Chapter 5
Chapter 5
A) Brand personality
B) Consumption pioneering
C) Early adoption
D) Consumer buying behavior
E) Understanding the difference between primary and secondary data
3) Economic, technological, and cultural forces are all ________ in the stimulus-response
model of buyer behavior.
A) buyer responses
B) stimuli
C) components of the buyer's decision process
D) buyer characteristics
E) buying attitudes
4) Most large companies research ________ buying decisions to find out what they buy,
where they buy, how and how much they buy, when they buy, and why they buy.
A) market
B) permanent
C) consumer
D) social
E) group
A) belief
B) subculture
C) postpurchase feeling
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D) stimulus-response model
E) postpurchase dissonance
6) Marketing stimuli consist of the four Ps. Which is NOT one of these?
A) product
B) politics
C) price
D) promotion
E) place
7) The marketer wants to understand how the stimuli are changed into responses inside
the consumer's ________, which has two parts. First, the buyer's characteristics influence
how he or she perceives and reacts to the stimuli. Second, the buyer's decision process
itself affects the buyer's behavior.
A) culture
B) black box
C) belief
D) lifestyle
E) social class
8) In the model of buyer behavior, which of the following is NOT a major type of force
or event in the buyer's environment?
A) economic
B) technological
C) political
D) channel
E) cultural
9) ________ is(are) the most basic cause of a person's wants and behavior.
A) Culture
B) Brand personality
C) Cognitive dissonance
D) Societal factors
E) Selective perception
10) Marketers are always trying to spot ________ in order to discover new products that
might be wanted.
A) lifestyles
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B) cultural shifts
C) groups
D) dissonance
E) attitudes
11) Each culture contains smaller ________, or groups of people with shared value
systems based on common life experiences and situations.
A) alternative evaluations
B) cognitive dissonances
C) subcultures
D) motives
E) attitudes
A) Hispanics
B) African Americans
C) mature consumers
D) opinion leaders
E) Asian Americans
13) This group of consumers tends to buy more branded, higher-quality products. and to
make shopping a family event, with children having a big say in the purchase decision. In
general, they are very brand loyal, and they favor companies who show special interest in
them.
A) Hispanic
B) African American
C) Asian
D) mature
E) gay and lesbian
14) ________, the fastest-growing U.S. demographic segment, now number more than 45
million.
A) African Americans
B) Hispanics
C) Asian Americans
D) Mature consumers
E) Gays and lesbians
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15) Although more price-conscious than other segments, ________ consumers tend to be
strongly motivated by quality and selection. Brands are important. They enjoy shopping
and are more fashion conscious than other ethnic groups.
A) Hispanic
B) African American
C) mature
D) Asian
E) baby boomer
16) ________, the most affluent American demographic subculture, now have more than
$450 billion in annual spending power.
A) Hispanics
B) African Americans
C) Asian Americans
D) Gays and lesbians
E) Gen Xers
17) ________ are becoming a very attractive market: they are the ideal market for travel,
restaurants, high-tech home entertainment products, and convenient services
A) Hispanics
B) Asian Americans
C) Mature consumers
D) African Americans
E) Teenagers
19) ________ are society's relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members
share similar values, interests, and behaviors.
A) Social classes
B) Cultures
C) Reference groups
D) Attitudes
E) Lifestyles
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20) What is one way that social class is NOT measured?
A) occupation
B) education
C) income
D) number of children in the family
E) wealth
21) Which of the following statements is true regarding social class in the United States?
A) Social class is determined primarily by income level.
B) Lines between social classes in the United States are fixed and rigid.
C) Social classes show distinct product preferences in clothing and automobiles.
D) Wealth is more critical than education level in measuring social class.
E) People are relegated to a permanent class layer in the United States.
22) ________ are groups to which an individual wishes to belong, as when a teenaged
basketball player hopes to play someday for the Los Angeles Lakers.
A) Membership groups
B) Aspirational groups
C) Leading adopter groups
D) Leisure groups
E) Social class groups
23) ________ are people within a reference group who, because of special skills,
knowledge, personality, or other characteristics, exert influence on others.
