Consumer Behavior

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KnowledgePAGE 12

PerceptionPAGE 8

MotivationPAGE 6

BehaviorSelfDECEMBER 2014

Plus Post Decision Process PAGE 14

CULTURE

PAGE 3

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Contents

Culture - Morris Shao ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Motivation - Yeeri Park ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Perception - Michelle Krudop ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Knowledge - Drew Weber ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Post-Purcahse Behavior - Kelly Hsu ...... . .14

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Consumer behavior refers to the behavior of final consumers, individuals and households that buy goods and services for personal consumption (Armstrong). The choices of consumers are im-pacted by various elements in the world and with each other. Some of these factors include the con-sumer culture, their motivations, how they perceive certain products, services, and companies, and the consumer knowledge of their needs and wants. The culture aspect of the consumer behav-ior is a set of basic values and behaviors that are learned by a member of society from family and oth-er important institutions (Armstrong). Disney, Ap-ple, and Coca-Cola are three major companies that have used cultural influences to propel them into the global market. Their clever targeting of markets and effectively using culture influences in advertis-ing is what gets them noticed throughout the world.

Disney Disney is one of the largest companies in the world, and is well known and loved by the youth and younger markets. But in order for Dis-ney to have gathered so much attention, Disney needed to be relevant to all of its markets. Disney was able to adapt to other cultures by introduc-ing specific characters throughout the years that would relate to certain ethnicities and by utiliz-ing advertising that would target specific markets. Disney is well known around the world for their Princesses. Originally, the Disney Princess lineup included Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Belle. These Princesses are ethnically very similar and because of that, they did not relate much with many cultures around the world. For Disney to penetrate other markets and be relevant and attractive to those markets, Disney needed to relate with everybody on a cultural perspective. The introduction of ethnic Princesses such as Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, and more recent-ly Tiana, allowed Disney to adapt and be relevant, not only to American culture, but to Native Amer-ican, Asian, and even Black American cultures. The penetration into these markets through the introduction of the ethnic Princesses was all

Disney needed. The story of each of the new Prin-cesses, although generalized, was a way for Dis-ney to relate on a cultural level with their intend-ed audience. For example, the story of Jasmine, an Arabian-Indian Princess, has strong Middle Eastern and Indian traditions involved in the sto-ry including arranged marriages. The story goes that Jasmine’s father is trying to get Jasmine ar-ranged by finding her the perfect suitor. In fact, the Disney movie Aladdin was an attempt for Disney to be more engaged and relate to the cul-tures of the Middle Eastern and Indian audience. Even in the Disney parks, Disney needed to apply cultural values to adapt to their markets. In 1983, Disney opened Tokyo Disneyland in Ja-pan and applied their American culture of “no al-cohol in the park (Lipp).” This proved to be a mistake of not knowing the Japanese culture. In 1992, Disney opened Disneyland Paris in France, and despite their international experience in the Tokyo project, there were still cultural problems. One problem they faced included under-booked hotel rooms their first year of operations. Doug Lipp, in his article titled “Disney’s Cultural Les-sons,” states that “one argument was that they were over-priced and the French, who usual-ly take vacations of a month in duration, simply couldn’t afford to stay in a Disney hotel.” And in 2005, Disney opened Hong Kong Disneyland in which Disney hired a Feng Shui expert to ensure the park layout was culturally appropriate (Lipp).

Culture

Culture - Morris Shao

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From Tokyo Disneyland, to Disneyland Paris, and to Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney was able to learn from past experiences and be successful in those markets by adapting to the local culture values.

Apple Apple is another global brand that is instant-ly recognizable to many people around the world. From its sleek designed products, to its loyal fan-base, Apple has built an empire that has convinced consumers that their products are top-tier gadgets. Apple is also unique because they have built their own culture and values that center around their product offering. However, Apple cannot neglect the fact of adapting to other cultures around the world in order for them to stay on top of the market.Apple is unique compared to many companies because of their ability to create a culture that in-fluences the consumers. Buying an Apple prod-uct does not simply mean buying a new laptop or smartphone, what Apple created in the minds of consumers is buying into a culture drivenby ex-cellence. When consumers buy an Apple product, they are buying into an elite club, consumers are buying into the Apple idea and value of “Think different.” Apple was able to create their own cul-ture, package that idea with their products, and sell the total package to the consumer. Because of this, Apple consumers feel more included into the Ap-ple company culture. Martin Linstrom, the author of Buyology, says “Without its core communities, Apple would die - it is already facing strong pres-sure as the brand simply is becoming too broad... What’s holding it all together is the hundreds if not thousands of communities across the world spreading the passion and creating the myths.” Although Apple has a history of success with selling its culture and products, Apple would be foolish if it neglected to adapt to other cul-ture markets. In emerging markets like India and China, smart phones are being offered as low as $100, which are proving to be a huge competitor for Apple’s $500 smart phones (Langeland). For-mer Chief Executive Officer of Apple, John Scul-ley said in an interview on January of 2014, “Ap-ple needs to adapt to a very different world... As we go from $500 smart phones to even as low, for some companies, as $100 for a smart phone,

you’ve got to dramatically rethink the supply chain and how you can make these products and do it profitably.” Apple has already put their foot through these emerging markets with their iPhone 5C last year. They have also released an ad-vert that is targeting cultures all over the world. In order for Apple to continue to compete in these markets, Apple needs to adapt the cultur-al needs of these emerging markets and offer a com-petitive smartphone while still being profitable.

