Exam 5: Consumer Decision Making

While marketing managers would like to think they play a role,only consumers can actually reduce their cognitive dissonance.

SCENARIOS New Car Purchase Zena has been promoted to vice-president at the management consulting firm she works for.Her new status has led her to consider the need for a new car.Her trusty little Volkswagen Beetle has over 100,000 miles on it and no longer seems appropriate.Susanne,another vice-president,has suggested that Zena consider a car produced in the United States because the consulting firm she works for has a policy of supporting U.S.businesses.Zena began her quest for a new car by visiting several car dealers and obtaining pamphlets on the models she is considering.She also made a trip to the library to study Consumer Reports magazine and other consumer rating publications to see what the experts think.Finally,after evaluating all options,Zena decided to purchase a new Chrysler.She believes the car is a good fit with her new image and position in her company.However,now that she has purchased the car,she saw more advertisements touting its features then she had ever noticed before.She also noticed many models of her car on the road.Zena views the fact so many others are driving the same model car she is proof that she made a good decision. -Refer to New Car Purchase.Zena spent a considerable amount of time and effort in her new car purchase.This suggests the car is a(n)_____ product for Zena.

Many consumers consider Post Grape-Nuts cereal as a product their grandfathers ate.This makes it unacceptable to a large part of the consumer market.Without changing the product,Post ran a series of Grape-Nuts ads that described the sweet,nutty taste of the cereal and encouraged people to try it as a topping on yogurt for something good to eat.Post is trying to:

Starbucks coffee company introduced four premium flavors of Starbucks ice cream hoping consumers would transfer their love of Starbucks coffee to ice cream.With only a little publicity and a one-time limited outdoor campaign,quarts of Starbucks coffee ice cream flew off the shelves.Starbucks used _____ to promote its new frozen product.

An external information search is especially important when:

With its launch of easyPAY,its fast pay option,Shell Canada tackled the prevailing sentiment that "all fuel brands are the same" with a timesaving service for its customers.Shell Canada tried to: