Consumer Behavior And Food Marketing

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing

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Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 2

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing

Question 2:

Marketing strategies used by food and drinks companies on their brand's social

marketing sites. Marketing aims at influencing people’s behavior like their willingness to

pay more for a given brand, referral of services to their friends and increasing trials of

consumers to taste a new product. To achieve engagement of the consumers with the

brands, marketers on social marketing sites use the following strategies:

The science and practice of persuasion

The science and practice of persuasion refers to the influence another person the

principle used includes (i) liking: our fondness to one another is contributed primarily

with the following determinants looking good, similarity, cooperation and the extent of

our feelings to like others. Most of the things that look attractive have higher social

advantages, and it is considered relevant for liking. For similarity purposes, just as

salespersons are trained to create links with prospective clients to build rapport social

marketing sites do the same to increase chances of interest to consumers. (ii)

reciprocation, consistency, scarcity, social validation, and authority

Attitude and attitude change

First, one needs to understand the knowledge content of the object. Knowledge

content is the information we already have in our memory about companies, brands,

stores, and product categories. It contains many facts linked to a concept about the

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 3

objects of our knowledge. The following dimensions need to be followed when

describing an association relating to a concept:

Product attributes based on color, texture, and mineral content. Its nutritious and

healthy benefits, users, usage situations, places it can purchase or grown and how it is

grown.

The uniqueness of the associations that is the extent to which other concepts

related to it.

Favorability or preference of the associations and salience of the product:

products that are consumed more often come to our mind easier (Solomon et al. 2014 p.

3). To increase consumer’s engagement with the brand, marketers try to create schemas,

brand personalities, and brand images to assist consumers with knowhow on company’s

offering or product, its difference from competitors and what it does to them. New

associations are then formed once schemas, images, and personalities are created. An

existing schema can be altered where necessary by using associating products, people,

places, or media. To protect brand image, schemas that are strong and positive result in

the brand loyalty (Solomon et al. 2014 p. 5)

Attitude is the degree to which an individual dislikes or likes things, people or

places. A positive attitude results to a new public policy and use of materials. Attitude

influences behavior. Evaluation relies on the individual’s beliefs and knowledge

concerning the brand, competitors, or product. Attitude is usually expressed both verbally

as opinion and nonverbal. Attitude posses direction, strength and intensity and vary along

in different dimensions like favorability, salience, strength, persistence, and resistance to

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 4

attack. In marketing attitude of a consumer has power toward new products ideas, brands,

adverts, direct mail, product packaging, retails stores, and purchase decisions through

internet. During consumption choices and decision-making, attitude helps us a lot

(Solomon et al. 2014 p. 12). It is therefore, a key strategy to marketers to alter attitudes of

consumers targeted on social marketing sites. The attitude change strategies include the

following: Making particular needs more prominent to change the basic motivational

function such as knowledge function, ego-defensive function, and utilitarian function,

Changing the effective attitude toward a brand through associating the product with

positive emotions, high self-esteem, and cherished events, and Changing the belief

components of the attitude towards competitors through publicity or comparative

advertising (Solomon et al. 2014 p.39)

Persuasion

Source factor in persuasion

It refers to the aspect of an individual or organization in delivering the message

irrespective of its content. Based on the researchers’ information, the independence of

source credibility affects persuasion resulting in influencing people’s attitudes towards a

brand. The physical attractiveness of a source affects people’s attitude. (Rucker, Petty &

Briñol 2014 p. 29) in social marketing sites, attractive sources show great enhancement to

persuasion in comparison with unattractive sources. Also, source power that is its ability

to control resources influences persuasion such that powerful sources result in a drastic

change in attitude compared to sources which are powerless (Rucker, Petty & Briñol

2014 p.30). Since sources vary in the way they are liked or perceived it is evident that a

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 5

property of the source will determine the extent to which the attitude change is

influenced. Furthermore, increased persuasiveness impact associates with positive high-

affinity source factor while at times the very similar source can have decreased

persuasion.

Message factor in persuasion

It constitutes how the message is structured and compelling. Beyond the length of

the message information or its quality, messages also have variation in the data they

present. It can either be simple or complex, have arguments in favor of advocated

position or both against and in favor of the position. Researchers found out those two-

sided messages are more persuasive compared to one-sided messages despite giving out

information against its competitor. In two-sided message, weaknesses and strength are

openly acknowledged, and more people like it. This becomes the target for marketers on

the social networking sites. Variance relevance to the message, however, can increase its

persuasion or decrease it depending on the psychological and situation in which it

operates.

Recipient factor in persuasion

It refers to the characteristic of an individual receiving the message. As stated by

Cialdini and Goldstein (2002 p. 43), recipient variable is categorized by state and trait. In

trait factors, stable attributes of someone like a person’s demography, cognitive skills,

personalities, and belief system. The state factor constitutes of variable features of an

individual with time or due to an immediate situation. These factors of a recipient are

vital in persuasion. Consumers, who are more intelligent, are difficult to persuade since

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 6

they have ability of evaluating the persuasiveness of an appeal and counter argue the data

presented before them. However, some individuals are naturally resistant to persuasion

compared to others and also their beliefs predict their yield or resistance to persuasion.

Temporary moods and emotions also alter the response to an individual persuasion.

Social marketers do not pair objects with negative experience to enable consumers view

it positively thereby causing a favorable attitude.

Most active foods, drinks, and brands on social marketing sites

Dunkin Donuts on Facebook

This brand became the first to use Facebook live in February 2016. The inaugural

video caused viewers to tour the companies test kitchen. The culinary team prepared a

heart-shaped donut cake and invited viewers to its contest at a price of $10000 to be won.