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, like Apple, has created its own culture that it is selling and advertising to many plac-es around the world. The “Share a Coke” campaign, for example, is an ongoing strategy that allows many cultures around the world to be a part of Coca-Co-la’s culture. Coca-Cola has also embraced cultur-al differences since 1971 and has remained very open-minded when dealing with different cultures. The “Share a Coke” campaign is Coke’s way of introducing its culture to the world. This campaign features popular names on Coke cans which encourag-es people to purchase these cans and give them to their friends. Coca-Cola has implemented this campaign throughout the world very effectively by adapting to local cultures. For example, in South Korea, Coke uti-lizes one of the country’s biggest culture movements within the younger generations, Korean popular mu-sic or better known as K-pop (Madden). K-pop is a cultural mania that incorporates singing, dancing, and general group interaction. By integrating Coca-Cola’s value of “Share a Coke” with South Korean culture of K-pop, Coke was able to attract many of the younger audience and be successful in the South Korean market. In 1971, Coca-Cola introduced to the world their view on how Coke can unite the world with happiness.

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Coke had produced a commercial to unite all ethnici-ties and culture. The commercial was conceptualized by Bill Backer and featured people of all race, col-or, class, and creed (Chang). Backer was struck by the notion that Coke was “a tiny bit of commonality between all peoples, a universally like formula that would help to keep company for a few minutes.” More recently, in February of 2014, Coke released another commercial that fea-tured a mix of cultures and ethnicities. Being able to adapt to local cultures is an im-portant aspect for success in a global business. For

companies like Disney, Apple, and Coca-Cola, adapting to local cultures meant infusing cul-tural ideas and values into their total product offering. By doing so, these companies have achieved much success through emerging mar-kets and has solidified themselves as leaders in their industry. Knowing the local culture not only guarantees a higher chance of success but it also builds a closer connection with the consumers within that culture. Helping consumers make these connections with their brands is essential and that is why cultural awareness is important.

Culture

Bibliography - Culture

Armstrong, Gary, and Philip Kotler. “Understanding Consumer and Business Buyer Behavior.” Marketing: An Introduction. 12th ed. One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458: Pearson Education, 2013. 133-49. Print.

Langeland, Terje, and Susan Li. “Apple Needs to Adapt to Emerging-Market Growth, Sculley Says.” Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

Lipp, Doug. “Disney’s Cultural Lessons From: Tokyo, Paris & Hong Kong Disneyland.” BLOG DOUG LIPP The Art of Customer Service Leadership and Change RSS. N.p., 02 Aug. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

Lisa. It’s a Princess World. Digital Image. Left Coast Cowboys. 1 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.

Madden, Normandy. “Coke Takes Marketing Cues From South Korea’s Popular Culture | Special: Women to Watch China 2014 - Advertising Age.” Advertising Age Special Report Women to Watch China RSS. Advertising Age, 8 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

Official Coca-Cola. “Big Game” Commercial 2014 - America Is Beautiful. Coca-Cola, 2014. Web. 2 Dec 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=443Vy3I0gJs>.

Project Rebrief. Coca-Cola, 1971 - ‘Hilltop’ | “I’d like to buy the world a Coke”, 2012, Web. 2 Dec 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VM2eLhvsSM>.

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Motivation - Yeeri Park

Motivation in advertising is one of the best strategies to target possible future customers and to market products. According to the dictio-nary, the word “motivation” means: “the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a par-ticular way; the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.” Motivation is exactly what the companies need from people to buy their products. To motivate and entice future custom-ers, the company needs to understand what the customers need, want and demand. Understand-ing those three major components in advertising will motivate people to seek your product and will possibly give the company a long-term sell-er-buyer relationship with their consumers, which is the ultimate goal in business. Needs: “states of felt deprivation”, so “needs” would fall under biogenic, the basic international needs, like water, warmth, shelter and clothing. Wants is more cus-tomized depending on one’s characteristics. For example, to live we NEED water but when we are thirsty, we WANT soda, juice and etc. Demands: are WANTS backed by consumers’ buying pow-er. Let’s say you WANT a bottle of champagne. When you have $10, you can DEMAND Andre Champagne which is listed at $3.99 at Bevmo. When you have $200, you can DEMAND a bottle of Dom Perignon which is $146.99 also at Bev-mo. Once a company has learned their consumers’ wants, needs and demands, it is easier to market the right products to the right consumers. That is why companies strive to understand and learn the needs, wants and demands of consumers.

