MktResearch

8/13/2019 MktResearch

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TOPIC III. MARKETING RESEARCH AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 61Ed 5

Gregory J. BalejaAlma College

MARKETING RESEARCH:

QUESTIONNAIRE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

Each year during my lectures on Marketing Research, I spend one fullclass period discussing the Questionnaire Construction Process in greatdepth. I find the presentation of the concepts associated with the question-naire construction process to be rather straightforward. In fact the

presentations go so well, that many students come to the conclusion thatcreating a questionnaire, or evaluating a current one, in the real world isrelatively easy. They seem to believe that all one has to do is to understandthe basic objectives of the research, and then simply translate theseobjectives into a formal questionnaire. It is this erroneous assumption thatbothers me.

After going through a detailed list of generalizations associated withthe construction of a questionnaire, I then ask the students to criticallyevaluate the Instructor Evaluation Form that they have been exposed tomany times during their tenure at Alma College. Some of the questionsutilized on this form in the recent past, are illustrated below. Samples of

the students comments are shown in italics following each of thesequestions. For each of these questions, the students were instructed toassign a letter grade according to the following scale:

A = Excellent/almost alwaysB = Good/frequentlyC = Fair/sometimes/averageD = Poor/infrequentlyE = Fail/almost never

1. The instructor was well prepared for class.

- How do we know if they are, or are not, well prepared forclass?- What is meant by well prepared? --- Well dressed?

Awake? An outline of the lecture on the board? Etc.


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62 GREAT IDEAS FOR TEACHING MARKETINGED 5

- Its hard to judge whether the instructor is well prepared forclass because the instructor can talk about numerous topics

related to the subject.

2. The instructor was aware when students did not understand thematerial.- How does the instructor know when the students do not

understand?

- How would we know if the instructor was aware or not?- Is it the instructors responsibility to find out when people

dont understand, or is it the students responsibility to

inform the instructor?- Instructor awareness of a students not understanding is

difficult to measure. Whether the instructor did anything

about it is somewhat more measurable.

3. The grading methods were made clear to students.- This question is very ambiguous. What is clear to one person

may not be clear for another.

4. Exams reflected the important aspects of the course.- This may not be within the respondents "zone of experience."- Who is in a better position to know the important aspects of

the course, the instructor or the students?

5. The instructor was readily available for help.- What is meant by readily available?- Usually professors arent available between 9 p.m. and

midnight, when the majority of the students do their

homework, does this mean they arent available?- If the student doesnt seek outside help, they wont be able to

answer this question.

6. The instructor showed respect for students.- What is considered respect?- The question is better set up for a dichotomous (yes/no) type

of answer. It would be hard for a student to rate the respect

she received from the instructor.- The question should be reworded to "was respectful towardstudents."


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- Too broad: what defines "showing respect?" A score oflower than "A" would indicate that the instructor did not

"almost always" show respect.

After the students have found a variety of faults with each of thequestions on our "Instructor Evaluation Form," I then assign them the taskof creating their own version of this evaluation form. Once they haveturned in their rendition of the form, I then allow the class to criticallyevaluate the best forms. It is interesting to note that typically, the classfinds as much fault with the forms that they created, as they do with thecurrent form that they have been criticizing for many years.

The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate to the students, thedifficulty encountered when trying to operationalize the questionnaireconstruction process.

Geoffrey P. LantosStonehill College

THE JOY OF . . . MARKETING RESEARCH?

The least-loved course in our marketing curriculum is probably

Marketing Research. Many students enter this course with fear andloathing. The idea of research spooks them because it conjures up imagesof laboratories, dull people in white smocks, archaic formulas, dry-as-dust statistics, and esoteric procedures hatched in the ivory towers ofacademia. The professor has a handicap from day one, as most studentswould just as soon be undergoing a root canal or working on a chaingang.

My philosophy is to try to make this course as painless and pleasantas possible. On syllabus day I let them know that, while they will need tothink, struggle, and work hard, they can have some fun and enjoyment inlearning too. I encourage them to share their personal experiences with

marketing researchers, the good, bad, and ugly (e.g., being accosted bybright-eyed, zealous young fieldworkers in shopping malls, hustled bysilver-tongued researchers on those dinner-time phone calls, etc.). Too, Iremind them that, while research is a technical subject, much of the


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course is really a study in human behavior (e.g., dealing with responsebiases, increasing response rates, etc.), like the Consumer Behaviorcourse which so many of them prefer.

