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What Makes Customers Tick by Lewis P. Carbone. Torrey Jacobson. Back In the Day. During the mid-20 th century, the prevailing business mindset was Sales-Oriented The theory was that if existing products were pushed hard enough, sales would increase. The Birth of Marketing Research.
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What Makes Customers Tickby Lewis P. Carbone Torrey Jacobson
Back In the Day • During the mid-20th century, the prevailing business mindset was Sales-Oriented • The theory was that if existing products were pushed hard enough, sales would increase
The Birth of Marketing Research • Later years brought a customer orientation • Products should be designed around customers’ needs • Q: How do we know what customers want? • A: Ask them—through marketing research
Traditional Marketing Research • Customer Interviews • Customers were directly asked about their thoughts and preferences • Assumption: The consumer decision making process takes place at a conscious level of the mind • This would imply an understanding and awareness of one’s own psychological processes
The Need For Change • Problems with traditional methods: • Most of a consumer’s decision making process takes place at a subconscious level • Therefore, consumers may give researchers inaccurate responses • Since subconscious activity is just that, it may be impossible for consumers to explain the actual reasons for their buying behavior
Unconscious Processes • Much more significant than previously thought • Up to 95% of the consumer decision making process is unconscious • Carbone likens conscious processes to the tip of an iceberg
Accessing the Subconscious • Researchers must use an array of indirect methods to draw conclusions about underlying beliefs and attitudes
New Research Methods • Metaphor Elicitation • People tend to think primarily in images rather than in words • Pay attention to the type of metaphors used to draw inferences about thoughts and feelings
New Research Methods • Observation • Not actually new • Used in a slightly different way than before • Look beyond “hard” data—numbers and stats • Creative ways to implement • Watching people use the product at home • Video observation • Example of often-overlooked “soft data”—dog treats
New Research Methods • Word Choice • Seemingly insignificant differences can register subconsciously • Example: Car rental: a car vs. the car • Contextual linguistic software is being developed to “analyze” conversations • What will we learn when it is perfected?
What’s Next? • Time will tell • The implications of exploring the subconscious of consumers have not been fully revealed to us yet • If these new methods are properly implemented, we could see a significant change in marketing and marketing research