Instructor Information MKTG 3221: Consumer Behavior and Strategy Fall 2013: Tue/Thur 11:00 am-12:15 pm College of Health & Human Services, Room 380 Dr. Linyun Yang Office: 253D, Friday Building, Second Floor Phone: 704-687-7575 Email: l.yang@uncc.edu Office Hours: Tue/Thur 1:00 3:00 pm or by appointment Course Overview Businesses spend an enormous amount of time, money, and other resources on monitoring, predicting, understanding, and influencing the behavior of consumers. Their success depends on convincing consumers to use their products and services rather than competitors offerings. This course provides a contemporary, strategic approach to consumer behavior. Throughout the course, students will examine cutting edge examples of how key concepts and theories can be applied to company, brand, and organizational decisions. This course will also have a heavy emphasis on application through assignments, cases, and in class exercises. Students will learn how marketing managers use their research based knowledge about consumers to create more effective segmentation and positioning strategies. They will also learn how to reach consumers more efficiently, how to develop more effective online tactics, and how to develop more powerful branding strategies. Course Format The course will combine lectures, cases, in-class exercises, videos, student presentations, and class discussion. We will use many different materials in this course to illustrate consumer behavior phenomena and to get you thinking about managerial implications of those findings. It is important that each of you comes to class prepared. The level and success of the discussions depends on the willingness and ability of everyone to participate actively. Reading Materials Consumer Behavior, by Frank R. Kardes, Marla L. Cronley, and Thomas W. Cline Additional readings will be posted on Moodle throughout the course 1
Course Assessment Note: Assignments will be taken down a letter grade for each day they are turned in late. Late submissions for Finding Examples will not be accepted. Assignment Individual or Group Due % Grade Class Participation Individual Ongoing 10 Research Participation Individual Ongoing 5 Finding Examples Individual Ongoing 5 Experience Map Assignment Group Tu 9/10 20 Mid-Term Exam Individual Tu 10/3 20 Image-Identity Gap Analysis Group Tu 11/12 20 Final Exam Individual Tu 12/10 20 Assignment Details Class Participation Attending classes is not optional. It will substantially increase your understanding of the assigned readings and provide you with insight into issues beyond those covered in the readings. Your individual participation will be graded based on: Class Discussion: Each of you can improve the quality of the course by sharing your own insights from the readings and observations in the real word. Your comments will be evaluated based on quality, not quantity. Group Exercises: On several occasions during class, you will be asked to work in groups to craft a solution to a problem provided by the instructor. The group will be asked to employ the solution insights learned from the lecture/discussion and assigned reading of the week. Your participation in these group exercises will contribute to your participation grade. Note that you must attend class in order to participate. Any student missing more than two classes is subject to an unsatisfactory participation grade. I will assume that everybody who has not alerted me beforehand (by email prior to the class) that they have not prepared the assigned material is willing and able to contribute. 2
Finding Examples You will be required to provide examples for ten of the topics covered in class. Examples must be submitted on Moodle on the day the topic is discussed. Submissions will be graded on a pass/fail basis. No late submissions will be accepted. Research Participation There are two alternative ways to complete the research participation requirement. The first is to be a subject for academic research projects for a maximum of 2 hours. You will be assigned to participate in specific research projects. There are two goals motivating this requirement. The first goal is to provide the students with first-hand experience in marketing research. Simply participating in the market research process can be instructive. Each study that the student participates in will be fully explained to the student after the study is completed. Another goal is that your participation in academic research projects will help Marketing Faculty continue to develop state-of-theart marketing thought which is ultimately brought back to the classroom. The second alternative way to fulfill this requirement is to attend the Department of Marketing distinguished speaker series or read assigned academic research papers. You will then write reports based on the research presented in each of the seminars or research papers. The grading for either will be Pass/Fail. Forming Your Group During the second week of class, you will be asked to form groups of 4 to 5 members. You will be working in these groups for all group exercises and write-ups. To get the most out of the team you work with, try to ensure that your team is interdisciplinary (e.g., members with different professional backgrounds and majors). You will be asked to evaluate the participation of each team member in your group for all of the group assignments. Experience Map Assignment Create an experience map that captures the emotional state of a user through an essential interaction with a brand of your choosing. That experience can be anything from buying and unboxing a new iphone to calling AT&T customer service. Whatever the experience, it should be one that informs a user s lasting attitudes and opinions about your brand. Your map should highlight the best and worst parts of the experience and how those moments relate to the brand s intended user experience. This assignment has two parts: (1) a one-page summary to be used for your presentation and (2) a 4 page write-up describing your research process and detailing your findings. 3
