The Interaction of Advertising and Consumer Behavior

Zhang Xiaoyi 1155081679

The relationship between advertising and consumer behavior is close and interact. Specifically say, analyzing consumer behavior exactly can guide the content and pitch of advertising. Also, advertising can affect, form or even change consumer behavior. Here are some detailed explanations and case studies to the interact relationship of advertising and consumer behavior.

Consumer behavior guides advertising

Advertisements play an essential role in creating an image of a product in the minds of consumers. So it is necessary for marketers to be aware of the behavioral pattern of consumers. while designing their advertisements to impress the customers and precise target audience. The guidance of consumer behavior to advertising can be understood from two different perspectives.

Identify the right audience

Consumer behavior is the basis of grouping target audience and customer segments of products. Identifying target audience and grouping customers according to their common characteristics can connect the customers and brand directly and effectively. Finding out the needs of right audience is the primary of a successful advertisement campaign.

Optimize the content of advertisements

Consumer behavior is affected by cultural, social, personal, and psychological factors. That means that cultural diversity, social norms, demography, and psychological characteristics will influence the effect of advertising indirectly. The solution for this problem is developing the different message-content of advertisements for audience groups by thinking about their different characteristics and behaviors. After creating the right content for the right audience, the effect of advertising communication can be maximized.

Develop effective communicate strategy

Developing communication strategy including media mix and media scheduling based on consumer behavior can convey the message more effectively. For media mix, consumer behavior can help in selecting communication channels and methods. Different combinations of media and different promotion methods may be useful to different audience group with different traits. The same to the decision regarding media scheduling. If the target audience of the product is students, then the advertisement should be shown in evening programmes, as they will be busy in school in the daytime. If the product is to be used by sportsmen, then the advertisement should be shown on sports channels in television.

Case study: Localization of Coca-Cola advertising campaign

A good example to present the importance of customer behavior on advertising is the localization of Coca-cola advertising campaign titled “Reasons to Believe” from 2011 to 2013. The aim of this campaign is to inspire hope, good faith, and contributing to positive causes as Coca-Cola celebrates 128 years of their success. The campaign has been deemed successful in 70 countries around the world due to coke’s roots in different cultures and the campaign’s careful and adaptive approach to each culture when it comes to the advertisements that the target audience can relate to. In this campaign, the advertisements displayed the same concept and story structure in different languages and cultures. Each ad has children of a certain cultural background, based on the country of the advertisement, singing about joy and happiness, and the ad highlights different crises and troubles that are happening within the specific country. From the language to the songs to the causes and clips, the campaign has a unified message yet a unique approach to each country they target.

Different social norms and cultural traditions formed different customer segments with particular consumer behavior. The strategy of this campaign is designing different ads to adapt to cultural diversity by analyzing and understanding consumer behavior rather than simply translating the same ad into different languages. That’s the reason why this campaign can succeed worldwide.

Here are some versions of Coca Cola ads in different countries:

Netherland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RhxobpiAYM

Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyT_bYUUG6o

US: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vKDOWAf5M8

Egypt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3s4oLYsM5E

India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqasqRdO7dc

Advertising affects consumer behavior

Consumer behavior can guide advertising, and advertising also have influence on consumer behavior in turn from consumer decision-making process. A successful advertisement can push the consumer decision-making process positively from the following four stages.

Increase awareness

Advertising convey information about brands to consumers. Viewers of ads can learn about the basic information, key attributes, and benefits of products and services. For brands, especially new brands, the information function of ads and the exposure to the products enable customers to increase the awareness to the brand. From the perspective of consumption process, being aware of the brand, then establishing the connection between their needs and the brand are the first one for the following steps. At this stage, advertising strengthen the internal search of customers.

Evaluation of alternatives

After doing internal and external search to the product, customers will weigh benefits with emotions. At the evaluation stage, consumer response is irrational and can lead to impulse buying and competition to obtain the product. So those advertisements that can evoke the emotional resonance of customers enable them to be more likely to choose the products during the comparing with fellow products.

Reminders for purchase decision

Repeated advertising messages affect consumer behavior. This repetition serves as a reminder to the consumer. Behavior that stems from reminders includes suddenly thinking of a product while shopping and making a decision to buy it, as if it had been on the consumer’s "to-do" list. The creative tagline, compelling stories and novel style of advertisements will impress consumers and come to the mind while purchasing.

Postpurchase evaluation

Consumer behavior splits between loyalty and alienation depending on how well the product lives up to its advertised benefits. At this stage, customers will consider and evaluate the product based on their user experience. So to what extent the ads are realistic is of importance. Except for launching advertising campaign, other ways of promotions such including corporate behavior – such as scandals or charity work – can also affect alienation and loyalty responses. Once the consumer makes this choice, advertising and promotion are not likely to undo that decision.

Reference

1.    Role of Consumer Behavior in Advertising

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/role-of-consumer-behaviour-in-advertising.htm

2.   How to Change Consumer Behavior Through Advertising?

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/change-consumer-behavior-through-advertising-11281.html

3.     How Coca Cola adapts to cultural differences when launching a campaign

http://www.academia.edu/12637674/How_Coca_Cola_adapts_to_cultural_differences_when_launching_a_campaign