Disney Disneyland’s tagline/slogan: “The Hap-piest Place on Earth” and the slogan for Disney World: “Where Dreams Come True” are both good motivators themselves. When you hear those slogans you would think Disney = the hap-piest place where dreams come true. They’re targeting both adults and children, because be-ing at Dinseyland/World and or just seeing the famous Disney characters, Mickey and Minnie Mouse would bring back the good ole’ childhood

memories. Disney targets the WANTS of children and targets consumers (the parents) DEMANDS. Disney also targets romantic getaways for couples (the fire-work show at nighttime really does it) and also using the ultimate Disney couple characters, Mickey and Minnie too. They have couple products that moti-vate couples to purchase to promote their proud title as a boyfriend/girlfriend. “Disney happy is the most happy you can be. It’s at the top of the happy scale right above eating cheesecake in a hot tub” (Fletch-er). Disney is all about YOUR happiness, who doesn’t want to be happy? Happiness is what they promote, to motivate their consumers. “Whatever form it might take, enjoy the magic! Remember, Disneyland is all about you” (Mon). You really feel like it’s all about your happiness when you are at Disneyland. Disney’s motivation is to make people and children happy and their consumers are easily motivated to trade their hard earned money for happiness that Disney brings.

Apple Everyone knows Apple pushes simplicity in all their products and takes pride in their simple but yet stylish electronics. Apple has a huge field of con-sumers. Males and females in all ages because almost all their products can be used by them. iTunes is the biggest music market since nobody really buys CD’s anymore. iTunes carries all genres so it targets almost everyone. It’s the music that their consumers WANT and DEMAND but the songs, the product themselves are not made by Apple. Apple very quickly learned what the three very important components in business: the NEEDS, WANTS, and DEMANDS of their con-

dizdude.com

Motivation

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Motivation

sumers’ very soon after creating their super famous MP3 player, iPod. Their simple product designs mo-tivate consumers to purchase Apple products over other brand products even if their technical features

are about the same. A designer from Apple once said, “Simplicity is not the absence of clutter, that’s a con-sequence of simplicity. Simplicity is somehow essen-tially describing the purpose and place of an object and product. The absence of clutter is just a clut-ter-free product. That’s not simple” (Ive). Although their product designs are simple, it’s not simple to cre-ate such simple designs that aren’t just “clutter free”.

Coca-Cola The internationally famous cola brand, Co-ca-Cola, is one of the best known soda companies in the world. Cola has been the go-to soda when it comes to carbonated drinks because it was intro-duced in 1886 where not many flavored sodas were available. It’s been around for so long that people are vulnerably used to the taste of the cola soda so most people are already motivated to get Coke over other flavored sodas. The consumers of Coca-Cola do not really even need that much of a push, the motivation from the company for them to spend money on their product. Why? Because Coca-Cola has locked in the American culture so deep due to its long history of existence and the affordable price makes it available to all social classes. “What’s great about this coun-try is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Co-ca-Cola, and you can know that the President drinks Coke. Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too.” (Warhol). The reasons why a lot of people are motivated to purchase Coca-Co-

la over other “fighter ” cola brands like Pepsi is because Coca-Cola has earned the trust of the con-sumers resulting in a long term seller-buyer rela-tionship with the consumers from its long history of existence and the very friendly price of the product. There are two different perspectives on motiva-tion in sales business, one is from the company’s perspective: how they motivate their consumers and from the consumer’s perspective, it would be what motivates them to spend money on a spe-cific brand over other “fighters” and the rest of the brands. If money is the hardest thing to get from consumers, motivation is the second hardest to get, since that is what triggers people to buy.

images.apple.comBibliography - Motivation

Andre Champagne Price. “Andre Champagne”. Bevmo. com. Web. <http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductList. aspx/_/D-andre%20champagne/N-/Ntt-andre%20 champagne?DNID=Home&Dx=mode%2Bmatchany& fromsearch=true&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchany>.

Coca Cola History. “About Us Coca Cola History”. WorldOfCo caCola.com. <http://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/about-us/ coca-cola-history/>.

Dom Perignon Champagne Price. “Dom Perignon”. Bevmo.com. Web. <http://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDe tail.aspx/Wine/Champagne-Sparkling/Champagne/ Moet-Chandon/Dom-Perignon-04/41637>.

Fletcher, Tom. “Quotes about Disney”. GoodReads.com. Web. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/disney>.