Once the sugar-coating message has been imparted, you can use theusual suspects: interesting videos; guest speakers; case studies; debates onethical issues; pass-arounds of real research proposals, research reports,and syndicated data, etc.; and a semester-long project to gain theirinvolvement and which you can continuously implore them to discuss asexamples of concepts throughout the course. In addition, I try to followup in gaining their interest (if not enthusiasm) in some of the following

specific ways:I clip interesting material from the popular press, which is always

reporting polls on various political, social, and marketplace issues andoccasionally contains a cute (if not uproariously funny) cartoon. Make

transparencies of or scan these into your PowerPointpresentation (e.g.,a percentage distribution showing the proportion of people who favoreach of the Three Stooges is more interesting than the proportion ofcompanies in the widget industry that make high-end vs. low-endwidgets).

When discussing organizational and human relations issues in mar-keting research (e.g., disagreements between marketing managers and

researchers over issues such as time, money, and decision making), I havestudents "choose sides" and role play either the manager or the researcherengaged in a heated discussion on each issue, defending their point ofview.

Exploratory/qualitative research is probably the topic that generatesthe most opportunities for enjoyable learning. I break students into smallgroups and have them brainstorm ways to find "professional consumerdetectives" (a sort of expert opinion approach) for various target markets(e.g., to learn about tennis players, talk to professionals who havefrequent or intense contact with them, such as coaches, trainers, andsporting goods salespeople). You (or one of your students) can lead a

student through part of an in-depth interview or several students through afocus group on a subject of interest to students (e.g., music, sports, andfashion always hit their hot buttons), and have students critique itafterward. Find an example or two of specific uses of projective


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techniques not found in your textbook and try them out on students to seewhat you can learn about their "deep thoughts."

Secondary research is one of the dullest subjects to teach. Ratherthan drone on about all of the different information sources, have studentteams go on a "scavenger hunt" in your library and/or on the Internetduring a class period to see who can find the most of a list of twenty or sospecific pieces of information you request (e.g., Coca-Cola's market sharelast year, growth rate of the personal computer industry, etc.).

Discussing the different types of survey error can be deadly if youdon't have interesting examples. Scan other textbooks and the popular

press for these. A form of marketing research students can all relate to isstudent course evaluations. These can be used to discuss such issues asauspices bias (students are often kind to their professors), extremity bias(they often "strongly agree" or "strongly disagree" with all Likert items),and social desirability bias (some students claim they study more thantwelve hours per week for this course!).

It is easy to draw them into a discussion of questionnaire design sincemost mistakes result from lack of understanding of human psychology.For instance, in discussing memory error ask how many can recall thingslike the losing vice presidential candidate in the most recent election orthe loser in the last World Series. Try to draw out areas where they might

be subject to social acceptability bias (e.g., dating and drinking behavior).Involve them by having them analyze actual questionnaires that you'vereceived in the mail (many of these are more full of holes than a piece ofSwiss cheese) or that your colleagues in industry pass along to you.

Another killer topic is measurement. Have them come up with con-ceptual and operational definitions of intriguing and controversial con-structs such as "alternative music" and "sexual harassment." In order todemonstrate the importance of precision in formulating an operationaldefinition, I ask students to imagine I'm a Martian (not hard for many ofthem) and have no concept as to how to heat a cup of water using a hotpot. I do exactly as they tell me to do. For instance, if they tell me to

plug in the hot pot, I put the plug in an unlikely place, such as theoverhead machine outlet. When they tell me to plug it into the wall, Ipretend to keep my finger on the prongs and get electrocuted, and whenI'm instructed to pour the water out of the cup (presumably into the pot)


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most of it ends up on the floor (bring paper towels!). To illustrate validityI bring a dartboard and darts, have several students give it their best shot,and then discuss the accuracy of their efforts in terms of validity (hittingor being near the bulls eye) and reliability (being consistent in where thedarts land).

The subject of sampling can be spiced up by bringing a bucket ofmarbles to class. After telling students that, despite what they mightthink, I haven't lost them yet, I note how there are different kinds ofmarbles: large and small, solid color and multicolor, clear and opaque. Ala "Sesame Street" I pretend that they are people to be sampled, and

illustrate concepts such as sampling units and population elements,random error, and the various sampling methods (convenience, quota,etc.). Hamming it up a bit, talking to the marbles and such, makes itamusing for students.

