MRKT 640 Week 2 DB Forum 2 Example

Discussion Board Forum 2: Thread and Two Replies

MRKT 640 Consumer Behavior, Discussion Board Forum 2 (thread and two replies)

Thread by [Student Name]

The prompt, the drinkware company and the classmates' posts are composites standing in for the course's own forum; the textbook, Scripture and published studies are real; the requirements follow Liberty's public course guide for MRKT 640.

Thread

A U.S. company that makes insulated water bottles is preparing to sell in Japan through an online marketplace and two department store chains. Its American advertising shows a lone hiker on a ridge at sunrise, with the line "Go further." The marketing team wants to translate the campaign and launch it unchanged. Chapter 2 of Mothersbaugh and Hawkins (2016) suggests that this would be a mistake, because the values a culture holds shape what consumers want a product to mean, and a message built on one culture's values may fall flat in another.

The textbook groups cultural values into those oriented toward other people, toward the environment and toward the self. The American campaign leans on self-oriented values, such as individual achievement and adventure. Hofstede's model, which de Mooij and Hofstede (2010) review as the framework most used in international advertising research, places the United States near the top of its scale on individualism and Japan well below it, while Japan scores much higher on uncertainty avoidance. De Mooij and Hofstede argue that these differences help explain why advertising appeals, brand preferences and even the way people process messages vary across countries, and why global brands often need to adapt their messages rather than standardize them. They also caution that the scores describe national averages, not individual consumers, and that the model should be applied with care.

For the water bottle, the differences point to three changes. First, the imagery could move from a lone hiker to a scene with people, such as coworkers on a commute or a family on a weekend outing, which fits a culture that places more weight on group belonging. Second, high uncertainty avoidance suggests that Japanese buyers may want more evidence before trying an unfamiliar brand, so the campaign should give specific information: how many hours the bottle keeps drinks cold, what materials it uses, and the warranty. Third, the product line itself may need adjustment, since smaller sizes that fit a bag and a commuter's routine may matter more than the large bottles sold for hiking in the United States.

Research on new product adoption supports the second point. In a study of 3,283 consumers in eleven European countries, Steenkamp et al. (1999) showed that a shopper's appetite for new and unfamiliar products, which they called consumer innovativeness, traced partly to personal values and partly to the country's culture, measured on dimensions that included individualism and uncertainty avoidance. If innovativeness depends partly on national culture, a new foreign brand should not assume that Japanese consumers will try it as readily as the early American buyers did, and the launch may need samples, reviews from known publications and the reassurance of department store placement.

Chapter 2 also warns about nonverbal communication. Colors, numbers and gestures carry different meanings across cultures, and the company should test its colors and packaging with Japanese consumers rather than rely on translation alone. A translator can convert "Go further," but only a test with consumers can show whether the line inspires or sounds like pressure. A small study with two or three concept boards, shown to office workers and weekend hikers in Tokyo and Osaka, would cost little compared with a failed launch and would give the team evidence in place of assumptions.

In his letter to Corinth, Paul describes living under the law among Jews and outside it among Gentiles, so that each group could hear him, while the gospel itself stayed fixed (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, 1 Corinthians 9:20-22). For a marketer, the lesson is that adapting a message to a culture is a form of respect, provided the claims remain true. The bottle's performance should be described identically in both countries, while the story around it changes.

Classmates: have you seen a brand succeed abroad by changing its message, or fail by keeping it the same?

Reply to Teresa

Teresa, your thread on a meal delivery service designed for adults over 70 made a strong case from chapter 4's demographic data that the market is growing quickly. You recommended simplifying the app and the menu because older consumers find complex choices difficult. I agree with simplifying, but research on aging suggests the reason is more specific than general difficulty, and that matters for what to simplify.

Yoon et al. (2009) reviewed research on aging and consumer decisions and proposed that outcomes depend on the fit between the person, the task and the setting. When the fit is good, older consumers use their knowledge and experience to make up for declines in processing speed and memory. When the fit is poor, they adapt, for example by relying more on familiar brands, simple rules or the advice of others. This suggests that the meal service should simplify the task where it demands fast processing, such as a crowded screen with dozens of options, while still giving experienced shoppers the information they are good at using, such as ingredients and nutrition.

Cole et al. (2008), summarizing research on brand choice among older consumers, described a tendency to stay with long-used brands and to consider fewer options. For a new meal service, that is both a challenge and an opportunity. It will be hard to win older customers from a grocery routine they have kept for decades, but once they adopt the service, they may stay. A trial delivered through a trusted channel, such as a physician's office, a senior center or an adult child who sets up the first order, could reduce the barrier of trying something new.