Ive, Jonathan. “Jonathan Ive Quotes”. BrainyQuote.com. Web. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jona thaniv444174.html>.

Mon, Leslie Le. “The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014 - DCA: One Local’s Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Place on Earth”. GoodRead.com. Web. < http://www.goodreads.com/work/ quotes/27940376-the-disneyland-book-of-secrets-2014--- dca-one-local-s-unauthorized-rap>.

Warhol, Andy. “Quotes about Coca Cola”. BrainyQuote.com. Web. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/coca-cola. html#dEpClwm0qxqsZuFR.99>.

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One of the most important as-pects of advertising is how consumers perceive a brand. If consumers dislike a brand for their style of advertising, they will be less likely to buy it. The perception of brands is related to the image companies portray in their ad-vertisements. Brand image is a ma-jor decision factor when purchasing a product. “Consumer perception is how individuals form opinions about com-panies and the merchandise they of-fer through the purchases they make” (Blank). People tend to prefer products from companies that are relatable on an emotional side, are popular in culture, or have a historic or traditional aspect such as, Disney, Apple, and Coca-Co-la. These three companies have large followings of very loyal customers.

Disney Disney attracts customers by playing on emotions and bringing forth memories of childhood. For decades Disney has been making movies that inspire audiences and bring people a sense of joy. Disney takes the memo-ries people link to the brand and bring it into their theme parks to attract cus-tomers. One current marketing cam-paign of Disney’s is “Show Your Dis-ney Side.” Their website DisneySide.com states: “What’s your Disney Side? It’s the side you simply can’t wait to share. It’s the side of you that laughs more, screams more, and just plain lives life to the fullest. It’s the side of you that comes out to play the moment you and your family step through the gates of a Disney theme park.” People can “share their “Disney Side” on so-cial media platforms using the hashtag

Perception - Michelle Krudop

#DisneySide” (Ford). This cam-paign makes it interactional wheth-er you can make it to the parks or not. Fans love to be continually involved, and with the social me-dia craze, this is attractive to any-one who loves to share photos. In an online study that measures the consumer percep-tion of 150 of the largest compa-nies, Disney came in at number one. Compared to Time Warner and Google, “Walt Disney outper-formed across all dimensions of reputation” (Smith). A spokesper-son for the company says: “As one of the world’s best known compa-nies, we continually strive to earn the respect of our consumers. A great reputation is a reflection of the quality and integrity of a com-pany’s people and products and we are extremely proud of both.” (Smith). Disney makes sure to fo-cus on their world-class entertain-ment experiences and storytelling. Consumers absolutely love Dis-ney for their storytelling; they go crazy for anything they can get their hands on based on the latest story such as the movie Frozen.

Frozen is “a global phe-nomenon that has truly exceeded expectations on every level,” Dis-ney spokeswoman Margita Thomp-son said (Rieti). The demand for all things frozen led to a shortage of products, but a shortage is not all that bad. While it does cause some frustration it also “enhanc-es the perception of value” which drives demand. “Frozen, owing to

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its media dominance has made it into homes and onto repeat. Kids sing the songs and aspire to be like the characters at the heart of the movie” (Rieti). Every-one has fallen for the film, girls, teens, parents alike, which is good news for marketers. “Disney is very good at producing marketer’s dreams,” Kates said (Rieti). Fans love the Disney brand. It is a magical

and heartwarming brand that helps consumers escape reality through movies, music, and vacations. They have a massive following of passionate fans due to the quality experience they offer in all their prod-ucts. “Our commitment to be among the most ad-mired companies in the world guides our actions as a company and our efforts to promote the happiness and well-being of kids and families” (Momdjian).

Apple Apple uses their established brand image to attract their customers. They catch consumers’ eyes with their perfected design and packaging. “Apple products have always been designed to be different, delightful and friendly. Every touch point conveys a modern, minimalistic brand image from the product design itself to its packaging to the Apple store where you can buy it. Go into an Apple store and you’ll find the same design aesthetic and brand personali-ty as you’ll find in the gadget in your hand. Many customers are so wowed by Apple’s beautiful pack-aging that they don’t throw it away” (Kaputa). It has become quite common to not throw away the prod-uct packaging, as there is even a resale value to the

packaging online. In addition to the products and their packaging, the stores themselves are clean and seamless, which is very inviting to customers. From all this Apple has created an extremely large fan following that is devoted to them. Apple has established their own “brand culture that has at-tracted a passionate brand community of followers

who identify with the brand’s innovativeness, sim-plicity, and coolness. They are fans who must have the latest gadget right when it comes out, even if it means waiting in line for hours” (fastcompany). What also helped Apple obtain a large fol-lowing is their customer service. They make it ex-tremely easy to obtain help if you reach a problem with your device. All the employees are extremely eager to help you, giving a friendly customer experi-ence. This instant service is extremely appealing to consumers. Being able to know help is always there is a great selling point. This helps the brand image immensely. One of their more famous advertising campaigns was their “dancing silhouettes” show-casing the iPod between 2003 and 2008. “The ads proved to be one of the most effective marketing campaigns of the early 21st century. The dancing iPod silhouettes permeated the culture of their day

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and left their mark on the advertising industry. The ads were particularly notable for the evocative effect they had on culture, fashion, and “hipness.” The distinc-tive marketing art used in these ads also helped Apple to sell tens of millions of iPods and also billions of songs through Apple’s iTunes music store” (Doyle).

