Bye Bye High Wycombe, Hello Germany

Hey everybody and welcome to my last blog!

The big topic of last lesson was gender, although the meaning is clear, let us have a look at the definition.  It is explained as the condition of being female or male; sex. As we all knew are men and women totally different. If you go on warc.com, you can read some really interesting articles about the difference. So if you have time, have a go. I have done it and some are really funny and interesting. In these two videos, you can see good examples of the different behaviour. 

But there are also some evidences for the difference between males and females. Let us have a look at our brain.

As you can see on this picture is it divided into left and right. Studies have shown that men are more left brain thinking and women right brain thinking.  Here you can see some general characteristics:

Men	Women
Logic Systematic Numbers Practical Map reading	Creative Communication Emotion Holistic Thinking

On the BBC website I made a test whether I think more like a men or a women. Here you can see my result...

I am not going to comment this :D The test is divided into four parts. For example was I asked to measure my fingers...but there were also some other tasks. It would take too long and perhaps it would be boring to describe everything. But the test was really interesting and you should do it on your own. Go to the BBC website and try :-)

Let us have a look in-depth about the differences between a male and a female brain. Simon Baron-Cohen from the Cambridge University has studied the brain for a long time. Here you can see some results. 

Cell numbers: men have 4% more brain cells than women, and about 100 grams more of brain tissue. Many women have asked me why men need more brain tissue in order to get the same things done.

Cellular connections: even though a man seems to have more brain cells, it is reported that women have more dendritic connections between brain cells.

Corpus collosum size: it is reported that a woman's brain has a larger corpus collusum, which means women can transfer data between the right and left hemisphere faster than men. Men tend to be more left brained, while women have greater access to both sides.

Language: for men, language is most often just in the dominant hemisphere (usually the left side), but a larger number of women seem to be able to use both sides for language. This gives them a distinct advantage. If a woman has a stroke in the left front side of the brain, she may still retain some language from the right front side. Men who have the same left sided damage are less likely to recover as fully.

Limbic size: bonding/nesting instincts - current research has demonstrated that females, on average, have a larger deep limbic system than males. This gives females several advantages and disadvantages. Due to the larger deep limbic brain women are more in touch with their feelings, they are generally better able to express their feelings than men. They have an increased ability to bond and be connected to others (which is why women are the primary caretakers for children - there is no society on earth where men are primary caretakers for children).  

Here you can read more about it

We did a couple of activities. For example has Ruth shown as this picture for ten seconds.

After that we tried to remember as much details as possible. The experiment worked in really good way because the boys remembered fewer details and mentioned only general aspects like chair, sofa, and furniture. The girls remembered the carpet (plus colour), the striped pattern of the chairs or the picture on the wall. This example shows that girls are more descriptive and boys logical.

Now let us search for the linking between gender and marketing.  We looked at different advertisements (Lavazza, Lacoste, BMW, Lenor, Persil, Nivea, Uncle Bens, Bombay Saphire, Finlanda, Rimmel London, Sony). First it was our task to remember as much brands as possible because the different commercials were shown in a slideshow. General Brand awareness is obvious. Additionally there exists the tendency that women remember the first picture, men instead the last picture. The girls remembered in this activity more, too…

Secondly we had a look at different advertisements. Marketers are trying to keep the advertising for men as simple as possible.  Have a look at the picture on the right. 

Yeah, it is definitely for men…big letters, blue and “for men”.

Here you can see that Nivea is trying to attract women. The advertisement is complex. The women seems to be quite busy with a lot of appointments which need to be structured. 

It is not only a picture; there is a story behind it. 

This table shows the differences in marketing.

For women	For men
•     ads often are more detailed. eg toiletry ads.  •     women appreciate very fine distinctions, such as 5 different variations of shampoo-for curly hair, straight hair, oily hair, dry hair, etc.	•    Toiletry ads focus on a single product.  •     Men are likely to pick up on one or two very salient and obvious kinds of cues. (Free) •     Men think in a more macro way, and need to be shown the big picture.  •     Men are less likely to process complex metaphors.