Mothersbaugh and Hawkins (2016) note that marketers often misjudge older consumers by treating them as a single group. Your plan might divide them by health and living situation rather than age alone, since a healthy 75-year-old who cooks daily and a widower who has never cooked need different offers.

The holiness code tells Israel to stand when an old person enters and to show the aged respect (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Leviticus 19:32). Honoring older customers in marketing means designing for their strengths, not only their limits, and never using confusion to sell more than they need, such as subscriptions that are easy to start and hard to cancel. A clear cancellation option on the first screen would be one practical expression of that honor.

Did your research show whether older customers in your target market order for themselves or whether their adult children usually place the orders? If children are the buyers, the service has two audiences, and the app would need to reassure the adult child about nutrition and reliability while staying simple for the parent who receives the meals.

Reply to Andre

Andre, your thread argued that the discount retailer you studied wins customers on price alone and that its shoppers are best described by household income. Chapter 4 of Mothersbaugh and Hawkins (2016) gives a different emphasis: social class reflects education, occupation and values as well as income, and people with similar incomes can shop very differently. I think adding that view could strengthen your recommendations.

Coleman (1983) argued that social class remained significant to marketing because it captures outlooks and lifestyles that income alone misses. A skilled tradesperson and a junior teacher may earn similar amounts but differ in what they consider a smart purchase, where they shop and what brands signal to them. Coleman suggested that income and class should be used together, since each explains choices the other does not.

Henry (2005) found that class shapes how consumers feel about the market itself. In interviews with young Australian men, those from professional backgrounds tended to describe their place in the market with metaphors of empowerment and control, while those from working-class backgrounds more often used metaphors of constraint. If the retailer's customers feel constrained by their market situation, they may value the store not only for low prices but for predictability, the sense that they will not be surprised at the register. That suggests messages about consistent everyday prices, rather than flashy sales, may suit them better.

Your recommendation to expand the store's private-label line fits this analysis. A private label that is reliably good can give shoppers a sense of control, and the retailer can describe it in terms of smart choices rather than sacrifice. The textbook's discussion of status and stratification also suggests caution with imagery: advertising that pictures shoppers as struggling may offend customers who see themselves as careful managers of a household budget, while advertising that pictures them as savvy may be welcomed.

James warned believers against showing favor to a rich visitor in fine clothes while telling a poor visitor to stand aside (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, James 2:1-4). Retailers serving lower-income shoppers have a chance to practice the opposite, treating every customer with equal dignity in store design, service and advertising. A discount store that is clean, well lit and staffed by courteous employees tells its shoppers they are valued, whatever they spend.

I am curious whether the retailer's own customer research separates shoppers by occupation or education as well as income. If it does, do the groups differ in which departments they visit, and do they respond differently to the weekly circular? A comparison like that would show whether class adds anything to the income segments your thread described, which is the question Coleman raised more than four decades ago in the pages of a leading consumer research journal.

References

Cole, C., Laurent, G., Drolet, A., Ebert, J., Gutchess, A., Lambert-Pandraud, R., Mullet, E., Norton, M. I., & Peters, E. (2008). Decision making and brand choice by older consumers. Marketing Letters, 19(3-4), 355-365. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-008-9058-x

Coleman, R. P. (1983). The continuing significance of social class to marketing. Journal of Consumer Research, 10(3), 265-280. https://doi.org/10.1086/208966

de Mooij, M., & Hofstede, G. (2010). The Hofstede model: Applications to global branding and advertising strategy and research. International Journal of Advertising, 29(1), 85-110. https://doi.org/10.2501/S026504870920104X

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Henry, P. C. (2005). Social class, market situation, and consumers' metaphors of (dis)empowerment. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4), 766-778. https://doi.org/10.1086/426610

Mothersbaugh, D. L., & Hawkins, D. I. (2016). Consumer behavior: Building marketing strategy (13th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Steenkamp, J.-B. E. M., ter Hofstede, F., & Wedel, M. (1999). A cross-national investigation into the individual and national cultural antecedents of consumer innovativeness. Journal of Marketing, 63(2), 55-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299906300204

Yoon, C., Cole, C. A., & Lee, M. P. (2009). Consumer decision making and aging: Current knowledge and future directions. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(1), 2-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2008.12.002