Consumer Behavior

Teacher(s)

Kervyn de Meerendré Nicolas;

Language

English

Main themes

How can I use sensory marketing to optimize my marketing mix?
What is the role of emotions in consumers buying'decisions?
How do culture and personality impact consumers'preferences?
In a fast evolving marketplace, understanding, predicting and influencing consumer behavior is central to marketing. This course will provide you with the models and techniques you'll need to effectively adopt and implement a consumer centric marketing approach.
In order to adapt to the evolution of our societies and the variety of factors that can affect consumers, students will learn how to analyze and shape consumers' beliefs, emotions et behaviors. The course will review how factors such as personality, group norms and culture affect consumer behavior.
This course will also address recent opportunities for marketers that are the rise of sensory marketing and of social media. Besides creating new needs and wants, these tools have generated profound changes in the way consumers interact with brands as well as with other consumers. This also impacts the way brand attitudes are formed based on the wealth of information available.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Knowledge and reasoning (2.1,  2.4) Scientific and systematic approach (3.1,3.4) Communication and interpersonal skills (8.1) By the end of this teaching unit the student will be able to  : Master the main models of consumer behavior Understand the multiplicity of factors that underlie consumers attitudes and behavior Identify the major societal and technological evolutions that affect consumer behavior Apply a scientific process to understand and analyze consumer behavior, and elaborate on the relevant managerial implications Manage a team project all the way to its communication

Content

1) General introduction : Presentation of the field of consumer behavior, its major evolutions and links to marketing
2) The attitude formation and decision making process : Main models of consumers’ attitude formation and attitude change
3) Influencing factors : Presentation of the variety of factors and techniques influencing consumers’ emotions, beliefs, and behavior
4) Technological evolutions : Social networks, consumer communities, electronic Word of Mouth … are some of the recent evolutions affecting consumer behavior

Teaching methods

Theoretical/methodological presentations (with practical illustrations), case studies & student presentations.

Evaluation methods

Individual written exam on all of the course content (70%)
Group assignment & group presentation on a specific topic anchored in a practical marketing issue (30%)
NB: In case of failure in January, notes for the assignment  will be automatically transfered to the September session. Only the exam part (70%) will be re-evaluated in September.

Bibliography

A reference list will be provided to students

Faculty or entity

CLSM