Coca-Cola Everyone at some point has seen a Coca-Co-la advertisement, whether it’s a television commer-cial, a print ad, or a billboard. Coca-Cola has been around since 1886 and they have consistently being making lasting impressions on consumers through their “campaigns, marketing platforms, and identi-ty elements” (Stengel). Consumers are attracted to a company that has been around for years. It shows that the company is stable and portrays them as reliable. “No brand is more “branded” than Coke. It has built a robust portfolio of assets—the color red, its propri-etary bottle shape, its logotype, the polar bears—and it manages them with urgent attention and careful de-liberation, building their value over time. Their logo script has remained virtually unchanged since” the

beginning (Stengel). Coca-Cola paints these fantasy worlds of joy and wonder during the holidays. “With each annual holiday ad campaign, Coca-Cola built a connection to their audience with some-thing that hit home thereby making their product one that was bought and taken home. To this day, when many see San-ta drinking a Coke in a magazine or on

the side of a delivery truck or on a can, they know the holidays are here” (Rolek). A current campaign, “known internally as “Project Connect,” based on its ambition to both strengthen the brand’s bond with Australia’s young

Perception

adults and inspire shared moments of happiness in the real and virtual worlds, became known as “Share a Coke.” The first-of-its-kind campaign celebrated the power of the first name in a play-ful, social way by swapping out Coke branding on bottles and cans with the 150 most popular moni-kers in Australia” (Moye). The campaign quickly spread to other countries, most recently the United States. One of the “Share a Coke” architects, Jer-emy Rudge said, “celeb-rities were picking up the bottles and talking about them without any formal connection to us. Social media chatter and media coverage blew up. Goo-gle search rocketed. The overwhelming demand for the personalized cans sur-prised us. Another surprise was that people were buy-ing Cokes to show peo-ple they cared for that they missed them… from soldiers overseas in Afghanistan, to loved ones in hospital, to long-lost friends. We hadn’t really anticipated the packs being used in this emotion-ally powerful way. It was an example of how the public took the idea and shaped it themselves” (Moye). For a product to become emotionally en-gaging leaves a lasting impression on consumers.

These three companies make a large impact on consumers’ lives; whether they are aware of it or not. Disney influences consumers to purchase their products and services through their use of emotions. Apple has established an extremely well known brand image, and Coca-Cola has been well known for many years and continues to bring joy to customers through their heartwarming holiday commercials. Consumers continue to take in all in-formation about companies to help them decide if that company provides a product worth purchasing, and companies will continue to present themselves as best they can in order to attract these customers.

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Bibliography - Perception

Animation Source. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.animationsource.org/sites_content/la_reine_des_neiges/ img_site/Disney-Frozen-Poster%20(1).jpg>.

Blank, Chris. “Consumer Perception Theory.” Small Business. Houston Chronicle. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/consumer-perception-theory-40176.html>.

Coloribus. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://files1.coloribus.com/files/adsarchive/part_1767/17672255/file/apple-ip hone-packaging-600-27182.jpg>.

Disney Side. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://rebloggy.com/post/disney-disneyside-show-your-dis ney-side/65714680220>.

Doyle, Jack. “The IPod Silhouettes: 2000-2011.” PopHistoryDig.com. 9 Dec. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/u2-ipod-ad/>.

EVP. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://pesamal.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/santa-enjoys-a-coke.jpg>.

Ford, Kristin. “A Mom and The Magic.” Show Your Disney Side with New Disney Parks Promotion. 18 Jan. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://land.allears.net/blogs/kristin-ford/2014/01/_xxxx_follow_ kristin_b_ford_fu.html>.

Kaputa, Catherine. “5 Marketing Tools Apple Exploits To Build The Hype.” Fast Company. 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.fastcompany.com/3001650/5-marketing-tools-apple-ex ploits-build-hype>.

Light Boson. Web. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://blog.lightboson.com/little-miss-lia-la-nina-que-se-convirtio-en- marca/>.

Momdjian, Cynthia. “Disney Named World’s Most Reputable Company | Official Disney Blog.” The Walt Disney Company. 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/ blog/disney-named-worlds-most-reputable-company>.