Real people equipped with skills and talents engineered this company. It opened doors to

show how their favorable treats are made and through these many marketers got

encouraged to reveal a little bit of their ingredients to consumers (De Vries, Gensler &

Leeflang 2012 p. 85).

Sour patch kids on snap chat

In 2014, sour patch kids wished to create awareness to teens in the US. This

company, therefore, shifted part of its budget from Facebook and TV to snap chat. The

video campaign took five days with influencer Logan Paul recording pranks of Sour and

sweet with blue and red versions of the kid. Throughout the campaign, it emerged that

consumers shared fun and high-energy content. Marketers thus should show a bright idea

of audience behaviors and interests.

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 7

Taco bell on twitter

Back in 2012, BuzzFeed created a whole piece of brand’s best tweets. The

company began a #TacoEmoji campaign in 2014 where it released T-shirts for its events

and emerging victorious.

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 8

Kraft on Pinterest

This account is there for helping users create satisfying and sumptuous meals

made by Kraft food products.

Chobani on Instagram

Chobuni uses Instagram to share quality images of product-inspired meals and

recipes since 2011, the time he joined Instagram. This was to change what people only

used to post for breakfast (Chan & Guillet 2011 p. 350).

Extent to which food and drinks companies succeed in influencing young consumers’

attitudes, preferences, and consumption.

Consumers respond to the marketing efforts through following the principles

governing them as discussed below:

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 9

Liking

Consumers tend to show physical attractiveness, cooperation, similarity, and

extent of liking them. Physical attractiveness of a person results from the decency of an

individual and though him showing possession of numerous positive qualities such as

honesty and intelligence. This results from following what is seen on the social marketing

sites. Similarity resulting from instant bonding of individuals can depict response of the

consumer’s liking. It is also evident that cooperation is a sign of liking consumers show

due to influence by the company.

Reciprocation

To demonstrate that food and drinks companies have influenced consumers, they

are obligated to repaying the company from what they receive. This results in fairness

and equity in the business dealings building good relationship and trust among

individuals as much as it leaves them susceptible to manipulation to those wishing for

inequitable gain. The rule of reciprocity mostly takes forms of favors and gifts; however,

the negotiation process is also frequently used. Bargaining is an outcome of the company

succeeding in influencing its consumers (Cialdini and Goldstein 2002 p. 47).

Consistency

Consumers’ consistency in their actions, statements, and beliefs demonstrates a

clear influence by the company. They start to understand the principle of consistency and

draw their commitment to following their marketers.

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 10

Scarcity

The company uses their marketing practitioners who use the principle of scarcity

to their advantage. They emphasize that the consumer have to act now because the

product is limited in supply and will be available for a limited time or at times the say it

is one of a kind. This principle used by the marketers is genuine with the intention to

make their offer or product be attractive and sell faster this includes reduced rates, prices,

the time span for accessibility. Scarcity principle applies to not only products and

opportunities but also information. For instance, if the company sees the information of

the product to be exclusive, they rate it more valuable and very persuasive.

Social validation

In scarcity, the company restricts the number of brands to the market at any time.

This policy success not only manipulates scarcity but also utilizes the social validation

principle. This principle states that individuals frequently look to others on feelings,

thinking, and behavior while in their state of uncertainty. According to Solomon et al.

(2014 n.d), consumers will, therefore, start to inquire about the company’s products,

brands, and availability to demonstrate how the social marketing sites influence them.

Majority of companies understands the ability of social validation in swaying our

opinions, wallets in their direction. This is possible through their marketers who spend

much time elucidating on means of spinning around their product as the leading or most

popular seller in the market. This principle primarily depends on the time of planning the

business for its power to be harnessed properly.

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 11

Authority

The power of the principle of authority asserts that we tend to defer to the counsel

authority experts and figures to help us in deciding when in ambiguous states feel

ambivalent about decisions to be made. When the company’s experts give reliable

reasons that the consumer finds it good in solving their issues, then it is clear evidence

that it has influenced the consumer. However, consumers also will be seen to demonstrate

smart decision making when they tend to defer to the company’s marketer expert

decision. Rucker, Petty, and Briñol (2014 p. 34) allude that the company uses marketer

expert that are impartial than those whose intent is to gain something through convincing.

The food and drink company usually offer quality food, which the consumer remain with

the only choice of what to take. In addition, there is honesty to both marketer, and the

consumer does not break the code of ethics to risk being caught. This ensures keeping of

agreeable self-concept and future profit.

Consumer Behavior and Food Marketing 12

References

Chan, N.L. and Guillet, B.D., 2011. Investigation of social media marketing: how does

the hotel industry in Hong Kong perform in marketing on social media

websites?. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 28(4), pp.345-368.

Cialdini, R.B. and Goldstein, N.J., 2002. The science and practice of persuasion. Cornell

Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 43(2), pp.40-50

De Vries, L., Gensler, S. and Leeflang, P.S., 2012. Popularity of brand posts on brand fan

pages: An investigation of the effects of social media marketing. Journal of

interactive marketing, 26(2), pp.83-91.

Rucker, D.D., Petty, R.E. and Briñol, P., 2014. Social psychological foundations of social

marketing. The handbook of persuasion and social marketing, pp.27-60.

Solomon, M.R., Dahl, D.W., White, K., Zaichkowsky, J.L. and Polegato, R.,

2014. Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being (Vol. 10). Pearson.

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