Our last activity was a group activity. We should compare a website for men with a website for female. My group decided to compare the websites of Mac Make-up and Burton. Let us first look on the Mac website. Here you can see a screen-shot.s 

Yeah, it is for women. If you go one the website, you can see that there is movement all the time. Have a look at the colours, the products and especially the font. The font and the picture harmonise and they support the movement of the picture because it seems to be active. But it is not only the attractive representation (all the photos of the make-up seem like an invitation to use) of the products. They show also dressed-up models which are made-up. But the types of the models differ. You can not see just women who look like Heidi Klum or Kate Moss; you can see also Gothic girls. There is always a small story behind it because females love to interpret. Another aspect is the detailed description of the different products. You learn something about the lip-gloss and you know why you should buy it. 

So, let us have a look at a male website. We decided us for Burton, unfortunately the website is not really working. So I searched for another shop, here you can see the site

As you can see there is no use of bright colours. The layout is masculine and easy. There is no story behind. And in front of every product stands "men" to make completely sure that it is for males. The font is masculine and the website is missing real movement. The products are shown on pictures but there are no real descriptions. 

Well, that's it for today. If you have any comments, just write me. This was my last blog because I am already back in Good Old Germany. Although this is not a private blog, I would like to use the opportunity to say a couple of things. Thanks Ruth and the class for an interesting lecture. This module was definitely the best during my exchange. It was always fun and I wish everybody a Merry Christmas. So, what should I say finally...yeah, best wishes from Germany!

Greetings

Sabine alias Krusty! 

Cloudy with a chance of burgers

Hey everybody and welcome back to my blog…

Since the last blog more than two weeks have passed. So, it is time for new information and learning stuff. Unfortunately I could not attend the last lesson but nevertheless I will try to write this blog as detailed as all the others. The big theme of last session was personality and the testing of latter.

This year at my home university I had a module called “Organisation”. There I have learned many things about personality and the possibility of testing latter.

The first question is: What is personality? What is so special about it?

The Business Dictionary defined as a relatively stable, consistent, and distinctive set of mental and emotional characteristics a person exhibits when alone, or when interacting with people and his or her external environment.

The definition I have learned so far is:

Personality can be thought of as a sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others. It is most often described in terms of measurable traits that a person exhibits. Characteristics like shy, aggressive, lazy or ambitious are called personality traits (when they are exhibited in a large number of situations). (According to Robbins)

Well, what is so special about personality? It is like perception unique and it could also be influenced. During the session 4 aspects were defined as a possible impact on personality:

Nature, nurture, peers and birth order

Nature refers to our genes, whereas nurture refers to the way we are brought up. There have been endless discussions about what has a stronger influence on personality. Many people are convinced that there is something that influences your personality even before you take your first breath. This is your birth order. Research shows that a person's birth order has a direct link with his or her personality.

Regarding birth order people distinguish between first born child, middle born child, last born child, twins and only child. I am a last born child, well, let us have a look what this tells us about me…

Last Born Traits

• Risk takers
• Idealists
• Good sense of humor
• Hard working
• Immature
• Attention seeking
• Secretive
• Sensitive

Last born children are often considered the baby of the family, and live up to this role. At times it is difficult for the last born child to find his/her place in the family, as the first and middle child have already left huge footprints to follow in, and carved their own niche into the family.

Strengths V.S. Weaknesses

	Category Strengths Weaknesses Traits Outgoing, sociable, affectionate, caring, creative, empathetic, and confident. Spoiled, manipulative, immature, self-centered, and capricious. Career Careers in sales, or invention corporations work well because of their ability to sell things, including themselves, work well alone, want to be the boss, and just do their own thing at their own pace. Do not like to be tied down to committment, can be perceived as "cut throat", try too hard at times, alternative routes in life may make them the odd man out.

 

That is funny and interesting, although it is not 100% true.  

If you like to find out something about you, try this link

Another topic are personality tests. If you search in the internet, you will find many, many different types of tests. Over the past twenty years two approaches become dominant: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Big Five Model.

