About the Buyer Behavior

MK363 BUYER BEHAVIOR

Personal Consumption Journal

Paper and Presentation

Paper requirements:

The paper should be formatted to APA standards, be 8-10 pages in length (not including a separate title page and a separate reference page), and use at least five references (beyond the course textbook) for support. The paper is worth 100 points.

Presentation requirements:

The presentation should highlight the main parts of the paper and be 8 – 10 minutes in length. Presentations that are significantly shorter or longer than 8 – 10 minutes will be penalized. PowerPoint slides should be used.

Rough draft of paper due: Week September 26th/Week 6 and is worth 5 points

Personal Consumption Journal paper and presentation due: October 10th/Week 8 and are worth a total of 200 points

The purpose of this assignment is for students to demonstrate an understanding of personal buyer behavior by using analytical skills to explore personal buying trends and personal shopping habits.

This assignment enables students to not only observe and record their own consumption habits, but also to explore the social and psychological factors which may be influencing their (and others’) purchase decisions.

This assignment is designed to be a three-part assignment.

1) The first part requires students to maintain a personal consumption journal.

2) In the second part, each student is to construct a portrait of themselves as a consumer by developing a list of ten products or services that they regularly purchase.

3) The third portion of the assignment is an advertisement analysis. This requires students to selecte two products from their ten-product list and locate advertisements and/or promotions for them. For each advertisement selected, students are required to identify four to six consumer behavior concepts used in the ad, to describe the demographic and psychographic segments to which the ad was targeted and to explain the reasoning for their conclusions. Finally students are asked to assess whether or not they are representative of these segments.

Consumption Journal

Each student is responsible for maintaining a consumption journal that describes the products and/or services which they purchase. The journal will begin during Week 1 and conclude during Week 6. Descriptions include what products and services are purchased, where the items are purchased, why the items are purchased, and what feelings are associated with the purchase. Students should complete a minimum of three entries each week (Weeks 1 – 6). Students should be prepared to report on their entries each week in class as a part of their weekly attendance/participation grade.

Journal entry template:

Date:

Place of purchase:

Item purchased:

Brand name:

Price:

Other description information:

Reason for purchase:

Feelings associated with purchase:

Ten Product List

After keeping the consumption journal until Week 6, students will review their consumption behavior and create a list of ten products or services which they own and/or regularly use. Select only those products and/or services which best portray your personality, values, and lifestyle. This list is required to contain detailed information such as brands, sizes, colors, models, etc. of the products and/or services. The more detail, the easier your future evaluation.

Advertisement Analysis

Once the ten-item product list is complete, each student will select two of the items off the list and locate an advertisement for each of the selected products. The two advertisements will serve as an important part of your final paper. For the paper, the analysis of each advertisement should be broken-down into three sections. First, you will identify between four to six consumer behavior concepts used in the advertisements. Second, you will identify and explain the demographic and psychographic segments to which the ad was designed to appeal. Finally, you will explain whether or not you fit into the identified target market. Be sure to use your book as a reference and tie your observations directly to concepts from our textbook. In addition, you should also include at least four additional resources to support your work.

All three elements (Consumption Journal, Ten-Product List, and Advertisement Analysis) should be included in the final paper and in the final presentation. However, the bulk of your work should be focused on the Advertisement Analysis section. (ps: Nike, Snicker)