A) Opinion leaders
B) Habitual buyers
C) Social networkers
D) Stealth marketers
E) Buzz marketers
A) the influentials
B) the upper uppers
C) the middle class
D) buzz marketers
E) networkers
25) Many companies, such as JetBlue and Sony, enlist everyday consumers who are
enthusiastic about their brands to become ________ , brand ambassadors who share their
passion for a company's products with large circles of friends and acquaintances in return
for insider knowledge and other rewards.
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A) leading adopters
B) brand evangelists
C) direct marketers
D) direct sellers
E) influencers
A) opinion leading
B) traditional marketing
C) buzz marketing
D) direct marketing
E) values marketing
A) buzz marketing
B) opinion leaders
C) social networks
D) early adopters
E) word-of-mouth marketing
28) Which of the following best explains why a rush of marketers now participate in
established online social networks?
A) Social networking has been proven to be more effective than traditional marketing.
B) Social networks allow companies to have greater control over brand-related content
than other media do.
C) Members of social networking sites are unlikely to tune out personalized advertising
messages.
D) Companies have found their own social networks to be unsuccessful.
E) Consumers are more likely to view to peer-to-peer communication as credible.
29) The ________ is the most important consumer buying organization in society; the
roles and influences of different members have been researched extensively.
A) family
B) social class
C) membership group
D) subculture
E) reference group
Objective: 5-2
30) A ________ consists of the activities people are expected to perform according to the
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persons around them.
A) motive
B) role
C) lifestyle
D) life cycle
E) tradition
31) A buyer's decisions are influenced by ________ such as the buyer's age and life-cycle
stage, occupation, economic situation, lifestyle, and personality and self-concept.
A) personal characteristics
B) reference groups
C) perceptions
D) attitudes
E) psychographics
32) People change the goods and services they buy over time because of the two
changing factors of ________.
A) belief and attitude
B) perception and personality
C) age and life-cycle stage
D) groups and learning
E) family and tradition
A) Personality
B) Culture
C) Lifestyle
D) Motive
E) Social class
35) A customer's lifestyle can be measured by using the AIO dimensions. What does AIO
stand for?
A) Activities, Interests, Opinions
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B) Achievement, Involvement, Organizations
C) Accommodation, Investment, Orientation
D) Acknowledgements, Interests, Observations
E) Adoptions, Interests, Occupations
36) ________ refers to the unique psychological characteristics that lead to relatively
consistent and lasting responses to one's own environment. It is usually described in traits
such as self-confidence, dominance, sociability, autonomy, defensiveness, adaptability,
and aggressiveness.
A) Alternative evaluation
B) Belief
C) Culture
D) Personality
E) Self-awareness
A) brand perception
B) product image
C) brand personality
D) brand concept
E) brand equity
38) Brand personality is a mix of human traits attributed to a brand. Which of the
following is NOT a brand personality trait as discussed in your text?
A) sincerity
B) excitement
C) competence
D) sophistication
E) emotion
39) A person's buying choices are influenced by four major psychological factors. Which
is NOT one of these factors?
A) motivation
B) perception
C) alternative evaluation
D) learning
E) beliefs
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40) A ________ is a need that is sufficiently pressing to direct a person to seek
satisfaction.
A) stimulus
B) perception
C) culture
D) motive
E) tradition
41) Many marketers use the self-concept premise that people's possessions contribute to
and reflect their identities; that is, "we are what we have." Under this premise, consumers
________.
42) According to Freud's theories, people are ________ many of the psychological
forces shaping their behavior.
A) unaware of
B) unsure of
C) aware of
D) status-driven about
E) socially conscious of
43) The term ________ refers to qualitative research designed to probe consumers'
hidden, subconscious motivations.
A) perception analysis
B) opinion leader
C) motivation research
D) need recognition investigation
E) depth research technique
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45) Which of the following is NOT part of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?
A) physiological needs
B) safety needs
C) stimulus needs
D) self-actualization needs
E) social needs
47) ________ is the process by which people select, organize, and interpret information
to form a meaningful picture of the world.