Interviewing and fieldwork is a pretty Mickey Mouse topic. Ratherthan regurgitating material in the textbook, have them get involved in theclassroom. Pick a topic, have the class brainstorm a list of, say, ten ques-tions on the topic, improve their wording and sequence according to theguidelines for good questionnaire design, and ask students to pair off forconducting interviews. They interview each other for ten or fifteenminutes each, then summarize each others answers for the class and cri-

tique each othersinterviewing style.I tell students that editing, coding and keyboarding data is about asmuch fun as peeling potatoes and onions -- it might even make you wantto cry. I share some of the editing problems I encounter with my studentevaluations (circling two response categories, questions answered in thewrong place, etc.) and how I deal with them. I also give them a post-coding exercise in which I pick a topic they can all relate to (e.g., likesand dislikes regarding cafeteria food) and have them write their open-ended responses to a few questions. After class, I write out the verbatims,put them on a transparency, break them into groups, and have each groupcome up with a postcoding scheme. The different ways various groups

postcode is a good illustration of the subjectivity of research.Data analysis is probably the most difficult topic to make palatable.My best advice here is to collect lots of interesting and amusing


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examples, stay interested and enthused yourself (fake it if you have to!),and don't take it oh-too-seriously.

While implementing these ideas probably won't elevate MarketingResearch to the status of favored marketing course on your campus, itmight make students a little more at ease, interested, and involved, andmight even improve a tad your own marketing research (studentevaluations).

Mark A. Mitchell, University of South Carolina Spartanburg

Stephen J. Taylor, Palmetto Council of the Boy Scouts of America

REPLICATION OF A NATIONAL STUDY

FOR LOCAL USE: THE CASE OF THE

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

Introduction

A university is (and should be) an integral part of the surroundingcommunity. Increasingly, experiential- or application-based learningexercises are being incorporated into university course offerings. Many

not-for-profit service organizations within your local marketplace areseemingly in constant need for assistance without the ability to pay forsuch work. These organizations provide an excellent opportunity forexperiential learning and professional service to be combined effectively.

It is not uncommon for national studies to be commissioned for largernot-for-profit service organizations that seek to document their positivecontributions to society. For example, the National Council of the BoyScouts of America (BSA) commissioned Louis Harris & Associates toconduct a study evaluating the influence of Scouting on the values andachievement of men and boys in the United States of America. However,local branches of the BSA typically raise resources in their local com-

munities. Further, some funding sources such as the United Way or pr-ivate foundations may wish to see results of local research to validate thesocial contributions of these organizations. As such, the stage is set for awin-win partnership by replicating the national study at the local level.


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Integrating a replication of a national study, such as the Louis Harrisstudy, into your course will simultaneously satisfy the following needs:

The local BSA councils need for local research results forfunding, recruiting, and promotional efforts.

The instructors need for an experiential learning projectintegrated into a class.

The students need for experiential learning as a means todifferentiate students during their job search activities.

The Universitys need for community service.

Organizing for Success

The Boy Scouts of America commissioned Louis Harris & Associatesto study the influence of Scouting on its past, present, and future partici-pants. These results have been disseminated in summary form to localcouncils of the BSA. Working with these summary results, you cancreate self-administered questionnaires to be used to replicate the LouisHarris study. In particular, the study focuses on the influence of Scoutingon the values and achievement of two groups: boys (age 12-17) and adultmales (over age 21). As such, developing two separate self-administeredquestionnaires allows a comparison of boys with/without Scouting

experience and adult males with/without Scouting experience. For ourreplication, each self-administered questionnaire consisted of two parts:Part One - a series of attitudinal statements (created from summaryresults of the Louis Harris study) to which the respondents reported theirrelative level of agreement or disagreement using a Likert Scale (1 =Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Indifferent/Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 =Strongly Agree).Part Two- personal characteristics such as age, level of education (adultsonly), and an inventory of youth activities to identify other groupinvolvement (e.g., youth baseball, soccer, church group).

Data Collection

In order to identify the influence of Scouting on participants, fourseparate samples are needed:


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Boys with/without Scouting experience.

Adults with/without Scouting experience.Due to all-too-common time and money constraints, divide datacollection as follows:

Deliver self-administered questionnaires to your local BSA coun-cil for data collection of boys and adults with Scouting exper-ience. The data can be collected at a pre-arranged Scoutingfunction.

Use students for data collection of boys and adults withoutScouting experience. The data can be collected using random or

convenience sampling techniques. For our replication, we foundthe convenience sampling technique to be very time-efficient byallowing each student to collect a predetermined number of usableinstruments from within their work, social, or family network.

