The focus of marketing management is the consumer. This module provides an overview of consumer psychology. It acts as a foundation for the Marketing Research module in year 2, Consumer Behaviour module in year 3, and the Consumer Research Module in year 4 of TU922. Human beings display striking differences in their consumer behaviour, and these differences may be explained in terms of the various theories and concepts underpinning human psychology. Consumer behaviour is also a result of human interaction in terms of family dynamics, age cohort, group conformity and the effects of opinion leaders. This module also explores these influencing variables.
An Introduction to Consumer Psychology
Consumer psychology in the marketplace. Consumer Psychology explained. Three phases of investigation. Individual and group inputs to marketing strategy. Inputs to environmental analysis, product differentiation and positioning, marketing mix development, segmentation, market research. Future trends in consumer psychology.
Perceptual Processes
Outline of the process. Sensory systems. Thresholds, Perceptual selection. Interpretation and organisation.
Learning
Behavioural & Cognitive learning theories. Elements of Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, S-R and S-0-R. Cognitive learning theories, Modelling/Observational learning. Marketing applications of learning principles. Gamification.
Memory
Role of memory in learning. Types of memory, Memory systems, Knowledge structures. Retrieval of information for purchase decisions. Factors influencing forgetting. Products as memory markers. Measuring memory for advertising.
Motivation
The motivation process. Strength, direction, motivational conflicts, classifications of need. Involvement levels and types.
Social Power of Groups and Social Media
Social identity theory. Reference groups. Types of social power. Reference group types. Forms of reference group influence. Social loafing, Risky shift effect, Polarisation, conformity and norms, resistance to influence, reactance, Brand communities and tribes, communities of practice, WOM motivations, negative WOM, Guerilla marketing, Opinion leadership, models of influence, market maven, Identifying OLs.
Family Structure and Decision Making
The modern family, Nontraditional, FLC, sex roles, heuristics of joint decision making.
Age Cohorts
Pester power/Gen Z, Teens, Millennials, New Greys
The twin challenges of enabling the student to develop an in depth understanding as well as the ability to apply the learnt concepts to ambiguous real-world off and online marketing problems, at the same time accommodating students with different learning styles will be accomplished by employing teaching methods that encourage deep learning.
These include
Formal lectures
Active learning techniques through the provision of a comprehensive online learning environment enabled by Brightspace on www.tudublin.ie Code is MRKT 1009
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 80 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 20 |