A) Personality
B) Perception
C) Selective grouping
D) Learning
E) Self-actualization
48) People cannot focus on all of the stimuli that surround them each day. A person's
tendency to screen out most of the information to which he or she is exposed is called
________.
A) selective retention
B) selective distortion
C) selective attitude
D) selective attention
E) selective perception
49) People tend to interpret new information in a way that will support what they already
believe. This is called ________.
A) selective retention
B) selective distortion
C) selective attitude
D) selective attention
E) selective perception
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50) People forget much that they learn. They tend to retain information that supports their
attitudes and beliefs. This is called ________.
A) selective attention
B) selective retention
C) selective attitude
D) selective distortion
E) perceptual vigilance
51) Some consumers worry that they will be affected by marketing messages without
even knowing it. They are concerned about ________ advertising.
A) alternative evaluation
B) subliminal
C) perceptual
D) innovative
E) comparative
A) Lifestyle
B) Learning
C) Perception
D) Cognitive dissonance
E) Aggressiveness
53) Learning occurs through the interplay of all of the following EXCEPT ________.
A) drives
B) stimuli
C) cues
D) dissonance behavior
E) reinforcement
54) ________ are subtle stimuli that determine where, when, and how a person responds
to an idea.
A) Cues
B) Drives
C) Messages
D) Personalities
E) Impulses
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55) If a consumer's experience is rewarding, that consumer will probably use the product
more and more. The consumer's response to the product will be ________.
A) an attitude
B) a belief
C) reinforced
D) a dissonant experience
E) motivated
56) Applying ________, marketers can affect demand for a product by associating it with
strong drives, using motivating cues, and providing positive reinforcement.
A) subliminal advertising
B) social classes
C) learning theory
D) need recognition
E) cognitive dissonance
57) A(n) ________ is a descriptive thought that a person has about something.
A) lifestyle
B) motive
C) belief
D) attitude
E) perception
58) A(n) ________ is a person's relatively consistent evaluations, feelings, and tendencies
toward an object or idea.
A) lifestyle
B) motive
C) belief
D) attitude
E) perception
59) A person's attitudes fit into a pattern, and to change one attitude may require difficult
adjustments in many others. Thus, a company should ________ try to fit its products into
existing attitudes rather than attempt to change attitudes.
A) usually
B) not
C) once in a while
D) seldom
E) never
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60) When consumers are highly involved with the purchase of an expensive product and
they perceive significant differences among brands, they most likely will undertake
________.
61) Which of the following typically occurs with habitual buying behavior?
62) When customers have a low involvement in a purchase but perceive significant brand
differences, they will most likely engage in ________.
63) The buyer decision process consists of five stages. Which of the following is NOT
one of these stages?
A) need recognition
B) information search
C) variety-seeking buying behavior
D) purchase decision
E) postpurchase behavior
64) The buying process starts with ________, in which the buyer recognizes a problem.
A) need recognition
B) information search
C) product awareness
D) product interest
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E) alternative evaluation
65) If the consumer's drive is strong and a satisfying product is near at hand, the
consumer is likely to buy it then. If not, the consumer may store the need in memory or
undertake a(n) ________.
A) brand personality
B) alternative evaluation
C) postpurchase behavior
D) information search
E) product adoption
66) The consumer can obtain information from any of several sources. Which of the
following is NOT one of these types of sources?
A) personal
B) commercial
C) attitude
D) public
E) experiential
67) The most effective sources from which consumers obtain information are ________
because they legitimize or evaluate products for the buyer.
A) commercial
B) public
C) experimental
D) personal
E) experiential
68) Marketers describe the way the consumer processes information to arrive at brand
choices as ________.
A) alternative evaluation
B) information search
C) purchase decision
D) situational factors
E) post-purchase dissonance
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69) Generally, the consumer's purchase decision will be to buy the most preferred brand,
but two factors can come between the purchase intention and the purchase decision.
Which of the following is one of these factors?
A) postpurchase behavior
B) attitude of others
C) cognitive dissonance
D) alternative evaluation
E) new product adoption
70) After the purchase of a product, consumers will be either satisfied or dissatisfied and
engage in ________.
