Fundamentals of Marketing

The interviewed buyers both purchased the same item – Blackberries, electronic devices that allow a person to maintain a schedule and view e-mail from a distance. These consumers, even though they bought the same item, used a radically similarfferent purchasing process. In this paper, their decision-making will be analyzed on the basis of the AIUAPR model that can deliver serious advantage in understanding the purchasing process and connecting it to the marketing campaigns.

Interview questions were developed so as to reflect the five stages of the process: awareness, interest, understanding, attitudes, and purchase. The following questions were asked:

• When and how did you learn about Blackberries?
• Did you hear about the device in advertising or did you learn it in any other way?
• How long have you considered purchasing before you actually bought the thing?
• Did you have a thorough understanding of the way the device operates before you considered buying it?
• How did you feel about the good – did you find it absolutely necessary, prestigious or did you experience any other emotion about your prospective purchase?

The first respondent was a 25-year-old female MBA student enrolled in a top US business school. She said that she had learned about Blackberries during her work at Lehman Brothers where many people used them even though she herself did not own one. She certainly heard about the device in commercials and read ads, but they did not really contribute to her desire to buy one.

When she got to the business school, she had spent some time before she became determined to get a Blackberry herself. Since the thing is pricey, she needed to take some time to actually make the purchase. She went to the store the first time in the year when she received the refund check from her loan.

The thinking process of the second consumer was a little different from that of the first one. This was a man in his early forties, employed in a managerial position in a construction company. He learned about Blackberries in a newspaper ad a few years ago. He responded to the ad by getting an idea of acquiring a similar product. However, it seemed expensive at the time.

For a while, he was aware of the product although he did not consider actually purchasing it. With time, as his workload increased, he began to realize that getting a Blackberry could simplify his work and help him organize his time. With this said, he developed a real interest in buying a device for himself.

In a few years, he received a bonus that surpassed his expectations and used the bonus to purchase a Blackberry. The purchase came on a momentous inspiration at the point where he was confident that this was the way he wanted to spend extra money for himself.

The knowledge of these steps that consumers go through is a great help in targeted marketing since companies can take active actions to help consumers with their purchasing decisions. In this particular example, both persons were most probably heavily influenced by their demographics. The girl was imitating her peers by buying a thing that copied the lifestyle she saw around. The fact that she was a part of a certain circle helped her learn about the product and increased her awareness and understanding of the product. On the contrary, the man learned about Blackberries in a different way. More explanatory ads and a more intense campaign would have added value to this process, inspiring him to make a decision quicker.

References

Health Vision. Targeted Marketing + Patent Acquisition. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from http://www.healthvision.com/body.cfm?id=81

Wikipedia. (2006). Buyer decision processes. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from www. wikipedia.org