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Basics of Marketing - Kotler Philip

search for information

An agitated consumer may or may not be looking for additional information . If the motivation turns out to be strong, and the goods that can satisfy it are easily accessible, the consumer is likely to make a purchase. If not, the need may simply be deposited in his memory. At the same time, a consumer can either stop searching for information, or look for a little more, or engage in active searches.

With a weakly expressed activity, the consumer can simply increase attention. Betty Smith will in this case simply be more receptive to information about cameras. She will pay attention to the advertising of cameras, on cameras of friends, on conversations about cameras.

Or Betty can do an active search for information, which will search for printed materials, call friends and collect information about the goods in some other ways. With what scope it will search, depends on the intensity of the motivation, the amount of information it has, the ease with which it collects additional information, the value that it gives to additional information, and the satisfaction it receives from the search process.

In search of information the consumer can refer to the following sources:

• Personal sources (family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances).

• Commercial sources (advertising, salesmen, dealers, packaging, exhibitions).

• Public sources (mass media, organizations engaged in the study and classification of consumers).

• Sources of empirical experience (touch, study, use of goods).

The relative impact of these sources of information varies depending on the product category and the characteristics of the buyer. Generally speaking, the consumer receives the greatest amount of information about the product from commercial sources, that is, from sources that are strongly influenced by the market activist. But the most effective are personal sources. Each type of source can have a different effect on the decision to purchase. Commercial sources usually inform, personal - legalize information and / or give it an estimate. For example, doctors learn about new medicines from commercial sources, but to evaluate the information they get they turn to their colleagues.

As a result of gathering information, consumers are becoming more aware of the brands on the market and their properties. Prior to the collection of information, Betty knew only a few brands of cameras from the full set of cameras available to the consumer (see the leftmost rectangle in Figure 35). The camera brands she knew were her awareness kit. The newly received information expanded the scope of this kit, and additional information helped to weed out a number of brands from among those considered. The remaining brands, which met its customer criteria, made up a selection package. From this kit, Betty will make his final choice.

Fig. 35. Sequence of kits involved in the purchasing decision process

In a practical sense, the firm should develop such a marketing mix that would introduce its brand both in a set of awareness and in a set of consumer choice. If the brand does not manage to penetrate these kits, the firm will miss the opportunity to sell its product. It is also necessary to find out which other brands are included in the selection package in order to know their competitors and develop the appropriate arguments.

As for the sources of information that consumers use, the market operator must carefully identify them, and then determine their comparative information value. Consumers should first of all ask how they first heard about the brand, what other information is available, what importance is attached to each of the sources of information used. Such information will be crucial in developing effective communication with the target market.