Let's Go Shopping

Personally, I love to shop. Bright window displays easily draw me in, spring catalogs absorb my attention for hours, and 7 unnecessary pairs of knock-off ray ban glasses have recently found their way into my wardrobe. Anyone who knows me well can see my obvious weakness for dresses, band t-shirts, hair accessories, and shoes, but what is less apparent is why I feel the desire to buy these things. Why do I love going to the mall for things that I do not need? Why do I clutter my shelves with belts and scarves? Why do I have a pair of sun glasses for every color of the rainbow? To find answers to these tough life questions, I sought the advice and insight of my fellow college students and analyzed their motivations for buying clothing, in order to help me decipher my own. I wanted to know how the personal styles of my peers are affected by advertising, brand names, the media, and the price of products, so over the past month, I have conducted twenty seven interviews with random students from SUNY New Paltz and Marist. I interviewed these subjects, who are of all genders and styles, in order to pick apart the minds of college consumers and find answers to my inquiries.

In order to find the reason behind individual shopping habits and consumer demands, I first asked what various students consider to be their personal style. While I expected answers such as "preppy" or "hipster", I was surprised to learn that very few college students identify with a defined dress code.

"I don't have a style; it comes down to whatever looks good. I mean,

i'm wearing a 'Muppet Show' T-shirt right now..."

-Joe D.

"I don't know... I wear hoodies, tees, jeans, the occasional thermal... I really don't have a style. I used to always wear button-ups and nice shoes but being formal was too time consuming."

-Mike R.

"I don't really know. I like retro clothes, like I think they're cool, but I don't wear them. I also like to look girly and dress up but normally I just wear jeans and a T-shirt. I don't really think I know anyone with a specific 'style'. Most people just wear whatever."

-Lauren S.

"I want to say 'things that look nice' but really I just throw on whatever is in my closet."

-Jennie D.

I then asked where various students shop for clothes and why and received a wide range of answers:

"Thrift stores, generic stores like Bob's Footwear and stuff,

American Eagle if I have a gift card and anywhere on-line."

-Matt T.

"On-line? i don't know, I kind of shop all over the place."

-Marygrace N.

"The funny thing is, up until last year my mom bought all of my clothes for me. I mean... well... she still does but when I actually do buy clothes I go to Kohl's."

-Luke A.

Judging by the previous quotations, one may begin to assume that college students do not put too much emphasis on specific store brands. However, I did encounter many loyal customers of stores such as Forever 21 (11 participants), Urban Outfitters (13 participants), GAP (17 participants), and PacSun (18 participants).

"The GAP is classic. They have everything from stuff I wear to the beach to like, funeral pants. They have such a wide range of clothes that are generally really cute."

-Erica E.

"I buy all of my clothes at Forever 21. Everything is so amazingly cheep and adorable. Everything in my closet is from that store and I'm perfectly okay with that."

-Rachel S.

"I don't know, I guess I like the laid back style. Plus [PacSun] is

apparently going out of business so everything is like, free almost."

-Dan U.

Numerous subjects mentioned low cost as a motive for buying clothing from a specific store, so I inquired further to see just how large a role money plays in product consumption by asking if higher cost generates a better or more valuable product. It turns out, the vast majority of students feel that the lower the cost, the better. High price held very little appeal.

"Cost absolutely plays a role, butI buy clothes that are cheep. If two items are

comparable and one's brand name and one's cheeper, I'll go with the cheeper one."

-Chris H.

"If it costs more, it's of no higher quality to me. I mean, I'll still buy expensive

things if I like them, but I wish everything would cost less."

-Alyssa A.

"Nope. The best socks I've ever had came in a pack of 10 that only cost me two bucks. Then again, my boots... well, most of my shoes actually, cost me like, $200.00. It just happens that way though. If I want something and it's expensive, I'll buy it."

-Mike A.

"If it's cheep, I'll buy it, which is actually a problem sometimes. Like, I'll buy crappy clothes or clothes that I don't like as much as more expensive ones just because they're cheeper. Unless I have someone there to tell me to buy the nice one, I probably won't."

-Heather C.

I then inquired as to how prominent brand names are when buying products. While one may think that wearing products by a cool or popular company would be appealing, all but two of my subjects disagreed. In fact, brand names often generated a negative effect.

"Most of the time, names make things cost more so I don't buy them. Like, a shirt that says 'ABERCROMBIE' across it, I wouldn't buy. I think thats obnoxious."