Student Applications and Accountability

This project can be administered in a Principles of Marketing,Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research, or Marketing Managementcourse. The project is developed over the life of the term with the finaloutput delivered to local BSA leaders at the end of the term, thus

satisfying the universitys service mission. A critical success to such areplication is the students accountability to the client. As such, it isimperative that students meet with local council leaders throughout thereplication. Further, it is important for the students to present theirresearch results to the client in person to allow for the open exchange ofinformation. This brings closure to the project and fully illustrates themarketing research process to all participants. Finally, students areencouraged to include their participation in the project on their resumes asan example of experiential learning throughout their degree programs.


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Rosa T. CherryWilliamsburg Technical College

SEGMENTATION ASSIGNMENT

To illustrate the principle of market segmentation, use this assign-ment. Complete ONE of the following activities and bring to class nexttime:1. Bring 5 cigarette ads from the same manufacturer. Note how this

major manufacturer offers a variety of brands to appeal to different

target markets. Write up your analysis of the segment being targetedin a short paragraph. Your grade will depend on how well you relatethis to the books discussion of segmentation.

2. Bring 5 car ads from the same manufacturer. Same instructions as in#1 above.

3. Visit your local supermarket. Make a list of all the brands of cerealoffered by a single company. Note what markets are being targetedfor each. Write up your analysis in a short paragraph. Your grade willdepend on how well you relate this to the books discussion of seg-mentation.

4. Visit your local supermarket. Make a list of all the brands of tooth-

paste offered by a single company. Same instructions as #3 above.

Sanjay S. MehtaSam Houston State University

USING MARKETING RESEARCH CLASS TO

GET STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND

ADMINISTRATORS INVOLVED IN

CONDUCTING INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH

Today's competitive educational environment demands an ever-increasing responsiveness from universities to be marketing oriented. Noinstitution, large or small, private or public, can afford to neglectcustomer needs and wants. Many universities hire "consultants" to help


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them serve customers better. The labor, drive, curiosity, and knowledgeof students and faculty are excellent assets to universities. Students oftenbecome tired of studying abstract topics without seeing how theknowledge can be applied. This is especially true among seniorundergraduate and graduate students who wish reassurance that what theyare learning is in fact valid and useful outside the classroom. Presentingthese students with "real world" problems is often a challenge for facultymembers. One solution to providing senior undergraduate and graduatestudents the opportunity to solve real world problems is by conductinginstitutional research.

Also, increasing legislative input into the faculty evaluation andperformance system (e.g., post-tenure review) coupled with the domi-nating "publish-or-perish" philosophy, has compelled faculty members tolook for alternatives, besides teaching and service, to secure promotionand tenure. One possible alternative for faculty members is to be activelyinvolved in institutional research. Involving students in the collection andanalysis of primary data coupled with solutions to real world problemsgive faculty members an excellent opportunity to publish and disseminateresearch.

While the term institutional research has disparate interpretations,here it means "research done for the betterment of the institution." In the

past, I have conducted studies for the university public relations office,the College of Business Administration, the university library, students'union, and computer services. All of these studies were conducted inconjunction with students of marketing research classes. These studieshave led to several publications in conference proceedings and academicjournals.

The institutional research project begins with an administrator (e.g.,public relations officer, dean of the college, director of computerservices) approaching the faculty member for some assistance in datacollection and statistical analysis in an area the university can improveupon. The administrator provides the managerial questions that the

professor fine-tunes before sharing it with his/her students. The studentscollectively develop the instruments for the study, using standardquestionnaire development procedures and word processors. Theadministrator is requested to evaluate the instrument to ensure that it


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answers all of the research questions and/or objectives. After completingthe institute's human subject approval requirements, a pretest is conductedusing a small representative sample from the population. Reliability andvalidity should be checked before the instrument is distributed on a largerscale. The students are instructed to collect data using one of manyprobability sampling techniques (e.g., stratified sampling). This mayinvolve distributing the instruments through mail, telephone, or per-sonally interviewing potential respondents. The students are then taughtto edit, code, and input the data into the computer (e.g., spread-sheet).The professor shows the students how to check the data and perform

some of the requisite tests (e.g., frequency, cross-tabulations, Analysis ofVariance, t-test, regression analysis). The students, in teams or alone,write a report summarizing the findings of the study. The facultymember, along with student(s), may present the findings to theadministrator through a formal presentation.

Conducting institutional research provides faculty members anothertool to bring real life problems into the classroom. It does so at a levelwhere the student is somewhat experienced in the arena (i.e., the univer-sity) she or he is asked to perform. The institutional research projecthelps bind students more closely to the university because they feel theyhave played a part in improving the university. The institution benefits

from identifying the needs and wants of its "target market" and validatingits very existence. The results of the study may be presented atconferences and/or published in proceedings and journals, which benefitsthe faculty member toward promotion and tenure. Finally, the collectionof quality institutional research can help universities pass regional andnational accreditation inspections. It is a true "win-win" situation for allparties involved.


