Marketing is complex in modern society since consumers are exposed to a lot of information, making them more demanding as compared to the traditional consumer. Marketers would try all possible means to ensure that consumers are motivated towards a given product or a brand. This motivation would help sway the decision of the consumer to buy a particular product. As Wong (2000) says, it is through a motivated consumer that a marketer can achieve the best results in the market. This scholar says that the market has become very competitive because a customer would always have a variety to choose from in any product that is desired. For that matter, it is important to ensure that the consumers are given a reason to motivate them towards a given product. They should have a reason to consider a given brand in the market or a product superior to others. This can be achieved by evoking their emotions.
Hawkins, Mothersbaugh, and Best (2010) say that human being by nature is an emotional being. They give a lot of attention to any issue that evokes emotion. These scholars say that in the current competitive world, the best way of motivating consumers towards a given product is to appeal to their emotions. When the consumer’s emotion is evoked, then such a consumer would develop a motivation towards the brand. The market today demands more than just pumping sense into consumers. There is a need to ensure that the consumer is convinced at all costs to purchase a given product because it is only through this that a firm can remain sustainable in the market. Appealing to their emotions would make them give their full attention to that particular brand or product. This would act as a source of motivation for the consumer to buy a given product or be loyal to a given brand. Consumer loyalty plays a significant role in promoting the sales of a particular product in the market. However, the major problem is how to maintain this loyalty.
Marketers can tap from this source of motivation in a positive way to attract a larger market share within a particular reason. It is important to note, however, that this may not be a simple process. Fritz (2008) says that appealing to the emotions of the consumers may be the biggest challenge that a marketer may face when using this strategy. This strategy would demand that the marketer appeals to the emotions of a consumer in a manner that would draw not only his or her sympathy but also the urge to be a partner to the firm. The consumer must feel that he or she is motivated to be part of the firm and play the role of a consumer. The consumer would assume the responsibility of being loyal to the firm he or she is convinced to be part of the system. Such a consumer may not be swayed from the firm because of the strong emotion he or she has towards the firm that motivates him or her to be part of the firm. However, the most complex task is how to appeal to the emotions of a market with individuals of varying values, attitudes, and lifestyles.
What may be appealing positively to one individual may be annoying to another individual. In one scenario, one individual may consider something emotionally appealing while the other might consider a similar scenario meaningless. This means that it is almost impossible to use the same message in the market to appeal to the entire population that is targeted. The best way that a salesperson can employ this approach is to start segmenting the market. The market should be segmented based on social status and other demographic factors that would help group consumers of similar characteristics together. When this is achieved, the marketer can then develop a custom-made communication to each market segment. This would help ensure that the message would have the desired impact. It is through this that such a marketer would be able to use emotions as a source of motivation for customers to be loyal to a particular brand or product.
Lifestyle, such as the one offered by PRIZM, is very important to a firm that wishes to expand its membership. Firms are always in a perpetual struggle to increase their market penetration and membership to their product or brand. Market growth is an important factor that a firm cannot ignore in the current competitive market. However, the market is so competitive that, at times, instead of achieving market growth, some firms would end up losing their market share to the competitors. To expand membership, therefore, a firm must have an ability to convince the market that its product offering is superior to that of any other competing firm in the market. It is only through this that a firm can be in a position to expand. This would be required to have a deep understanding of the market. It must be able to know the market needs to convince them that the products it offers are superior to others in the market.
The understanding lifestyle of the market through the PRIZM model is important in achieving the desired goal of understanding each individual in the market. As was mentioned in the above discussion, a marketer would need to know what may be appealing to individual consumers to attract more customers, while retaining the existing ones by turning them into loyal consumers. This model is very useful in helping a firm expand its membership. As Graham (2010) says, segmentation is very important in the market. It is through segmentation that a firm would move closer to understanding an individual consumer. Segmentation would help the firm group consumers in a group where they share specific important values in the market. Using the PRIZM model would be very important, especially given the fact that it helps in grouping consumers into about 66 groups. The fact that the model uses urbanity to group these consumers even makes it more relevant. It is a fact that consumers who live in urban centers may behave differently from those in the rural setting. This is because the environmental motivators in a city would be different from motivating factors in a rural setting. Classifying consumers based on their residential factors is, therefore, very relevant. The more the market segments are identified, the easier way it would be to meet the needs of an individual segment. Personalizing these needs would make consumers convinced that the firm understands their needs. This would help the marketer increase membership.
References
Fritz, R. (2008). The power of a positive attitude: Discovering the key to success. New York: American Management Association.
Graham, J. (2010). Critical thinking in consumer behavior: Cases and experiential exercises. Boston: Prentice Hall.
Hawkins, D., Mothersbaugh, D., & Best, R. (2010). Consumer behavior: Building marketing strategy. Boston: McGraw Hill.
Wong, R. (2000). Motivation: A bio-behavioral approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.