Moye, Jay. “Share a Coke: How the Groundbreaking Campaign Got Its Start ‘Down Under’”The Co ca-Cola Company. 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.coca-colacompany.com/sto ries/share-a-coke-how-the-groundbreaking-campaign-got-its-start-down-under>.

Rieti, John. “Disney Races to Restock Frozen Merchandise - CBC News - Latest Canada, World, En tertainment and Business News.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/disney-races-to-restock-frozen-merchandise-1.2621483>.

Rolek, Erin. “How Coca-Cola Became a Holiday Brand and Shaped the Image of Santa Claus.” The Brandisty Blog. Brandisty. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://blog.brandisty.com/brand-manage ment-blog/how-coca-cola-became-a-holiday-brand/>.

Stengel, Jim. “10 Things Every Brand Can Learn From Coke.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimstengel/2013/12/12/10-things-every- brand-can-learn-from-coke/>.

Smith, Jacquelyn. “America’s Most Reputable Companies.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/04/24/ameri cas-most-reputable-companies-2/>.

The Drum Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://www.thedrum.com/uploads/styles/creative_review_large/public/cre ative_review/141118/cr_images/personal_0.jpg?itok=MIsCr1du>.

Perception

Knowledge is Power When it comes to the decision process of a consumer, there are many factors that dictate which product a person will choose to purchase. These fac-tors include perception, motivation, and culture, as well as the one that will be discussed in this article: knowledge. Knowledge is a critical characteristic of consumer behavior, as it can single handedly de-termine which product, if any, will be bought. It is known to be a very complex portion of the consum-er’s psychology. However, businesses have attempt-ed to utilize this factor to their advantage since the birth of the ‘reason why’ advertisement in the 1900’s- where pitchmen explain and demonstrate many of the reasons why the product would benefit the consum-er’s life. Since then, mass media and advertisements have evolved with history and have brought a new di-mension to consumer behavior related to knowledge. Not only do they have the company’s evaluation of a product, but they also have access to opinions from around the world. Review sites, such as Yelp, and ratings sections on online shopping pages give buy-ers more knowledge about an item by allowing them to read about the experience users have had with it. This is where a product’s faults generally come to light. From the perspective of a manufacturer, one has to insure the product is the best it can be, because any loose ends have the potential to be spread to the masses. The buyers may know, and they may not buy. Before delving into successful companies uti-lize consumer knowledge to promote their products, it is important to first understand how potential buy-ers process information given to them and take note on how they weigh certain product traits. First of all, how much knowledge consumers process when viewing a new product varies based on their previous experience. According to a study conducted in the 1980’s, buyers with more knowledge of the general item will assess the product based on the brand mak-ing it, while those with less knowledge will look at the attributes of the good itself (Bettman and Park). In another analysis of consumer behavior, it was not-ed that information is processed in a particular order. Consumers tend to first use their internal informa-tion- their prior experiences- to make an assumption of the item. For everyday items, such as cookies or movie tickets, this is sufficient material for the buyer to make a decision on whether or not to purchase the

product. However, if the item has a high price tag, like a car, they will then reach out for external infor-mation. They may ask family and friends for their opinions, look at review websites, or ask more ques-tions to the person selling them the good. Only then will they make the choice to purchase or not (Perreau). Now, it is time to look at some real-life exam-ples of how the juggernauts Disney, Apple, and Coca Cola use consumer knowledge to benefit their agenda.

Disney Since the birth of Disneyland in the 1950’s, Disney has been one of the most successful brands in the world. They produce everything from iconic films to exciting theme parks to adorable children’s toys, and have a reputation for producing fun for the entire family. Due to Disney’s past reputation for releasing high quality items that cater to the majority of age groups, customers feel that they know they will be satisfied with any transaction they make involving the corporation. But sometimes the buyers’ knowledge affects their decision too much. Because of the way people process information on low dollar items made by familiar companies, they may unintentionally over-look some of the traits that contradict the business’s norm. For example, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbe-an movies were all rated PG-13 for “Action/Adven-ture Violence” (“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse

of the Black Pearl.”). However, despite possi-bly being unsuitable for children age twelve and under, the films attracted many young viewers to the point where Disney was able to sell numer-ous childrens’ products based on the movie, such as a Lego-themed video game (“Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Vid-eo Game.”). There are

two plausible situations that may have occurred: ei-ther parents did not watch the previews carefully and assumed the film was not rated PG-13, or they felt that a PG-13 movie by Disney would not be detrimental for children. No matter the scenario, it still demon-strates how audiences rely on their prior knowledge of

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Knowledge - Drew Weber

Knowledge

a well-known company to make purchasing decisions, even though they may be misleading themselves.