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Amy Risch RodieUniversity of Nebraska at Omaha

DISCOVERING THE INFLUENCE OF CONSUMERS

BRAND SCHEMAS ON PREFERENCE

AND PURCHASE INTENT

The purpose of this team project is to investigate the affect of brandassociations on consumers' product preference and purchase intent.These issues are explored by conducting a series of taste tests using a

product category's most prominent or "prototype" brand along withanother "off" brand from the same product category. Teams do most oftheir work outside the classroom but some class time is needed, includingabout 20 minutes for each team to make plans on the day the project isassigned and about 45 minutes on the due date for written studentresponses and a class-wide debriefing/discussion. There are three maincomponents to this project: (I) collecting the data, (II) compiling theresults, and (III) discussing the findings. The project is as follows.

I. Collect Data

1. Form teams of three or four students. Teams meet and choose aproduct category (cookies, crackers, cereal, chips, etc), theproduct category's prototype brand, and an off brand (the more"off", the better). Plan to purchase enough of both brands foreach participant to sample. Make sure all team members use thesame brands!

2. Develop a feedback sheet for participants' responses so that allteam members use the same form to collect data. Make sure itprovides (1) a way to identify the "condition" and (2) a place andspace for each element of data.

3. Collect the data. Each team member is responsible for collecting

data from 12 participants. Ideally, each student will collect datafrom four participants in each of the three conditions describedbelow. However, a student who has the opportunity to collectdata from a group of participants (who would therefore all be in


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the same condition) may do so. Make sure ALL team memberscollect data from the same number of participants.

Conditions:

Condition B: "blind": each brand is presented to the participantin a zip-lock baggie. (label bags in order to distinguish thebrands, e.g., Mand N.)Condition PP: "prototype/prototype": the prototype brand ispresented to the participant in its own, original package. Theparticipant samples the brand right from the package. Make surethe price is not visible on the package. Likewise, the off-brand

is presented to the participant in its own, original package. Theparticipant samples the brand right from the package. Make surethe price is not visible on the package.Condition PO: "prototype/off-brand": the prototype-brand ispresented to the participant in the off-brand'spackage and viceversa. The participant samples the brand right from theirpackages. It is very important that the participants in thiscondition do NOT suspect the switch. Make sure the price is notvisible on the package.

NOTE: The data from all participants (36 for a three-member teamand 48 for a four-member team) will be compiled and recorded

together. Verify that the same number of participants are in each ofthe three conditions.A. IF you collect data from participants in groups, prevent them

from talking, making comments or "faces", or otherwise com-municating with each other during the taste test. (Difficult task!)The data you collect should reflect each participant's ownresponse.

B. Allow each participant to participate only once, in ONE condition.C. Ask each participant to initial their feedback sheet (no names

please.)D. Ask participants examine the two brands very carefully and

thoroughly. Participants should record all observations about eachbrand detected by their five senses and/or the most noticeable dif-ferences between the two brands. Try to get at least four observa-tions/differences.


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E. Ask participants to indicate which brand they prefer.F. Condition B only: AFTER they record their brand preference,

tell participants the brand names and prices of both brands.G. Conditions PP and PO: AFTER they record their brand

preference, tell participants the prices both brands. In both PP andPO, quote the appropriate price for the package (that is, the pricefor the brand participants believe they are sampling.)

H. Ask participants to assume their purchase decision is limited tojust these two brands. Between these two, which brand would s/hewould buy the next time the product is purchased?

I. Ask participants to identify the one factor that was mostinfluential on the purchase decision.

J. Important: Debriefing: Once the participant has completed theentire experience (and ONLY then--NOT before) tell him/herabout the project, the three conditions, and which condition s/hewas in. Be very careful not to make the person feel foolish, butexplain about the importance of brand associations and cues andthat you are investigating how strong is the influence packaging,price, and other cues on consumers' choices. This step isespecially important for the PO condition, but is important for allparticipants. Talk about this issue as a team and agree on what

you will say to participants. Do not skip this step!

II. Compile Results (this section must be typewritten):

A. B Condition:1. Based on the data for the B Condition (only), what are the

four or five most commonly stated observations about eitherbrand and/or differences between brands?