A) need recognition
B) alternative evaluation
C) postpurchase behavior
D) product expectations
E) information searches
71) The relationship between the consumer's expectations and the product's ________
determines whether the buyer is satisfied or dissatisfied with a purchase.
A) perceived performance
B) brand personality
C) recognition
D) consumer market
E) service quality
72) Almost all major purchases result in ________, or discomfort caused by postpurchase
conflict.
A) need recognition
B) cognitive dissonance
C) purchase decisions
D) legitimization
E) dissatisfaction
73) Consumers learn about new products for the first time and make the decision to buy
them during the ________.
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D) trial process
E) quality assessment
74) Which of the following is NOT one of the stages that customers go through in the
process of learning about and making decisions about a new product or service?
A) awareness
B) interest
C) evaluation
D) culture
E) trial
A) alternative evaluations
B) dissonance-reducing buying behaviors
C) product characteristics that influence rate of adoption
D) individual differences in innovation
E) postpurchase behaviors
76) Generation Xers, who were born between 1965 and 1976, share the childhood
experiences of higher parental divorce rates, recession, and corporate downsizing. They
tend to care about the environment and value experience over acquisition. Generation
Xers make up a ________.
A) subculture
B) social class
C) social network
D) life-cycle stage
E) lifestyle
77) A shoe company uses ads featuring the members of a country music band with the
hope that the band's fans will see them wearing the company's shoes and want to wear the
same shoes. The shoe company is hoping that fans of the band view the band as a
________.
A) membership group
B) reference group
C) status symbol
D) subculture
E) lifestyle
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78) Rashmi Singh always knows about the trendiest fashions. She actively shares her
knowledge with a wide group of friends and colleagues about where to shop for cutting-
edge fashion at great deals, and her advice is often followed. Rashmi is an example of
a(n)________.
A) innovator
B) membership group
C) opinion leader
D) buzz marketer
E) experiential source
79) Shane Sudendorf is an active member of her sorority, two intramural teams, and a
service organization at her college. She also actively participates on two online social
networks, posting information about her day along with her thoughts on music, food,
fashion, and culture. From this description, which of the following is the best way to
describe Shane?
A) an opinion leader
B) a status symbol
C) a member of the RBC Builder segment
D) a member of the RBC Youth segment
E) a brand ambassador
80) There is a trend in the United States toward rediscovering the flavor of regional
cooking and the use of locally grown ingredients. People are choosing to spend hours in
the kitchen using only the freshest ingredients to recreate local culinary traditions. This
change in ________ is one of the reasons the number of farmers markets in the United
States has increased by 70 percent in the last eight years.
A) variety-seeking behavior
B) subculture
C) lifestyle
D) personality
E) life cycle
81) The RBC Royal Bank has identified five life-stage segments. Members of which
segment are most likely to be interested in debt-load management services?
A) Youth
B) Getting Started
C) Builders
D) Accumulators
E) Preservers
82) According to one analyst, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle can make you feel like "the
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toughest, baddest guy on the block." Harley-Davidson promotes its motorcycles with
images of independence, freedom, and power. Harley-Davidson has created a ________.
A) lifestyle
B) life-cycle stage
C) brand motivation
D) brand personality
E) brand self-image
83) A marketing research company asked members of a focus group to describe several
motorcycle brands as animals. This is an example of ________.
84) Mark has long supported the actions and decisions of his city's mayor. However,
many recent news stories have raised questions about the ethics of the mayor's programs
and initiatives. Mark doubts that the mayor, in whom he has such faith, could behave
unethically, and Mark tends to distrust the information in the media. Mark continues to
support the mayor. Mark has engaged in ________.
A) selective distortion
B) selective attitude
C) selective retention
D) selective attention
E) perceptual defense
85) Juana looked at her September issue of O magazine and did not see anything of
interest. After her mother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she found the issue
extremely interesting because it offered advice on how to help people who are suffering
from this problem. The issue became quite interesting to Juana due to ________.