-Victoria W.

"Brand names don't make anything more valuable to me. If I could buy 3 generic polos or one like, Ralph Lauren polo, ill obviously buy the three cheap ones."

-Tim H.

"There are name brand stores I'll shop at... like, I guess it's cool to have an American Eagle symbol on your shirt? I don't know. I only shop in some brand name stores that have good quality though. I don't really care about the name itself."

-Kevin C.

"I could honestly care less less. Kohl's all the way."

-Christie P.

Since advertising is understood as having a monumental role in consumer psychology, I inquired as to how strongly my peers are affected by various advertisements and got a wide range of positive and negative results. It seems that most studies on this subject are correct: everyone is effected by advertising, but in a variety of ways.

"I am very aware of advertising and I try to avoid it. If I see an advertisement with a message that I disagree with, then I wont buy it regardless of its quality. Like, if I walk by Abercrombie and Fitch and theres a half-naked guy and a half-naked girl who don't even look like real people, then that's a message that I don't agree with."

-Samantha L.

"The only way advertising effects what i wear is in movies. Like, if I see a character wearing a cool jacket, then I'll be like, 'I want that jacket.' Other then that, I don't think I have ever looked at an advertisement and been enticed to buy something clothing wise."

-Andrew R.

"Well if a see a mannequin wearing nice clothes, I'll buy it, or at least try it on. I feel like, even if you don't realize it, advertisements influence you. Like, if I see a cool clothing commercial, I'll want to buy that stuff. You buy clothes that advertise the look you're going for."

-Alex A.

"If I see something nice on a commercial and I see people wearing it and it looks cool, then I'll be like 'I want that too.' I feel like everyone does that, really. It's the whole idea of fitting in."

-Joey Y.

Since my range of results for each question were predominantly wide, as my final question I asked what specifically has the greatest effect on what each individual buys and wears. Surprisingly, this broad question had the fewest response variations.

"I guess how it looks... like, how it fits me."

-Mary F.

"Personal taste? I guess that effects what everyone wears

but i buy things in accordance with my own style."

-Mike S.

"Color and how it pertains to my style."

-Conor W.

"How clothes look on me determines if I buy them."

-Jacquie D.

"Um... probably colors. I like colorful things."

-Mala M.

So there you have it. Surprise surprise, a good number of college kids hate spending money on things, are affected by the media, and dress, not based on style, but on personal preference and color. Though this study does not lessen my love for shopping, I now have a better understanding of the reasons behind my drive to buy things, and of consumer psychology as a whole.

What Is In A Name?

There are many strategies to naming products, corporates, businesses, and brands. Many of these strategies are so simple and so discrete, that the consumer gives in to the purchasing temptation without a single thought as to why. Here is the inside scoop to some of those naming strategies.
Metonymy is a figure of speech where the name of an object is replaced with a word closely related to the original. Starbucks Coffee uses this to make consumers think that their money, or "bucks", which sounds more hip and energetic just like the coffee they wish to purchase, is going towards a better product by that decision. Perhaps the company even wanted to make their consumers feel all the more special by putting the word "star" in the title. Maybe as a consumer is waiting on line for their cafe mocha grande, they feel more like a star rather than just in a rush to get to work.
Haplology is used in company names like Toys R Us, where there is an omission of a repeated occurrence of a sound or syllable in the pronunciation. Aside from eliminating all unnecessarily repeated sounds, the tactic of haplology makes names more fun to say and look at. Let's say you drove past a sign that read: Toys Are Us. It just looks silly, doesn't it? It also doesn't seem to make much sense. Toys are who? But when a company decides to make it Toys "R" Us, rather than "are", the name seems all the more better. Maybe now the driver will make a quick turn into a parking lot rather than continuing to drive on with a confused look.
Finally, clipping is used to target the rate or pace at which a name is pronounced. It shortens a word or phrase by dropping one or more syllables. FedEx is an example of clipping. Say it out loud: FedEx. Seems to have one syllable, correct? In reality, that name should consist of two syllables, Fed and Ex. That doesn't flow off the tongue very well. FedEx flows quickly and naturally, eliminating any choppy pronunciations and therefore perhaps saving the company from a choppy reputation.
So, apparently there is a lot more thought put into a name than any regular consumer might see. There's a lot of "behind the scenes" work that goes into naming corporates, products, businesses, and brands. The three examples above (three of many more in existence) show how a consumer may be more likely to choose one product over another, or maybe one business instead of another one with the same inventory to sell. But the beauty is that the consumer is not always aware of the naming-schemes set before them. So, what is in a name? Apparently a lot more than Shakespeare even knew.