2. What percentage of participants preferred the prototype?What percentage of participants preferred the off brand?

3. What percentage would buy the prototype? What percentage

would buy the off brand?4. Based on the data, what factors most strongly influencepurchase?


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B. PP Condition:Answer questions II. A. 1-4 based on the data for the PPCondition (only).

C. PO Condition:Answer questions II. A. 1-4 based on the data from the POCondition (only).

III. Discuss Findings(this section must be typewritten):

Review the results in sections II. A - C. Thoughtfully discuss whether

or not your findings support one or both of the following hypotheses.Explain.

H1: Brand schemas influence consumers' brand preference.H2: Brand schemas influence consumers' purchase intent.

On the due-date, give teams time to provide written responses to thefollowing:

As a team, briefly discuss and summarize all of your observationsabout the following topics. Turn in one paragraph about each.1. Your observations about the process of collecting data.2. Your observations about participants reactions / comments

about the project.

3. Your observations about the similarities / differences in thefindings among the three conditions.4. Other observations and thoughts regarding the project.

Facilitate a discussion, prompting students to discuss their findings aswell as the challenges of data collection. This process (1) advancesstudents' understanding of the research process and (2) allows teamswho found that brand schemas influence brand preference and/orpurchase intent to share their findings (and enthusiasm) with teamswhose data did not support the hypotheses.


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Felicia G. LasskWestern Kentucky University

UTILIZING AN INTERNET PERSONALITY TEST

IN THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR COURSE

An interactive assignment that integrates personality testing and theWWW is the use of the Kiersey Temperment Sorter in a class presentationon personality. The Kiersey Temperment Sorter is located at http://www.kiersey.com/cgi-bin/Keiresy/newkts.cgi. The 70-item personality test is

based on Carl Jung's psychological types. The class is held in the com-puter lab. Each student accesses the URL and completes the personalitytest in approximately 20 minutes. This assignment enables students tolearn about their own personality type. The web site includes informationabout each personality type including leadership styles, career recommen-dations, and celebrities that are categorized under each personality type.After the students print out the information, like personalities are groupedtogether. These students then discuss the appropriate marketing strategiesthat would be successfully utilized in marketing a product to someonewith their personality type. Each group presents their results to the class.

Pj ForrestMississippi College

PRINT AD PROJECTS FOR

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

If you use a managerial approach to teaching Consumer Behavior---this is the concept, this is what you do with it---you might find the use ofPrint Ad Projects very helpful. This project has evolved over the yearsfrom me asking the students to bring in a single magazine ad that related

to the topics we were discussing in class that day, to requiring a portfolioof ads that illustrates each of the topic areas we cover.

One of the main benefits for the student in using this project issimple---"A picture's worth a thousand words." For example one under-


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graduate would not be convinced that the automobile market specificallytargeted women. I handed her a Chevy ad, which showed a young womanand the phrase "This is not my boyfriends truck." In gathering ads that areexamples for the various consumer behavior concepts, the students areforced to look at dozens of ads in a critical thinking manner. They mustanalyze both the ads they chose to use and the ones that are unsuitable forthe topic they are trying to illustrate.

Over the years I have kept the "best of" ads from the student projects,and as a result I now have a thick folder of ads for every chapter in thetext. After I lecture on a topic, I whip out a bundle of ads which illustrate

the concept and show them how it is used. It is much easier to createunderstanding when you can show them the differences in ads which uselatent motives vs. manifest motives, or a series of ads that are directed ateach of the VALS 2 lifestyle segments. Generational marketing is also avery interesting one which illustrate the changes which must be madewhen advertising to Boomers, Generation X or the Echo Boom. And youwould be amazed at the true depth and breadth of the "Where's yourmustache" milk campaign-I must have 50 different print ads.

Depending on the size of the class I sometimes use this as anindividual project or a group project. Sometimes I require a presentation,and sometimes I have them turn in a portfolio of ads. This project has

been a major contribution to the learning process in my consumerbehavior classes and has made them more interesting---for the studentsand for me.

Karen H. SmithSouthwest Texas State University

ILLUSTRATING EFFECTS OF SCHEMAS ON

CONSUMER INFORMATION PROCESSING

Schema theory deals with knowledge that people have about conceptsand how that knowledge affects their information processing (thinking).

Five activities are described below; each is followed by an explana-tion and key concepts are shown in bold. Make two booklets following


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the details below. Distribute booklet 1 to half of your students (referredto as B1 students) and booklet #2 to the other half (B2 students).

Activity #1 (give students 10 seconds)

For each concept listed, write down the first thing that comes to mindwhen you see that word. Please consider one word at a time. Booklet #1:airlines, delta, priest, bishop; Booklet #2: river, delta, chess, bishop.

