ad, website printout, or article should be carefully trimmed and mounted
on 8-1/2 x 11" white paper (oversized ads should be folded to fit, and
mounted on only one side) and labeled with the appropriate behavioral concept. If this is not possible and/or appropriate
(e.g., reduction would make ad copy too small to read or color is crucial),
then the article or ad should be placed in a pocket-type loose-leaf page. Descriptions, transcriptions, or URLs of
broadcast commercials should be provided.
On the page facing each ad or article should be its critique, also on
8-1/2 x 11" white paper, typed and double-spaced.
Option 3 - Developing a Consumer Behavior Case Study
Write
up an actual marketing problem which was—or can be—or could have been—solved by
the marketer through knowledge of consumer behavior, drawing on three or more
of the behavioral science topics and/or concepts discussed this term. A case should be written in narrative form,
and should involve a time pattern with data and events presented in
chronological order. The key people
should be introduced by name and job title.
The company name and location should also be divulged. Be sure to provide sufficient background
information on the company, the industry in which it operates, its product mix,
and the consumers to which it sells; this will make your paper a very lucid
case study.
Notes:
1.
Ideas for cases may come from your imagination, your own personal experience,
discussions with marketing professionals, articles appearing in trade and
professional publications, such as Advertising
Age, Business Week, Fortune, Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal,
or information available on corporate websites.)
2.
See the case in your handout packet on marketing credit cards to college
students as an example.
In addition to the case presentation, create a teaching note for the case which defines the learning objective(s) of the case, provides questions for students to answer, and offers the instructor recommendations for the solution of the case questions. If it is a quality case, I'll work with you to see if we can get it published in a textbook, case collection, or online.
Option 4 - Consumer Behavior Diary
Keep a diary of all your purchases and consumption of those purchases (other than very frequent things like meals) for a minimum of a month. For at least four of these purchases, describe what you believe (or are able to find through research) is the target market, give a thorough analysis of the consumer buying process you went through, and analyze the various sociocultural and psychological influences on your purchases. You should consult secondary sources for information for at least two of these product/service categories.
Were any of these purchases influenced in any way by information you learned in this course? Explain. If not, suggest how one or more of these purchases could have been influenced by this information, possibly including how you could have made a more informed decision.
Option 5 - Consumer Behavior Journal
Summarize
and analyze articles related to consumer behavior that you encounter during the
semester. These should come primarily
from applied/commercial publications (e.g., Advertising
Age, Business Week, Forbes,
Option 6 – Company Study
Describe a consumer products company, its target market, and the decision process used by its customers. Specifically your paper should include the following:
1.
Introduction
- Who founded the company, a brief
historical sketch of the firm, and a description of the company’s current
status?
- Describe the company’s principal
product (or products) in terms of features and benefits as well as
anything else that is important to note (e.g., unique product design).
- Has the product gone through any
modifications/improvements, or have line extensions been added?
- In what stage of the product life
cycle is this product currently?
Cite evidence such as trends in sales and profits, the nature of
competition, and the types of marketing strategies.
2.
Identification of target market(s)
a. Who is (are) the primary target market(s) for this product? Describe these markets in terms of demographics (e.g., subcultural, social class, family life cycle stage, etc.), psychographics (personality, AIOs, and/or lifestyle such as VALS2 or Claritas geodemographics, etc), and/or buyer behavior (benefits sought, usage occasion, deal proneness, heavy usage, etc.). Do the same if there are any secondary target markets.
- Are there any potential core or
secondary market segments you would recommend for this product? Describe these segments in terms of
demographics, psychographics, and/or behavioral segmentation bases.
3. Consumer decision-making processes:
a. What type and amount of information about this product do its consumers use? How involved are they? Which level of decision making are they in?
- How do consumers evaluate different
brands in this product category (criteria and decision rules)?
- How do consumers go about shopping
for this product?
- How do consumers dispose of this
product after its usage?
3.
Recommendations for the future of the
company. (If no changes are suggested on
any of the following areas, explain why the firm’s current strategy will
probably be “on target” in the foreseeable future).
- Target market and/or positioning
changes
- Product decisions
- Pricing decisions
- Distribution decisions
- Promotion decisions
5. Graphs,
charts, diagrams, pictures, product samples (if feasible), ads/websites,
endnotes, bibliography, etc.
Due Dates
February 7 Paper proposal. Explain which option you selected, why you
chose it, what you expect to learn, and a tentative list of information sources. If you are doing Option 1 or 3, which product
category and market do you intend to study?
The proposal should be about one typewritten page in length, plus
tentative bibliography and any other exhibits you might wish to attach.
March 13 Progress report. This is a tentative outline of topic
coverage, the introductory section of the paper, and a list of information
sources you found so far. You may
include any unresolved issues and concerns you wish me to respond to. The progress report should be approximately
two to three typewritten pages plus tentative bibliography. You may choose to meet with me around this
time (or at any other time) for suggestions and guidance.
April
24 Finished paper.