Source: www.namedevelopment.com
www.dictionary.com

Higher Costs in Raising children Leads to Idealizing Parenthood

While raising a child is both economically and emotionally draining for parents, many parents insist that their children are an essential source of happiness in their lives. Parents create fairytale like images of raising their children as a way to justify the great economic investment that is required to raise them. This relates to justification of investment which we discussed in class. When parents put a lot of time and money into raising their children, they tend to justify their investment and tend to be more positive about it. Even parents of disabled children tend to be very postive about parenting since they put a lot of time and effort into rasing their child.

A study was conducted by psychological scientists Richard Eibach and Steven Mock from the University of Waterloo. There were two groups of parents studied. The first group was primed to think about how expensive it is to raise a child. The second group was primed to think about the costs and benefits of raising a child. Then the experimenters asked both groups a series of questions such as how happy they were spending time with their children and how much time they hoped to spend with their child their next day off of work. The study found that the first group, who had focused on the costs of raising a child, enjoyed spending time with their children much more and planned on spending more leisure time with their children.

The experimenters further discussed that in the past children went to work young and actually were of economic value for the family. During this time the emotional relationship between parent and child was much less affectionate then now. Today, children cost a lot to raise and because of this, there is an increase in the belief that parenting is emotional rewarding.

Sources:
Idealizing Parenthood to Rationalize Parental Investments

Parenting Children with Disabilities Becomes Less Taxing With Time

Smokers are Tricked

Many smokers in the United States believe that some cigarette brands can be less harmful than others. Smokers base this idea on things such as the packaging color, believing that silver, white, and gold brands are less harmful than red and black brands. In the past cigarettes used to carry labels that went along with these colors such as “light” and “mild” but in many countries cigarette manufacturers are no longer allowed to do this because the words were considered misleading.

Other smokers believe slim cigarettes are less harmful and that less harsh tasting ones are safer too. These false beliefs about cigarettes relate to what we discussed in class about cognitive dissonance—smokers need to be consistent in their actions and beliefs to avoid cognitive dissonance. The smokers know that the behavior of smoking is bad for their health, therefore they alter their beliefs and tell themselves things such as “at least I’m smoking the healthier and safer slim cigarettes.”

While cognitive dissonance plays a role in people believing some brands of cigarettes are less harmful, it is also due to the cigarette manufacturers keeping silent and not clarifying that these things are not true. Unfortunately, they probably never will since these misconceptions help sell the product.

Sources:
Smokers Believe ‘Silver’, ‘Gold’, and ‘Slim’ Cigarettes are less Harmful

Cigarette Packaging Still Misleading Consumers Over Health Hazards

Do we buy because we want to?

Americans today spend about twenty present more time consuming main stream media radio television internet. Whether we like it or not, the majority of this time is spent being bombarded by advertisements that try to appeal to consumers. Something I find interesting about consumer psychology is how advertising agencies use different stimuli to influence the consumers, possibly persuading the to choose their product over another companies. These stimuli that are used are called interpersonal influences and contain but are not limited to social and cultural groups. Advertisers and marketing agencies use these stimuli, things we find amusing or repent things we want, to affect our attitude towards a product based on the target market we fall into. Considering that we are bombarded by advertisement every day from television, the Internet, radio, and now even video games it makes me wonder if we actually purchase these objects because we actually want and need them or is it because the stimuli make us think we do.

The Not so Incredible Shrinking Box...

In a time of rising commodity prices, manufacturers have discovered new ways to pass on increasing costs to consumers without raising prices. Ten years ago when you purchased a pack of Wrigley's PlenTPak you would have bought a pack with 17 sticks of gum, today you would only be buying 15 sticks. Food manufacturers have long been aware that even price increases as low as one cent have drastic impacts on consumer's buying habits. In the grocery world stores are afraid of even the smallest increases on goods that consumers purchase routinely, and pressure has helped develop a new form of passing on the costs associated with the manufacturing of food. Today, manufacturers are racing to keep prices equal while covertly decreasing the amount of product being packaged.