A) subliminal messaging
B) social factors
C) selective attention
D) the hierarchy of needs
E) unconscious motivations
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86) Bob's job description had been changed. The rationale for the changes made no sense
to Bob when they were explained. Bob continued to perform most of his job duties as
usual. He has engaged in ________.
A) selective distortion
B) selective attitude
C) selective interpretation
D) selective attention
E) perceptual defense
87) Stephanie and Jamal attended a sales seminar. Both left the seminar with differing
opinions about what was important to implement in their jobs. Both used the information
in different ways, according to what each already believed was important. They have
engaged in ________.
A) selective distortion
B) selective attitude
C) selective retention
D) selective attention
E) perceptual defense
88) George is buying his first house. He has found two houses that he thinks he likes. He
is highly involved in the purchase and perceives significant differences between these
two houses. George will likely undertake ________.
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89) Pat thought he had received the best deal on his new car. Shortly after the purchase,
Pat started to notice certain disadvantages of his new car as he learned more about other
cars available. Pat is experiencing ________.
A) postpurchase culture
B) selective perception
C) postpurchase dissonance
D) purchase decision
E) information evaluation
90) For the past 10 years Bill and Margaret Kennedy have saved money to go to the
Super Bowl should their team, the Chicago Bears, ever win the NFC championship. This
is the year, and several tour companies offer attractive, but very similar, packages to the
game. They want to be certain to choose the best one. Bill and Margaret are most likely
to exhibit ________.
91) Carrie tends to purchase various brands of bath soap. She has never been loyal to a
specific brand; instead, she does a lot of brand switching. Carrie exhibits ________.
A) dissonance-reducing buying behavior
B) complex buying behavior
C) habitual buying behavior
D) variety-seeking buying behavior
E) brand familiarity buying behavior
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93) Lexus works to keep customers happy after each sale, aiming to delight the customer
in order to gain a customer for life. In this pursuit, Lexus is focused on which step of the
buyer decision process?
A) need recognition
B) information search
C) evaluation of alternatives
D) purchase decision
E) postpurchase behavior
94) Blake is in the process of buying a new car. He is highly involved in the purchase and
perceives significant differences among his three favorite models. Blake's next step is
most likely to be ________.
A) postpurchase behavior
B) alternative evaluation
C) opinion leadership
D) cognitive dissonance
E) purchase decision
95) Donna wants to buy a new coat. During the ________ stage of her purchase process
she will ask her friends to recommend a store and/or a style of coat. She will search the
newspaper for coat sales, and she will visit nearby stores to see what is available in her
price range.
A) product evaluation
B) alternative evaluation
C) need recognition
D) information search
E) purchase decision
96) Leona purchased two bottles of wine from vineyards in Australia. When asked her
opinion of the wine, she said the burgundy wine tasted like alcoholic grape juice, but the
Chablis had a crisp taste that she really enjoyed. These statements were made during the
________ stage of the purchase decision.
A) information search
B) situational analysis
C) alternative evaluation
D) purchase decision
E) postpurchase behavior
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97) Cameron loves to know about and purchase the most up-to-date technological
gadgets. Among his friends, he is almost always the first to own the newest electronic
product. Often the products that Cameron buys become adopted by large groups of
consumers, but occasionally Cameron will purchase a product that is adopted by only a
small portion of the population. To which of the following adopter groups does Cameron
belong?
A) innovator
B) early adopter
C) early majority
D) late majority
E) laggards
The Attic Trunk began in 1979 as an upscale dress shop in Forest Ridge's
fashionable shopping district, catering to a wealthy, mature clientele. Many other
specialty shops lined the main avenue over the next few years. But as Forest Ridge began
to attract an affluent, younger, and more demographically diverse population, the once-
popular shopping district was increasingly perceived as stodgy and snobby. By the late
1980s, many of these specialty shops suffered financially. Most shops attracted only
tourists who enjoyed browsing through the displays of alligator belts and shoes, piles of
scented soaps, and useless flowered parasols, often laughing at the ridiculously high
prices. Owners of The Attic Trunk had noticed the shifts in population and buying
behavior of the typical shopper by the late 1980s. In fact, the owners had observed that
the once-fashionable shopping district in Forest Ridge no longer attracted a "typical
shopper." The wealthy, mature clientele had been partially replaced with affluent families
with children, a mix of Asian and African Americans as well as Caucasians. Specialty
items at The Attic Trunk gradually disappeared, replaced by brand-name apparel,
colognes, and jewelry. Other owners followed suit in the early 1990s, bringing
restaurants, an outdoor cafe, and a day spa to the main avenue in Forest Ridge.