Explanation:A schemais knowledge in memory that is structuredaround a focal concept (such as airlines). Cues from a stimulus (e.g., a

name or a picture) activate selected pieces of knowledge that are neededfor processing. . In Activity #1, you retrieved and wrote down knowledgeabout each concept. Each word acted as a cue or prime (as priming apump gets the water going), activating knowledge from memory. Inaddition to the prime from the word itself, previous words can act as aprime to get you thinking along a certain line (context effects). Askstudents what they listed for delta; B1 students tend to list words related toairlines and B2 students to land/rivers. Repeat this for bishop; B1 studentstend to list words related to Catholicism and B2 students to chess.

Activity #2 (10 seconds)

Describe the typical accountant (B1) or computer expert (B2). Writeeach descriptor on a separate line.

Explanation: Students may list things such as "wear glasses, boring,smart" for accountant and "nerd, smart, rich" for computer expert. Onceretrieved (remembered), this knowledge influences the processing ofincoming information. For example, upon meeting an individual who isan accountant, the "accountant schema" will affect interpretation of whatthe individual says and/or does. A stereotype is a specific type ofschema, where we make generalizations about individuals (i.e., specificexamples of the schema) based on prior knowledge in the schema.


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Activity #3 (1 minute)

Reproduce the "washing clothes passage" from Bransford andJohnson (1972). Type "The Washing Clothes Passage" above the passagein B1, but omit the title in B2.

Explanation: Ask B2 students what the passage was talking about;most will have no idea, but might guess such things as "organizing."Females are more likely to know the passage is about laundry than males.B1 students will be wondering why the other students don't know what thepassage is about. Without the schema, the passage is difficult to

comprehend.

Activity #4 (2 minutes)

List ten breeds of dog and ten fast-food restaurants. Rank (from 1 to10) each dog on how typicalit is and how much you likethe breed amongdogs listed. Repeat for fast-food restaurants.

Explanation:An instanceis an example of the schema (labrador orMcDonald's). Instances vary in typicality (dachsund versus labrador) andliking; however, typicality tends to be positively correlated with liking (i.e., typical dogs are the most-liked).

Activity #5 (90 seconds)

Give students 1 minute to read the new product description (new fruitjuice with attributes nonalcoholic, slightly sweet, best served cold,carbonated and high preservative (B1) or all natural (B2) from Stayman,Alden, and Smith (1992). Give students 30 seconds to answer: "Check theproduct category YOU think best fits the product based on the descriptionyou read," with choices of fruit juice, soft drink, bottled water, and sportsdrink."

Explanation: Instantiation is the interaction of prior knowledge

(schema) and a new instance; that is, how a new instance fits in withprevious instances. The first three attributes are congruent with a fruitjuice schema, but carbonation is incongruent. The combination ofcarbonation and high preservative (B1) is extremely incongruent with the


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schema; many students may switch schemas, perceiving the product to bemore similar to a soft drink, rather than a fruit juice).

References

Bransford, J.D. and Johnson, M.K. (1972). Contextual prerequisites forunderstanding: Some investigations of comprehension and recall.Journal of Verbal Learning & Verbal Behavior, Vol. 11(Dec),717-726.

Stayman, D.M., Alden, D.L., and Smith, K.H. (1992). Some effects of

schematic processing on consumer expectations and disconfirmationjudgments.Journal of Consumer Research, Vol 19(Sep), pp. 240-255.

Kim McKeageUniversity of Maine

STUDENTS PRACTICE MAKING

MARKET/PRODUCT GRIDS ON THEMSELVES

This in-class project has students use a segmentation scheme that they

have already studied. This could include: VALS

Lifestyle

Price Sensitivity

Quality Sensitivity

Attributes/Features Desired

Involvement

Demographics

Geographic region

Product Usage (Heavy vs. Light Users)If students wish to use VALS, I instruct them ahead of time to get on the

internet and access the VALS survey online so that they can determinetheir type.


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On the day when we do this exercise, students form groups of 5-8persons. The group is instructed to pick a product category. I recommendthe following categories to them as items they might be familiar with:

Automobiles (cars, trucks, SUVs, etc.)

Athletic Shoes

Recreational Products (Sports equipment, hiking gear, etc.)

Entertainment Products (Movies, CDs, etc.)