This does not only apply to chewing gum, but also to staples such as cereal, orange juice, yogurt, ice cream, and margarine. The manufacturers have been slowly reducing the amount of product being placed into the containers, and all the while most consumers have remained in the dark. Manufacturers either modify the packaging so it appears customers are getting the old amount, making bottles smaller but taller for example or they keep the packaging the same. The standard size for orange juice used to be 96 ounces, but today many brands are packaged with only 89 ounces, while the containers appear to be identical in size.

Consumers failing to realize there is less product in the package is a result of not keeping tabs on the ounces of individual products month to month, as well as their use of heuristics. As we discussed in class, heuristics are mental shortcuts we use to make mental judgments. Most consumers do not suspect manufacturers would "trick" them, and when glancing at the seemingly same amount of product they assume the amount of ounces are the same. They make the mistake of quickly assuming based on the appearance of the product rather than examining the numbers and coming up with the accurate conclusions. Manufacturers know this about consumers and are getting away with sneakily downsizing products.

Air is the new best friend of the marketer, as cereal boxes remain the same size and the bags inside are now filled with less product and more air. Frito Lay may have started this trend years ago when bags of Lays potato chips and Doritos began to weigh less, but appeared to be the same size due to the addition of air instead of chips.

Experts warn consumers to be wary when they shop and say that checking unit prices is the consumers best defense. However, most consumers confide that unit prices can be confusing and often times different, or changing, unit sizes can make comparisons difficult. Some consumers say that it is simply too time consuming to compare unit prices. Of course one thing to keep in mind is that unit prices are remaining stable, it is the actual quantity within the packaging that is shrinking.

Sources:
Food packages hide reduced contents

America's Shrinking Groceries

Business Internships at SUNY New Paltz

At SUNY New Paltz, many opportunities exist when trying to find a business internship. Some of these opportunities include marketing research, product management, advertising, sales, and much more. Out of all of these types of internships, marketing research caught my eye the most. Marketing research is concerned with the what's and why's of marketing, such as why a purchase was made, and what was the influence in purchasing this product. In my opinion, this field of business sounds the most interesting, and according to my marketing teacher, it is the most rewarding field. For information on all different types of business internships, visit the SUNY New Paltz school of business website and scroll down to the internships section. Many places exist to intern for; some well-known businesses, and many small ones.

SUNY New paltz allows students to intern at many different locations, such as ABC News, Bank of New York, Cablevision, CVS Pharmacy, IRS, YMCA, and so on. Literally, the internship directory encompasses more than 30 pages of company names. Students work for a total of 210 hours and receive 3 credits. It is a great idea to be an intern, because even if no money is involved, the intern may be reviewed one day to become a full-time employee. In order to become an intern, one must be reviewed before the intern, send out cover letters and resumes to companies, and submit a weekly file report during the internship. Who is legible for a business internship?

Hmm. Would I be eligible?

For undergraduate students, in order to be eligible, one must at least be a junior, and with a minimum GPA of 2.75. If one is a graduate, one must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and has done 18 credits of MBA coursework. Internships are a great way to receive hands-on experience in the real world for when the time comes and one graduates from college. I hope, in the future, to try an internship myself.

Sources:
The Thinker. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from:
      http://www.michaelangelobosch.com/resume.htm.

Unknown Author. Student Guide to Internships. Retrieved
      from: http://www.newpaltz.edu/schoolofbusiness/
      student_guide_to_internships.pdf.

Unknown Author. School of Business Internship Directory. Retrieved from:
      http://www.newpaltz.edu/schoolofbusiness/internshipdir.pdf.

Little Consumers

Adults are not the only consumers present in today's society, and they are definitely not the only ones targeted by advertisements and media. While it may seem counterproductive to focus time, energy, and resources on appealing to "consumers" who are too young to possess a pay check, products that appeal to children are surprisingly important to the success of many businesses. For example, General Mills is a food company that processes many cereals found in most American households, such as:

• Cheerios
• Chex
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch
• Fiber One
• Kix
• Lucky Charms
• Monsters
• Total
• Trix
• Wheaties

Though they are all obviously cereal, it is very likely that a person could tell which are targeted at adults and which are designed to appeal to children based on commercials, ingredients, and even the color of the box. Without use of advertising tactics that catch little eyes, General Mills would not sell half as much cereal as they currently do. The following TV commercials demonstrate how consumer psychology can be used to target a specific and obvious age groups.