98) Which of the following is the strongest reason that the owners of The Attic
Trunk might NOT want to completely discount the mature consumers as a still-
viable target market?
A) Mature consumers wield considerable influence over purchases made by their children
and grandchildren.
B) Mature consumers are the largest and wealthiest demographic segment in the
United States.
C) Mature consumers are spending an increasing percentage of their income on specialty
items such as those originally sold by The Attic Trunk.
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D) Mature consumers are interested in shopping where younger families shop in an effort
to look as young as they feel.
E) Mature consumers are less willing to shop around and change brands than younger
consumers are, so they will likely remain loyal to The Attic Trunk.
99) Many families with children are now attracted to the shopping district in Forest
Ridge. What characteristics about families as consumer groups might the owners of The
Attic Trunk want to keep in mind?
A) Though more women hold jobs outside the home today than when The Attic Trunk
first opened, husband-wife involvement n the buying process has remained relatively
unchanged.
B) Children have considerable amounts of disposable income and have a strong
influence on family buying decisions.
C) Women today account for 50 percent of all technology purchases.
D) Men today account for about 40 percent of all food purchases.
E) Women influence nine out of ten hew home and vacation purchases.
100) It is most likely that each consumer segment attracted to The Attic Trunk would
have which of the following in common with the other consumer segments?
A) subculture
B) personality
C) AIO dimensions
D) reference groups
E) membership groups
101) The starting point of understanding how consumers respond to various marketing
efforts is called the marketing stimulus model of buyer behavior.
Answer: FALSE
102) Subcultures are society's relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members
share similar values, interests, and behaviors.
Answer: FALSE
103) Younger consumers are better off financially than mature consumers. They are the
ideal market for travel, restaurants, high-tech home entertainment products, and
convenient services.
Answer: FALSE
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104) Social class is based on shared value systems and common life experiences and
situations.
Answer: FALSE
105) Because people are able to move between social classes, these classes are relatively
impermanent and disordered divisions whose members share dissimilar values, interests,
and behaviors.
Answer: FALSE
106) Online social networks represent an important new form of buzz for marketers.
Answer: TRUE
107) Children exert little influence on family buying decisions, particularly in areas such
as entertainment and food.
Answer: FALSE
Answer: FALSE
109) A person's buying choices are influenced by four major psychological factors:
motivation, perception, learning, and beliefs and attitudes.
Answer: TRUE
110) Maslow's theory is that human needsincluding physiological, safety, social needs,
esteem, and self-actualization needsare arranged in a hierarchy and that an unsatisfied
need motivates an individual to take action to satisfy it.
Answer: TRUE
111) Alternative evaluation is the process by which people select, organize, and interpret
information to form a meaningful picture of the world.
Answer: FALSE
112) A belief is the specific mix of human traits that may be attributed to a particular
brand.
Answer: FALSE
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113) Dissonance-reducing buying behavior typically occurs when a buyer sees little
difference among brands but is highly involved with the purchase.
Answer: TRUE
114) A person buying a car would be unlikely to exhibit complex buying behavior.
Answer: FALSE
115) A marketer seeking to create brand familiarity should be more concerned about
creative ad copy content than ad repetition.
Answer: FALSE
116) Commercial sources of information typically legitimize and evaluate products for
buyers.
Answer: FALSE
117) After purchasing a product, the consumer will be satisfied or dissatisfied and will
engage in post-purchase behavior.
Answer: TRUE
118) Most unhappy customers explain their reasons for dissatisfaction to the company
who sold the product.