The MBTI is a 100-question personality test that asks people how they feel or act in particular situations. On the basis of the answers individuals give to the test questions, they are classified as extroverted or introverted (E or I, sensing or intuitive(S or N), thinking or feeling (T or F), and judging and perceiving (J or P). These terms are defined as follows:

·         Extroverted vs. Introverted: extroverted individuals are outgoing, sociable and assertive. Introverts are shy and quiet

·         Sensing vs. Intuitive: Sensing types are practical and prefer routine and order. They focus on details. Intuitive persons rely on unconscious processes and look at the big picture

·         Thinking vs. Feeling:  Thinking types use reason and logic to handle problems. Feeling types rely on their personal values and emotions

·         Judging vs. Perceiving: Judging types want to control and prefer their world to be ordered and structured. Perceiving types are flexible and spontaneous.

These classifications are then combined into 16 personality types.  (Source: Robbins)

I have finished the test with an interesting result. I am the chief, ENTJ…according to Ruth figure I am Krusty the Clown

According to that my strength are :

Enjoys lively intellectual conversations  - welcoming such interactions as a learning opportunity

Weaknesses:

Can be direct & confrontational

Well…I think the result is not really wrong, but my impression is that I am more feeling than thinking… Good ability to sell things (last born child…have a look above) and Krusty…

In contrast to the MBTI, the five-factor model of personality-more typically called the Big Five- has received strong supporting evidence.  The following are the Big Five:

    - Extroversion

- Agreeableness

- Conscientiousness

- Emotional stability / Neuroticism

- Openness to experience

You can try that test on Facebook if you like!

Although this topic was not part of the lesson, I would like to mention also the possibility of personality trainings. Two semesters ago I took part in a module called “Group Psychology” and we have learned that many people have problems to value their own personality. It is not easy to realize own weaknesses and strength. We took part in such personality training and we were asked to compare our character with animals. I characterized myself as a giraffe…I am not going to tell you more about that but perhaps you can try to think about your own personality, too. It sounds easy…

Finally the topic “Self-Concept” has been discussed. The self-concept is the accumulation of knowledge about the self, such as beliefs regarding personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values, goals, and roles. 

Self-concept does not necessarily reflect reality - a person who is regarded by others as very successful may perceive themselves to be a failure. We are influenced by friends, family or colleagues. Everybody has a different picture of my personality and this is recognized by me. 

Charles Horton Cooley describes this in his theory “Looking glass self”. Cooley's term "looking glass self" means that people see themselves as others see them, as if reflected in a mirror. According to this concept, in order to develop and shape behavior, interactions with others must exist. People gain their identity and form their habits by looking at themselves through the perception of society and other people they interact with. This concept of self, created by others, is unique to human beings. It begins at an early age and continues throughout the entirety of a person's lifespan. A person will never stop modifying their "self" unless they become removed from society and cease social interactions. 

According to that it is important to mention three aspects which are on the spot in everyone’s life:

- Self image - the kind of person we think we are

- Ideal Self - is the kind of person we would like to be 

- Self esteem - is the extent to which we like ourselves, whether we accept or   approve of our self image

It is not needed to say anything about the video…just have a look and think about it…

 

That’s it for this blog, hopefully you enjoyed reading!  Just three more blogs, so keep on going

Greetings

Krusty!

The evidence for the uniqueness of perception

Hey everybody and welcome back to my blog!

Let us talk about last session. Testing of perception was the topic and it was a really practical lesson. As we have already learned is perception the process, in which sensations are absorbed by the consumer and used to interpret the surrounding world. The consumer’s perception is affected by the five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste and touch.  Our part was to prepare an activity based on perception for the class. All groups decided to test our taste by eating chocolate, cookies or drinking Cola/ Pepsi.

But first of all you have to bear in mind some basics. It is really important that you test products that are nearly similar, so that it is not easy for the consumer to distinguish between the tastes of the two products. So if you for example compare the taste of Pepsi and Cola, the difference of taste is high, so it cannot show funded results.  Furthermore by testing the taste of biscuits you should make clear that the consumer is not able to see or feel the brand punched into the product.

So, what have we learned during the lesson. Well, one group decided to test three types of chocolate and we as consumers should eat the chocolate without any knowledge about the tasted types. The Question was: Which one tastes better? The result was not really surprising; most of us defined the expensive one as best. But why did not all of us choose the expensive chocolate as best; as we have learned is perception unique because it is influenced by experience, gender, age, family structure, culture etc. . Our taste contributes to our experience of many products. Generally are blind taste tests a good opportunity for companies to discover both different consumer preferences and, thus, different consumer segments, and the positioning of a company or a brand in terms of the most sensory qualities of the product.