Apple Like Disney, Apple has been one of the top brands in existence as of late, especially after the re-lease of the iPod and iPhone in the first decade of 2000. However, unlike Disney, the technology company has a number of rivals in the field that are taking up a decent portion of the market. The industry is more of an oligopoly than a monopoly. To compete in the market, Apple ran a famous series of advertisements that compared their Macintosh comput-ers to PC computers(Top 10 Funniest “Get a Mac” Ads). This campaign did two things. First, it gave the viewers information about the Macintosh computer by referencing some of its features and its ease of use. But in addition to that, it also gave the audi-ence negative information about PC computers, es-sentially making it double as an attack ad. All me-dia ethics aside, surveys have shown that attack advertisements are effective in the political field, which means they have the potential to be successful in a different industry as well (Survey Shows). The ads received much attention from the public, as the side-by-side personified comparison was able to com-ically release positive feedback about their product and negative feedback of their rivals simultaneous-ly. It gave the information, and made viewers laugh.

Coca-Cola After the word ‘hello’, Coca-Cola is the sec-ond most recognized word phroase in the world. That sort of publicity is an accolade of their success, but it may also be a large reason on why they are still a successful brand, despite the competition from Pepsi.

While both soda brands sell and advertise their drinks internationally, it is possible that a non-English speak-

ing market would favor Coke because of their famil-iarity with the brand name. They may feel more com-fortable with it since it is something they have been exposed to more frequently. While they may not be able to tell the difference between the taste of a Pepsi soda and a Coke drink, they may believe that they have more information about Coca-Cola. Whether or not they actually do is debatable, but never-the-less, the familiarity with a name has the potential to trick peo-ple into believing they know more about one product over another. In a competitive market, that could be enough to put one business ahead of all of the others.

The above three brands, Disney, Apple, and Coca Cola, have all had consumer knowledge play a roll in their success. In some cases, it assists an already powerful corporation, while in others it gives a com-pany a slight competitive edge against its competitors. Consumer knowledge is just one part of consumer be-havior, but it has the power to make or prevent a pur-chase. This is why companies, no matter the size or com-petition, must utilize it to become and stay successful.

Bibliography - Knowledge

Bettman, James R., and Whan C. Park. “Effects of Prior Knowl edge and Experience and Phase of the Choice Process on Consumer Decision Processes: A Protocol Analysis.” Journal of Consumer Research 7.3 (1980): 234-48. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. https://faculty.fuqua.duke.edu/~jrb12/bio/ Jim/24.pdf

“Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game.” Pirates Lego Game. Disney, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014. http://www.disney. co.uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean/shop/video-game/lego_pi rates_360.jsp

“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014. http://www.imdb. com/title/tt0325980/

Perreau, Fanny. “The Consumer FactorConsumer Insights, Market Research, Consumer Behavior & Neuromarketing.” The Con sumer Factor. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. http://thecon sumerfactor.com/en/5-stages-consumer-buying-decision-pro cess/

Top 10 Funniest “Get a Mac” Ads. YouTube. N.p., 18 May 2014. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Yt 30wrbl4>.

Wikipedia. “Coca-Cola logo.svg.” Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://com mons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coca-Cola_logo.svg.?

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Knowledge

Post-purchase behavior is often times ignored by retailers, however, it’s considered the most crucial part of a consumer’s purchase cycle. It’s the time when customers evaluate if the prod-uct or service has met their expectation and if the company’s after purchase customer service will re-sult in the customer’s brand loyalty or good feed-back on word-of-mouth. From McKinsey & Com-pany website, the positive post-purchase experience has made consumers loyal to them and positive word-of-mouth increased their chance from the ini-tial purchasing consideration.

The post-purchase behavior includes steps of pro-cess that transit to brand loyalty. The process is from post-purchase dissonance, usage, evaluation, and to satisfaction. The post purchase dissonance often time involves with consumers having doubts after the pur-chase as they are not sure if they have made the right decision. It’s a phase for consumers to justify if they have made the right decision. After confirming the decision, the consumers will begin the usage of the products or services. This is one of most important steps in post-purchase behavior as is when consumer diagnoses if the products or services have met their expectation. Often times a great advertisement can only support on good branding images, however, it’s the company’s products and service level to keep the purchase cycle going going (O’Connor). After the usage, then it is evaluations. This is closely con-

nected with usages, as its direct response right after the usage on the products or services. The final step will be satisfaction. This is the step where consumers posting re-views on the products website, recommending to friends and family, or make a complaint to the corporations.

The importance of focusing on post-purchase behav-ior is successfully demonstrated by big corporations. They understand the importance of returning customers and the power of word-of-mouth. Disney, Apple, and Coca-Cola are considered as some of most powerful corporations because of the considerate customer ser-vice after purchase, which shows how much they care about the post-purchase behavior of their consumers.