Food (packaged, grocery, or restaurants)

Computer Software/Hardware

Clothing

Students then have to describe which market segments are representedin their group according to the segmentation scheme(s) they choose to use.They must also develop a market/product grid to describe how to targetdifferent products (within their chosen category) toward the differentmarket segments represented within their group. The product positionscan be for existing products or imagined products (especially if no existingproduct fits a position they want). Students must discuss the general,overall position of the product and, for fantasy products, how theywould accomplish that positioning. For example, if they want to positionan athletic shoe as a performance (overall position) shoe, they might

show advertisements with sports professionals using the shoe under

demanding circumstances. To get credit on the exercise, students mustwrite up a complete market/product grid with their accompanying notes.Some of the groups present their solution to the class.

This exercise quickly shows students the limitations of using onlydemographics to describe their customers, and really clarifies the processof segmentation and positioning for them.

Rosa T. CherryWilliamsburg Technical College

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ASSIGNMENT

To illustrate and emphasize the decision process, use this assignment.Choose two goods or services that you or your family has purchased


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recently--one costing less than $25 and one costing more than $125.Explain the decision-making process for each purchase and the reasons foreach purchase. Write this information in good form. Bring to class and beprepared to discuss the findings. Your grade will depend on how well yourelate your descriptions to the information in our text.

This often brings some surprising stories and offers numerousteaching opportunities!

Laura A. Williams

San Diego State University

A PERSONALITY, LIFESTYLE,

AND VALUES PROFILE

Exercise Overview

This exercise is designed to supplement class discussion on consumerpersonality, lifestyles, and values. It is a two-part assignment, wherebystudents are asked to first create a collage and then to analyze the imagesin the collage and explain how these images represent their personality,

lifestyle and values. The collages are then used during class discussion toillustrate a number of topics, including dimensions of self (i.e., actual self,social self, and ideal self), personality traits (e.g., inner/outer directed,materialism, etc.), brand image/personality characteristics, activities,interests, and opinions, and personal values.

The Assignment

Students are given a handout with the following information andinstructions.

Project: Personality, Lifestyle, and Values Collage and Profile

Assignment Instructions: Create a personality, lifestyle, and valuesprofile of yourself in the form of a collage. To do so, consult a variety ofsources (e.g., magazine ads, direct mail, photographs, or any printedmedium) and identify multiple images (e.g., products, people, places, ad


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copy) which you believe best represent your personality, lifestyle, andvalues. Compile these images in a personal collage. Write an explana-tion of why the images that you selected represent your personality, life-style and values.

The guidelines for the collage assignment include the following:

The collage should fill an 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper. No larger orsmaller.

Your interpretation of the collage should typed. It should include adescription of why the images portrayed in your collage representyour personality, lifestyle, and values.

To illustrate the technique, I bring examples of extraordinary collagesfrom past semesters. Students are encouraged to be very creative with thisexercise and to feel free to express themselves by selecting whateverformat best captures their personality, lifestyle and values. Past examplesof exemplary creativity have been collages with multiple layers or 3-D,designed to represent various dimensions of self, and hidden flaps todepict aspects of their personality that are not easily or readily known toothers.

Benefits to the Student

The greatest benefit of this exercise is that students get the oppor-tunity to apply consumer behavior principles to their lives. By examiningthe images selected to depict their personality, lifestyle, and values,students are required to define themselves using consumer behaviorconcepts. For example, during class discussion, each student is asked toidentify an item on their collage that depicts their actual self, ideal self,and social self. In addition, students discuss the brands, retail outlets,media outlets, and other marketing-oriented images that are included ontheir collages. Students are given the opportunity to explore how and whythey identify with these marketing images.

It is also interesting to encourage students to compare their collages.

Students are often surprised to see how much their collage differs fromfellow classmates. For example, the more materialistic student will havecompiled a number of products, brands, or materialistic goods and willdefine their ideal self in terms of possessions. The outer-directed student


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will have several pictures of friends and family and will depict socialrelationships as integral to their definition of self. Fixated studentconsumers will dedicate their entire collages to a specific product categoryor interest.

It is further enlightening for students to examine the proportion ofverbal versus visual images on their collages. Many students may dis-cover that they are dominant visualizers or verbalizers. Students shouldalso be encouraged to analyze what words or images represent their per-sonal values. Finally, it is also beneficial to explain to the students howthis technique could be used by marketing managers to study brand

images. An interesting variation of the assignment is to ask students toconstruct collages of a product or service and discuss the managerialimplications of the information.

In summary, the personality, lifestyle, and values collage enablesstudents to exert their creativity and to have the opportunity to develop aportrait of themselves that can be analyzed using consumer behaviorprinciples.

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