Answer: FALSE
119) When a consumer learns about a new product for the first time and makes a decision
to try it, the consumer is engaged in the alternative evaluation process.
Answer: FALSE
120) People differ greatly in their readiness to try new products. In each product area,
there are "consumption pioneers." They are also called laggards.
Answer: FALSE
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121) Early adopters are opinion leaders in their communities and adopt new ideas early
but carefully.
Answer: TRUE
122) Ed purchases new technological devices such as PDAs, DVRs, and MP3 players
after many people he knows already own the devices. However, Ed is rarely among the
last people he knows to purchase a new technology. Ed is part of the laggard adopter
group.
Answer: FALSE
123) Members of the early majority are deliberate; although they rarely are leaders, they
adopt new ideas before the average person.
Answer: TRUE
124) In general, innovators tend to be relatively older, be more mature, and have a lower
income than late adopters.
Answer: FALSE
Answer: TRUE
126) Cultural factors exert a broad and deep influence on consumer behavior. The
marketer needs to understand the role played by the buyer's culture, subculture,
and social class. Compare the roles of culture, subculture, and social class.
Answer: Culture is the most basic cause of a person's wants and behavior. Each culture
contains smaller subcultures, or groups of people with shared value systems based on
common life experiences and situations. Subcultures include nationalities, religions,
racial groups, and geographic regions. Many subcultures make up important markets.
Social classes are society's relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members
share similar values, interests, and behaviors. Unlike nationality or ethnic subculture,
social class is determined by a combination of many variables, such as occupation,
income, education, and wealth. Social scientists have identified seven social classes
within the American culture, ranging from upper class to lower class.
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127) Many subcultures make up important market segments. Examples of four such
important subculture groups include Hispanics, African Americans, Asian
Americans, and mature consumers. Describe the general characteristics of each of
these groups.
Answer: Hispanic consumers tend to buy more branded, higher-quality products generics
do not sell well to Hispanics. Perhaps more important, Hispanics are very brand loyal,
and they favor companies who show special interest in them. African American
consumers are more price-conscious than other segments; they are also strongly
motivated by quality and selection. African Americans seem to enjoy shopping more than
other ethnic groups and are also more fashion conscious. Asian American consumers are
the most affluent U.S. demographic segment and are the second-fastest-growing
population subculture, after Hispanics. Asian American consumers are very tech-savvy
and are the most brand conscious of all the ethnic groups. Mature consumers are better
off financially than are younger consumer groups. They are an ideal market for travel,
restaurants, high-tech home entertainment products, convenient services, financial
services, and healthcare services.
Answer: Small groups to which a person belongs have a direct influence on what a
person buys. Reference groups serve as direct or indirect points of comparison or
reference in forming a person's attitudes or behaviors. An aspirational group is one to
which the individual wishes to belong. Reference groups expose a person to new
behaviors and lifestyles, influence a person's attitudes and self-concept, and create
pressures to conform that may affect the person's product and brand choices. Opinion
leaders are also included in reference groups. The group closest to consumers is the
family, the most important consumer buying organization in society. Marketers are
interested in the changing roles and influence of each family member, particularly as
male and female purchasing roles evolve and children wield more purchasing influence.
Within groups, including families, the position of an individual is defined by role and
status. A role consists of the activities people are expected to perform according to the
persons around them, while status is the general esteem given to that role. People tend to
choose products that fit with their roles and status.
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129) Each person's distinct personality influences his or her buying behavior.
Personality is usually described in terms of traits. What are these traits, and how do
they affect the way people purchase items? Give at least one example.
Answer: Maslow suggested that our unfulfilled needs motivate us and that our needs are
arranged in a hierarchy. The hierarchy of needs includes physiological, safety, social,
self-esteem, and self-actualization needs. Maslow suggested that we fill the bottom-level,
basic needs first before moving up the hierarchy. Until more basic needs such as safety
are fulfilled, an individual has little interest in higher-level needs such as esteem and self-
actualization.
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131) Compare and contrast the four types of buying decision behavior exhibited by
consumers.