Disney To ensure the moment you and your family leave with happiness, the Walt Disney Corporation makes sure the vacation you booked will leave no confusion or frus-tration for your family. From Harvard Business Reviews website, “To keep your customers, keep it simple”, the article indicated the particular ways on how Disney

Cartoon image from Calvin and Hobbes

Image from coolconversationslive.com

Image from allthingsd.com

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Post-Purcahse Behavior - Kelly Hsu

Post-Purchase Behavior

World has gone above and beyond for the cus-tomer (Spenner). In the Disney Parks Moms Pan-el, Disney has a selective panel of veteran moms answering others that may be having trouble planning their vacation. As of recently, a ques-tion arose of a mother who wanted good viewing for a parade. In response to this, a veteran mom provided tips and tricks for this potential cus-tomer. To prove that this mother has experience with Disney, the website has a separate section on the website for the customers to view a pro-file of the mother (Spenner). To make sure your customers are happy with the products and ser-vices, “build cadres of trustworthy advisers rath-er than simply developing recommenders who will push the brand” (Spenner). This is all for just

one process. It’s the satisfaction process from post-purchase behaviors that shows that Disney has done a fine job on making sure that posi-tive satisfactions are guaranteed on every visit.

Apple From desktop computers to cell phones, anything a person needs to connect to the Inter-net is in an all-in-one store. It is very important for the company to focus on the process of usage and evaluation within post-purchase behavior. For all Apple users, once they have purchased an iPhone, they will automatically purchase all the related products they can get. From Apple Insid-er article, Senior Vice President of Industrial De-sign Sir Jonathan Ive, provided the inside view of Apple’s philosophy when designing a new prod-uct (Apple Insider). “Jobs was successful in turn-ing Apple around where other had failed because his approach focused on the products rather than

finances,” Ive stated. A good product will guarantee a great percentage of loyal customers. These are not only the processes Apple focused on. To win over custom-ers, Apple also focused on the after purchase customer

service. To clean up your computer, it requires a fee for all Microsoft users, but for Mac users; it only takes them a step into Apple store to fix any problem they have with their Apple products. Keeping efficiency reduces the headaches from customers and is one of the keys to successful customer satisfaction. “Who do you contact when you have a problem with a Windows computer, Microsoft or the hardware manufacturer? It can be confusing, and each party can be quick to point the finger at the other” stated John Moltz (Moltz).

Coca-Cola One of the important aspects of Coca-Cola is that they have kept their originality as well as the variety of flavors you can choose from the company. As for keeping the original flavor, Coca-Cola kept the coke glass bottle with real cane sugar. This gives customers choices when they want to buy back their childhood memories of drinking out of the glass bottle. It not just that originality matters, Coca-Cola also make sure all movie theaters, work places, or shopping centers can provide enough variety for cus-tomers to choose from. One of the success stories to ensure customers have enough product choice is im-plementing a 100+ Coca-Cola vending machine into all AMC theaters (AMC Theaters). If the customers prefer lemonade, then they can choose Minutes Maid, but if they want water, they have the option of Dasani. Coca-Cola also handles all delivery of their products, as well as maintenance of their machines.

Image from Disney World Mom Panel Website

Image from www.patentlyapple.com

Post-Purchase Behavior

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Companies that have a great impact and dominate their own industry are there for a reason. Disney, Apple, and Coca-Cola went above and beyond to perform the best customer service. The customer will never experience being forgotten after the purchase and will never feel their ques-

Image from www.amctheatres.com

Post-Purchase Behavior

tion is being unanswered. By doing the extra steps of ensuring the happiness of customers, these companies have successfully maintained a huge number of loyal customers and will continue to draw new customers into trusting the brand.

Bibliography - Post-Purchase Behavior

David Court, Dave Elzinga, Susan Mulder, and Ole Jørgen Vetvik, “The consumer decision journey”, McKinsey & Company, Web. June. 2009 <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales/the_consumer_de cision_journey>.

O’Connor , Shawn P. “Word of Mouth Is the Best Ad”, Bloomberg Businessweek , Web. January 2012 <http:// www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2011/12/word_of_mouth_is_the_best_ad.html>.

Spenner, Patrick, Karen Freeman, “To Keep Your Customers, Keep It Simple”, Harvard Business Reviews, Web. May. 2012 <https://hbr.org/2012/05/to-keep-your-customers-keep-it-simple/>.

Apple Insider staff, “Apple focuses on quality products not money, says designer Jonathan Ive”, Apple Insider, Web. July 2012 <http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/07/30/apple_focuses_quality_products_not_mon ey_says_designer_jonathan_ive>.

Moltz, John “All in one: Owning the experience is key to Apple’s customer satisfaction”, Macworld, Web. June 2014 <http://www.macworld.com/article/2364310/all-in-one-owning-the-experience-is-key-to-apples- customer-satisfaction.html>.

AMC Theaters, Web. 2014<https://www.amctheatres.com/corporate/co-stars>

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