This advertisement is a good example for the different sight of people. The picture was really controversy when it came out. I can only see to men dressed identically and handcuffed together. But many people interpreted it to mean that the black man had been arrested by a white man. 

My colleague Rebecca and I decided to make our own test based on sound. Many aspects of sound affect people’s feelings and behaviours. Mostly every commercial is underlaid with music to attract the consumer’s attention. People associate music with pictures, friends, events, etc. We searched for to advertisements and chose to perfume commercials. Here you can see the video of the Dolce & Gabbana perfume which we have analyzed.

We asked two girls and six boys to listen to the music; I did not show them the video. The task was: “Which product is advertised? Describe the spot.” This test was really interesting and the results different. Only to persons said that it could be a perfume. The first asked person had a really surprising association. He was thinking about a “Partnership” commercial. A man in a bar searching for a woman and a relationship. Four persons associated the music with alcohol like Martini, Whisky or Baileys. They described the melody as relaxing, classy and also sexy; the type of music as Jazz. Everyone had different fantasies in their heads.  One of the boys imagined a bar at the beach in the evening. A beautiful and attractive woman, perhaps a model, is ordering an iced drink and all the men are watching her. Another fantasy was about a well-dressed woman, perhaps in a red dress. Based on music the advertised product was observed as expensive and luxurious. The commercial seemed as sexy and it should animate especially men to buy the product for their women.  The last asked person thought by hearing the music that the advertised product is perfume and the spot is erotic. In his mind the spot shows a woman together with a man in a hotel room. Both are well-known, perhaps actors. The man is not wearing a shirt. The beautiful woman seduces the man with help of her body and the smell of her perfume.

As a result I can say that the test was really interesting. Everyone described a different clip just based on perception. Rebecca tried the same with another perfume commercial; here you can read her blog. Hopefully you enjoyed reading and had fun. You are welcome to comment on my blog and perhaps you like to test your own perception ;-)

 

See you soon,

Greetings

Sabine 

P.S.: Thanks everyone for taking part in our test!

Next week, Next blog…:-D

Hey everybody!

Let us continue with my next blog about the module Understanding the customer. This week we learned something about the decision-making-process and once again about perception. We started with a group activity; our task was to draw a word picture of a typical over 50 year old. This activity is based on perception and experience. Our picture was influenced by people we know or things we have seen. 

After that we talked about Buyer Decision Making Process of Kotler. This process is divided into five stages. The model implies that customers pass through all stages in every purchase. But in reality customers often reverse or skip some of the stages because they have gained experiences concerning the product.

Let us explain the model with an easy example; it is divided into five stages. The whole process begins with need recognition

(I need new shoes) or is a reaction to the marketing stimulus (Sale at a Footlocker Store). Customers need further information about the product; they can use several resources (advertising, newspapers, experience, etc.) for that. The third stage is based on evaluation; the customer has to choose between the different alternatives (brand, product, service). After that the customer is willing to buy the product. The final stage is the post-purchase. The customer decides whether the purchase was useful and a good investment. The customer may feel that an alternative would have been preferable, so he/she buys another brand next time.

The buyer’s decision is not only influenced by experience but also by risk. Everyone has a different tolerance to risk. The perceived risk can be defined as: Consumer's level of uncertainty regarding the outcome of a purchase decision, specially in case of high priced item such as a car, or a complex item like a computer. Consumers attempt to reduce their anxiety by collecting more information and by seeking the recommendations of a peer group or an entity (person or consumer advocacy group) considered an expert on the subject matter.  

Laurent & Kapferer argue that a consumer’s level of involvement will be affected by six different components:

·         Finance

·         Time

·         Performance (Is it working?)

·         Ego (How do I feel about buying the product?)

·         Physical (Can it hurt me?)