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133) Listing them in the proper order, what are the stages in the buyer decision
process? Describe each.
Answer: In the need recognition stage, consumers become aware of a new problem or
need. Then, consumers seek information products to meet that need in the information
search stage. In the alternative evaluation stage, consumers use the gathered information
to compare and contrast the choices. Consumers do not use the same evaluation process
in all buying situations; sometimes they may make careful, logical calculations and other
times they may rely on intuition and buy on impulse. Consumers then make the purchase
decision, buying the product. The last component of the process is postpurchase behavior,
which is determined by any difference between the consumer's expectations for the
product and the perceived performance of the product.
Answer: In the awareness stage, consumers become aware of the new product but lack
information about it. Then, consumers seek information about the new product in the
interest stage. In the evaluation stage, consumers consider whether trying the new product
makes sense. Consumers try the product on a limited basis in the trial stage. Finally,
consumers decide to make full use of the product in the adoption stage.
135) Identify the product characteristics that influence the rate of adoption. Explain
how each characteristic affects the rate of adoption.
Answer: The five most important product characteristics that influence the rate of a
product's adoption are relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, divisibility, and
communicability. Relative advantage is the degree to which an innovation appears
superior to existing products; the greater the perceived relative advantage, the sooner the
product will be adopted. Compatibility is the degree to which the innovation fits the
values and experiences of potential consumers; high compatibility leads to quick
adoption. Complexity is the degree to which the innovation is difficult to understand or
use; the greater the complexity, the slower the adoption rate. Divisibility is the degree to
which the innovation may be tried on a limited basis; the higher the divisibility, the
slower the rate of adoption. Finally, communicability is the degree to which the results of
using the innovation can be observed or described to others; high communicability lends
itself to a higher rate of adoption.
Answer: The four Ps are the marketing stimuli that affect buyer behavior: marketers use
product, price, place, and promotion to attract the targeted consumers.
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137) Give an example of a cultural shift that may impact the marketing of products
or services.
Answer: Answers will vary. Currently, the shift toward greater concern about health and
fitness has generated increased marketing of exercise equipment and gear.
138) Why might the Hispanic market be a viable targeted group for a new marketer
of products?
Answer: Hispanics are the fastest growing U.S. subculture and they tend favor
companies who show special interest in them, attributes a new marketer of a product
could capitalize on.
Answer: Opinion leaders can influence other larger groups of consumers to be attracted
to a marketer's products.
140) How does marketing through online social networks differ from more
traditional marketing?
Answer: Marketers hope to use social networks to interact with consumers and become a
part of their everyday lives instead of relying on the one-way commercial messages of
more traditional media.
Answer: Changes in the traditional family structure, such as more women holding jobs
outside the home and more single-parent households, have changed the traditional buying
roles over time.
Answer: A brand personality is the specific mix of human traits that may be attributed to
a particular brand.
Answer: A marketer cannot guarantee that a consumer will pay attention to or remember
a specific ad; people use selective attention because it is impossible for them to pay
attention to the thousands of marketing stimuli they experience each day.
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144) Explain how selective distortion is somewhat controllable by a marketer.
Answer: Marketers can attempt to understand consumers' mindsets and how these will
affect perceptions of advertisements.
Answer: Use of drama, fear, or extreme humor in an ad can often promote retention
among consumers; ad repetition may also work.
146) Explain the role of marketers in the information search step of the consumer
decision-making process. Give an example of how the marketer might execute this
role.
Answer: The role of marketers in the information search step of the consumer decision-
making process is to make the information consumers want and need about their product
easily accessible by the consumer.
148) Why should marketers set up systems that encourage customers to complain
about products?
Answer: Most customers never share their complaints with marketers; without this
information, it is difficult for a company to identify how it can improve.
149) What strategy should a marketer use upon learning that consumers are not
buying a product because they do not perceive a need for it?
Answer: Marketing might launch an advertising campaign that shows customers how the
product can solve their existing problems and meet their existing needs.
150) What are the differences between innovators and early adopters?
Answer: Innovators are more willing to take on risk; early adopters try new ideas early
on but are much more deliberate.
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