Consumer Motivation Basics

Motivation

• Motivation is an inner state that provides energy to achieve a goal.
• It is derived from the Latin word "movere," meaning "to move."
• Motivation is the driving force that moves consumers to buy, use, or dispose of goods or services.

Dimensions of Motivation

• Intensity: The amount of mental and physical effort put forth by the consumer.
• Direction: The choice of where the consumer will direct their efforts among various activities.
• Persistence: The consumer's choice to expend effort over time, especially when faced with adversity.

Types of Motivation

• Intrinsic: Internally driven motivation. Customers find the product or service inherently rewarding.
• Extrinsic: Motivation driven by external rewards provided by others, such as formal recognition or possession of a product.

Effects of Consumer Motivation

• High-effort behavior: Motivated consumers put more effort into achieving goals and engage in preparatory behaviors.
• High-effort information processing and decision making: Motivated consumers pay careful attention to information and try to understand it.
• Felt involvement: Consumers experience motivation with respect to a product or service. This can be enduring (long-term) or situational (short-term).

Determinants of Motivation

• Personal relevance: The importance of the product or service to the consumer.
• Consistency with self-concept: How well the product or service aligns with the consumer's self-image.
• Personal values: The consumer's beliefs and principles that guide them.
• Needs and wants: Desires that arise when the consumer's current state doesn't match their preferred state.

Needs

• Primary needs: Physiological needs like food, shelter, air, and water.
• Secondary needs: Psychological needs like power, self-esteem, affection, and intellectual stimulation.

Wants

• Learned manifestations of needs: Shaped by the consumer's personality, experiences, and culture.
• Perceived increase in desired states: While actual state remains constant.

Characteristics of Needs

• Activated: Internally (psychologically) or externally (through the five senses).
• Dynamic: Needs are never fully satisfied and can be repeated.
• Exist in hierarchy: One or two needs may be activated at once, with the most relevant taking precedence.
• Can conflict:
  • Approach-approach conflict: Choosing between two attractive options.
  • Approach-avoidance conflict: A single option has both positive and negative aspects.
  • Avoidance-avoidance conflict: Choosing between two unattractive options.

Theories of Motivation

• Drive theory: Behavior is driven by the need to satisfy basic biological needs, creating a state of tension that consumers act to reduce.
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs: A hierarchical structure of needs starting with physiological needs and progressing to self-actualization.
• Murray's psychogenic needs: A list of needs that consumers have. These needs may conflict or support each other and form the basis for promotional messages.
• Two-factor theory (Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory): Differentiates between motivators (factors causing job satisfaction) and hygiene factors (factors preventing dissatisfaction).
• Trio of needs theory (McClelland's achievement theory):
  • Need for power: Controlling the environment, people, or objects.
  • Need for affiliation: Belongingness, acceptance, and friendship.
  • Need for achievement: Successfully completing a difficult task.
• Attitude function theory: Explains how attitudes serve different functions:
  • Knowledge function: Simplifying information for decision making.
  • Value-expression function: Communicating beliefs and facilitating interaction.
  • Ego-defensive function: Making people feel good about themselves.
  • Adjustment function: Approaching pleasure and avoiding pain.
• Balance theory: Focuses on the relationship between three elements:
  • P: Consumer or any other person.
  • O: The person recommending the product or service.
  • X: The product or service itself.
• Cognitive dissonance theory: Consumers try to reduce dissonance (discomfort) caused by inconsistencies in their beliefs or actions.
• Discrepancy-interruption theory: Disruptions in achieving a goal can cause arousal.
• Excitation transfer theory: Arousal from one stimulus can spill over into another.
• Self-determination theory (SDT): Focuses on intrinsic motivation and the role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

This quiz covers fundamental concepts of consumer motivation, including its dimensions, types, and effects on behavior. Explore how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations influence consumer decisions and their effort levels. Test your understanding of how motivation drives consumer purchasing decisions.