Image-Identity Gap Analysis To nurture and sustain a brand effectively, you must be constantly in touch with what your stakeholders (consumers, users, members) think about your brand and what you (your organization) think of your brand. It helps to have some language to pull these constructs apart. Brand image is defined as the set of actual associations the consumer has with a brand. Brand identity is defined as the set of aspirational associations the organization would like to have of its brand. Perform a preliminary image-identity gap analysis by capturing the brand associations from these two perspectives (internal + external). This assignment has two parts: (1) a one-page summary to be used for your presentation and (2) a 4 page write-up describing your research process and detailing your findings. Exams There will be one mid-term exam and one final exam. These exams are not cumulative and will focus solely on the topics discussed in class. The exams will be closed book and notes and consist of multiple choice and possibly short answer questions. Class Policies Name Cards: Please use name cards at each class session throughout the term so that credit for attendance and participation can be given accurately. If you forget to bring your name card to class, please create a temporary one to use that day. Promptness: To minimize disruptions, please do not come late or leave early. If you must, let me know in advance. Laptops: To encourage an active and engaging environment, please do not use laptops in class. E-Mail: When sending me an email, please include MKTG 3221 in the subject heading. I have a filter that will allow me to give priority to your emails. This is also the best way to contact me with any questions. Re-Grading: If you believe an error has been made in grading your assignments, you may request a regrade by doing the following: 1. Write a brief note to me explaining why you think there is an error. Please attach a copy of the graded assignment. 2. All re-grade requests must occur within seven (7) calendar days of the day graded material is returned to the class. 3. I reserve the right to re-grade the entire contents of any submitted assignment. Your grade may go up or down. 4
Academic Integrity Students have the responsibility to know and observe the requirements of The UNC Charlotte Code of Student Academic Integrity. This code forbids cheating, fabrication or falsification of information, multiple submissions of academic work, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, and complicity in academic dishonesty. Any special requirements or permission regarding academic integrity in this course will be stated by the instructor, and are binding on the students. Academic evaluations in this course include a judgment that the student's work is free from academic dishonesty of any type, and grades in this course therefore should be and will be adversely affected by academic dishonesty. Students who violate the code can be expelled from UNC Charlotte. The normal penalty for a first offense is zero credit on the work involving dishonesty and further substantial reduction of the course grade. In almost all cases the course grade is reduced to F. Copies of the code can be obtained from the Dean of Students Office. Standards of academic integrity will be enforced in this course. Students are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty to the course instructor. Diversity The Belk College of Business strives to create an inclusive academic climate in which the dignity of all individuals is respected and maintained. Therefore, we celebrate diversity that includes, but is not limited to ability/disability, age, culture, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. 5
Tentative Course Schedule *All reading assignments are tentative. Make sure to check Moodle for the most updated readings. Wk Day Topic Reading Assignment 1 Tu 8/20 Consumer Behavior Course Overview Th 8/22 2 Tu 8/27 Consumer Perception Attitude Experience Map Overview Text pg. 62-70, 74-79 NYT - Anywhere the Eye Can See Text pg. 88-89, 91-96 Click on Pringles ad Submit example and group members on Moodle Th 8/29 Motivation Text pg. 102-106 BrandWeek - Sparkler on the Other Hand 3 Tu 9/3 Emotion Text pg. 113-116 Stanford GSB - Coke: Dispensing Happiness Th 9/5 Consumer Research Text pg. 13-27 4 Tu 9/10 Experience Map Presentations Submit Experience Map on Moodle Th 9/12 Experience Map Presentations 5 Tu 9/17 Memory Text pg. 126-132 Th 9/19 Automatic Information Processing Text pg. 135-143 NYT - Voting Booth Feng Shui 6 Tu 9/24 Classical Conditioning & Product Placement Text pg. 120-124, 325-330 BusinessWeek - He Puts the Soda in Pop Songs Th 9/26 Operant Conditioning & Consumer Habits Text pg. 124-126 NYT How Companies Learn Your Secrets 7 Tu 10/1 Th 10/3 Decision Making Process I Text pg. 180-188, 214-219 Complete pre-class exercise & submit example before class Decision Making Process II Text pg. 223-233 Complete pre-class exercise & submit example before class 6
Wk Day Topic Reading Assignment 8 Tu 10/8 Fall Break - No Class Th 10/10 Mid-Term Exam Review 9 Tu 10/15 Mid-Term Exam Th 10/17 Framing Effects 10 Tu 10/22 Psychology of Money Text pg. 238-244 Wharton Are You a Tightwad or a Spendthrift? Complete pre-class exercise & submit example before class Complete Tightwad/ Spendthrift scale & submit example Th 10/24 Brand Personality Text pg. 165-169 Stanford GSB Highly Trusted Brands 11 Tu 10/29 Branding Strategy I Th 10/31 Branding Strategy II Image-Identity Gap Overview Text pg. 351-362 AdAge - Why Isn't Back to School a Subscription? 12 Tu 11/5 Social Influence I Text pg. 286-299 Th 11/7 Social Influence II Text pg. 299-310 13 Tu 11/12 Image-Identity Gap Analysis Presentations Submit Image-Identity Gap Analysis Th 11/14 Image-Identity Gap Analysis Presentations 14 Tu 11/19 Culture I Reading to be determined Th 11/21 Culture II Reading to be determined 7
Wk Day Topic Reading Assignment 15 Tu 11/26 Targeting Means-End Chains Text pg. 278-283 Th 11/28 Thanksgiving No Class 16 Tu 12/3 Final Exam Review Th 12/5 Reading Day - No Class 17 Tu 12/10 Final Exam 11 am - 1:30 pm 8