Motivation

Copywriting for the Electronic Media

(Meeske)

What is Motivation?• Eg: You may say that you have joined a

gym spending money for fees, shoes, clothes, etc, to keep in shape. The real reason however, might be that you think going to a gym will be help you meet attractive men or women who work out there. Both reasons are real: One is stated, other is subconscious

Consumer Behavior: Elements• Structure of Motivation• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Ascending order)• McGuire’s Psychological Motives: Self-

expression, Novelty, Reinforcement, Affiliation, Modeling, Ego-Defense

• Categories of Appeals: Emotional Appeals, Rational Appeals, Moral Appeals, Other Appeals

• Features and Benefits

Structure of Motivation?• Motive is the reason a person behaves

in a given way. It is an internal force that stimulates you to behave in a specific manner.

• Motivation is the justification for the behavior.

Needs and Wants• Needs and wants motivate us. • Needs are the basic forces that motivate us

to do some thing. • Needs are more basic than wants. Wants are

needs that we learn during our lives.• For instance, we have a basic need for water

- but some people have learned to want a bottle of Perrier.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• Physiological: Needs for water, food,

and shelter are physiological motives. This is the most basic level of human needs. Because physiological needs are essential to survival, these needs must be satisfied first.

• Products: Medicines, low-cholesterol foods, health foods, special drinks

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• Safety: Needs pertaining to stability,

physical safety, comfy environment, etc• Products: Insurance, retirement

investments, smoke detectors, preventative medicines, automotive tires

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• Social Needs: Motives that illustrate a

desire for friendship, group acceptance, affiliation, or love

• Products: Clothing, entertainment, foods, personal grooming, and others

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• Esteem: Self-respect, superiority,

prestige, and status. Esteem motives relate to a person’s desire for accomplishments and usefulness.

• Products: Cars, furniture, clothing, hobbies, liquors, and many others

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• Self-actualization: The need for self-

fulfillment, of becoming all that one is capable of becoming

• Products: Hobbies, sports, education, gourmet foods, and some vacations. Maslow felt that few people reached this level, but advertisers nevertheless focus on it.

Self-expression• We want to let others know by our

actions including the purchase and display of products, what we are and who we are. This brings the notion of self-concept into play (attitudes you hold toward yourself). It can be divided into actual and ideal: who I am now (actual) and who I would like to be (ideal)

Self-expression• Certain products serve as social symbols,

communicate meaning to one’s self and to others; enhance our need for self-expression. Outcome is that we often purchase and use services, products, and media to maintain a desired self-concept. Thus, a man might wear a Ralph Lauren shirt because others may recognize it as a brand of quality, a factor that could also reinforce self-image of the wearer.

Novelty• In consumer purchasing, this need

could relate to impulse buying and brand switching. Eg:, an individual buying a car might believe the top consumer choices to be Toyota/ Honda. However, this person might react to the need for novelty by purchasing another brand that’s attracting attention.

Reinforcement• Products designed to be used in public

(cars, clothing, furniture) are often advertised to emphasize the amount and nature of reinforcement that will be received. This relates to the need individuals have to enhance their self-image

Affiliation• This need emphasizes the development

of satisfying & helping relations with others. Focus is on need to share and be accepted by others.

Modeling• Modeling is the need to base behavior

on that of others. Individuals seek satisfying relationships with others, and reflect on the desire to maintain conformity with reference groups. Advertisers apply this motive by depicting celebrities using their brands

Emotional• Used to generate either positive or

negative emotions to generate purchase • Emotion Arousal: Joy, love, pride• Emotion Reduction: Shame, guilt, fear• Eliciting Particular Emotions: Warmth of

credit card paying for romantic getaway

Rational• Performance, economy, quality, safety,

design, price• Price and Quality appealed together• Spend less money, more quality• Spend more money, more quality

Other Appeals• Humor: To establish product

identification, not for complex sales goal• Celebrity: Trust in spokespersons• Five Senses: How do you communicate

smell, touch, taste etc? By descriptive terms and demonstrations

Points to Remember• Understanding motives and behaviors

enables advertisers to focus on the forces that lead consumers to make buying decisions

• Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that basic motives must be minimally satisfied before more advanced motives can be activated

Points to Remember• The self-concept is one’s beliefs and

feelings about one’s self• The self-concept is important to

advertisers because consumers purchase products to enhance, express, and maintain their self-concepts

• Consumers seek products whose primary or secondary benefit is to arouse emotion

Points to Remember• Advertisers may seek to arouse, reduce, or

elicit certain emotions• Rational appeals demonstrate that a product

will deliver the desired results• Moral appeals aim at the consumer’s sense of

right and wrong• As a copywriter, you must convert the features

of a product into benefits that will create a desire in the consumer to purchase