·         Social

Our second activity was based on that model. We should consider the likely level of involvement of 1. 21-year old and 2. a 46-year old when they a) buy a car, b) buy a mobile phone, c) buy underwear for their partner. A 46-year old has by buying a car for example a lower involvement in Ego as a 21-year old. And normally the financial risk is also lower. Buying is based on expectations therefore the level of involvement is different for the boy and the man.

My last blog defines the three stages of perception. The second stage is attention: The ability to focus selectively on a selected stimulus, sustaining that focus and shifting it at will.  The goal of companies is to arouse customers’ attention. Companies use different techniques in their advertisements. Many are hiring famous and pretty people to take part in a commercial. Others prefer to create a really funny advertisement. These two videos are good examples for that.

The Perceptual Set was our next discussed theory. It can be described as an internal rulebook or checklist. It is unique and can prevent from problem solving. This image for example was designed to be interpreted as an old or a young woman.

Another topic of the lesson was “Gestalt Psychology”. Gestalt psychology is based on the observation that we often experience things that are not a part of our simple sensations. Gestalt psychology is based on the observation that we often experience things that are not a part of our simple sensations. 

The theory is based on four rules:

a) Figure & Ground (Figure is the central element, background catches less attention)

b) Grouping (people tend to group together objects that share similar physical characteristics)

c) Closure (people need to fill the gaps; example: an incomplete picture)

d) Stimulus ambiguity (People recognize an item, but they need to interpret it or find a context)

Here you will find some further information about Gestalt Psychology. 

The last aspect we talked about was perceptual maps.

In this graphic you can see two dimensions: economical/less economical and Makes your hair look beautiful /makes it not. On this map you can see the different placements of hair washing products. This map shows the perception of consumers regarding quality and economy. 

Well, that is it for today. I hope you had fun while reading :-) 

See you soon!

Sabine

 

Perception :)

Hey everybody :-)

Second lesson, second blog…so what have we learned during the second session with Ruth. I searched for a good definition of Perception and I found this: Perception is the process by which organisms interpret and organize sensation to produce a meaningful experience of the world. Sensation usually refers to the immediate, relatively unprocessed result of stimulation of sensory receptors in the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or skin. Perception, on the other hand, better describes one's ultimate experience of the world and typically involves further processing of sensory input. In practice, sensation and perception are virtually impossible to separate, because they are part of one continuous process.

This Process is divided in the three stages Sensation, Attention and Interpretation.

Well, why is Perception so important? Perception influences the buyer’s behavior and we are trying to understand the customer. For sellers it is important to see themselves through the Buyer’s eye; that is the big secret of successful work, advertising and selling.  We used the Black Box Model for understanding the process which evokes purchase decisions. The model is an interaction of different stimuli, consumer characteristics, the decision-making-process and finally the consumer responses.

The inputs affect the Black Box like stimuli. If these stimuli show a positive impact, the consumer is willing to buy. It is important that sellers are presenting their products creative and interesting, so that a positive stimulus is evoked. I found a really interesting article in the Internet, where they use an easy model to describe this relationship.

If you like to read the article, try this link ;-)  

We also talked about the buyer-behaviour model by Howard Sheth. It looks more difficult than the Black Box Model, but there a just a few more aspects included; the basic understanding is the same ;-) 

Experience and especially culture are important facts that are influencing the buyer’s perception.

I realized that during the lecture on Friday. We looked at some advertisements. Especially interesting for me was this one because the reactions of my fellow students were really surprising from my point of view. 

They said that the advertising looks fresh because of the lilies. Well…my first impression by looking at the picture was different. I thought:”Oh my god, I would never buy that, the picture looks like death!”  In Germany most people associate lilies with death because they are often used for interments. I think this is a good example for different perceptions and it is the evidence that perception is unique...

As I mentioned before it is important for sellers to attract buyer’s attention. Sellers can use bright colours, brands, slogans and so on. For a better understanding we made an activity called “Selling colour”. We were divided into small groups and every group received to papers. One paper represented our target group and on the other paper were different colours shown. Our task was to find a creative brand name and attractive names for the colours. That was a really interesting practice because we tried to see the product through buyer’s eyes.

I found a really funny video which emphasizes the importance of creativity and uniqueness of advertisements. 

So…that’s it for today...hopefully you enjoyed reading my blog and your feedback is welcome :-)

Greetings

Sabine