As if the desired audience was not obvious enough, the Trix commercial uses the catch phrase "Trix are for Kids!" in order to appeal to younger viewers. The use of animation, bright colors, a plot driven by a giant talking bunny, and the appeal of a sticker prize inside is enough to make any child beg their parents for this "wholesome breakfast". Words like "sweet, colorful, and bursting with flavor" are also used to fuel little appetites and sweet teeth.

In contrast, this Cheerios commercial, which demonstrates a quiet atmosphere in which a young boy is listening to his father's heart beat, uses the appeal of heart health and low cholesterol to attract an adult audience. By advertising "all natural, whole grain oats", General Mills is clearly trying to make Cheerios appeal to those old enough to care about aspects other then sugary taste and brightly colored pieces.

To do some investigating on how super markets are set up to appeal to generations young and old, I visited the local, New Paltz Stop and Shop and made some observations. Cereal, for instance, was not only distinguished by color variations and ingredients, but also placement on the shelves. Cereal such as Fiber One and Kashi Go-Lean, which is geared toward adults, was at my eye level, and cereal such as Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks, which is geared toward children, was placed a shelf lower in order to grab the attention of its primary consumers. In addition, at the end of every aisle, there were either cakes, cookies, donuts, candy, chips, soda, fruit snacks, or other sweets placed on the shelves. You can literally not walk down a single aisle in the supermarket without being temped by delicious baked goods and sugar. Though treats appeal to consumers both young and old, I know I would not want to deal with a whining child in a grocery cart begging me for snacks at the entrance and exit of every new aisle. I would admittedly cave and buy Fruit Roll Ups to restore the peace. This strategic arrangement of comfort foods also ultimately proved successful when i left the store with two boxes of Entemann's Assorted Donuts (don't judge me: they were on sale). Apparently, this marketing strategy works on college students too.

On my way to the register, however, another intelligent placement of goods caught my eye. As a shopper passes from one end of the reseter to the other, it is impossible not to walk right between two shelves of candy bars, gum, mints, bags of gummies, bouncy balls, pez dispensers, bubbles, and colorful pens (not to mention the brightly colored magazines with bold, dramatic headlines). All of this was in reach of little arms extending from passing shopping carts (okay: and longer arms once again extending from a college student with a sugar addiction). All together, Stop & Shop is a prime example of the success of advertising with color, flavor, and placement to appeal to specific groups of consumers. Next time you go shopping, take a look. I am sure you will find a similar set up in a supermarket near you.

Reference for this post:

http://www.generalmills.com/Brands/Cereals.aspx

Advertising and Its Role in Consumer Psychology

As typical Americans, we are affected by consumer psychology on a daily basis. Whether we notice it or not, we are constantly bombarded with advertisements, brand names, window displays, and other attention grabbing media designed to distract and lure in the potential consumer. Whether reading a magazine, watching television, or driving past a billboard on a highway, advertisements through media are extremely apparent in today's competitive society. However, media does not always target mankind as a whole. Instead, most advertising companies work to create ways to make products attractive to individual groups of people. This use of media to attract a specific group can be summarized in three steps: Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning (defined below).

Studies have shown that segmentation is a more profitable approach to advertising merchandise. Instead of trying to please everyone, focusing on a smaller unit, such as a family, would be a more executive decision. Because there are so many cultures, ages, establishments, and lifestyles that come into play, the process of choosing which group to appeal more highly to can be complicated. This is where step two of successful advertising is initiated. The process of selecting which segment or segments to serve is called targeting. For example, if an advertising company wanted to please all consumers looking for a car, they would have to appeal to those looking for speed and comfort, performance and safety, and attractiveness and spaciousness. This is almost impossible since the qualities of a mini van as well as a sports car were just described. Instead of attempting to make an automobile seem attractive to everyone, a smart advertising agent might come up with a commercial that appeals to families looking for a car that is safe and comfortable. Creating such a commercial is an example of positioning, which is used to generate an image or idea that appeals to the chosen segment: in this case, the family.

A great example of using positioning to attract families with the lure of comfort in style, is the series of youtube videos released by Toyota advertising "The Sienna Family". These videos, such as "Swagger Wagon" (link below), depict a family of four who own a Toyota Sienna. Instead of trying to make the Sienna appeal to those interested in speed and dynamics, the videos demonstrate, in a hilarious manner, how the Sienna fits right in with family life, but still does not "cramp your swagger".

Reference for this post:

http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/