qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd fghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx ALTRUISM AND HEDONISM: cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq A review and discussion of wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui recent findings in the marketing

and consumer opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg behavior literature. | Analysis | hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbn mqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwert yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopas
Pawan Kalyani 2010M06 SCMHRD, Pune

Table of Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Analysis ............................................................................................................................................ 3 1. A year of bad news..................................................................................................................... 3 2. Altruism: Giving to people like me, so people will like me .......................................................... 3 3. Altruism: It's HOW you ask, after all ........................................................................................... 4 4. Altruism: Keeping it in the family................................................................................................ 4 5. Hedonism: I want to go out tonight ............................................................................................ 4 6. Hedonism: Madonna was on to something when she sang about "material girls"....................... 5 7. Conclusion: It's nice to give and to receive ................................................................................. 5 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 6

Altruism is an ethical doctrine that holds that individuals have a moral obligation to help, serve, or benefit others, if necessary at the sacrifice of self interest. The word "altruism" was coined by Auguste Comte, the French founder of positivism, in order to describe the ethical doctrine he supported. He believed that individuals had a moral obligation to renounce self-interest and live for others. Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize n et pleasure (pleasure minus pain). The name derives from the Greek word for "delight"

: Introduction

Introduction
Marketers in today s business environment are presented with the particular challenge of circumventing conflicted messaging, over-saturation of marketing initiatives, and consumer hesitation and guarded behaviour in order to achieve their objectives of enhancing long term brand loyalty and encouraging product purchases. While there are various environmental stimuli which may influence consumer behaviour, the most significant affectation comes from psychological influences associated with marketing communication and personal interpretation of brand and product value. By expanding this value beyond base level interpretation, marketers are able to influence consumer behaviour and redirect purchases over extended periods of time. In order to achieve such standards, however, it is essential that marketers understand what behaviour may be influenced and in what ways this influence may be affected. Undeniably, the product itself has particular importance in this process; however, the result of a product-based marketing campaign may not demonstrate the value desired by a diverse consumer population. Therefore, the achievement of key consumer development and loyalty objectives is based on investigation and analysis of past, present, and future consumer behaviour.

Analysis

1. A year of bad news

This study helps us to better comprehend how and why people react to charitable requests. Whether allowing for a purchase of a new designer handbag or a trip to a nightclub, people often use consumption experiences to feel better. The articles reviewed in the segment on hedonism provide insight into how purchase and utilization of products and experiences makes people happyor not!

2. Altruism: Giving to people like me, so people will like me

Benevolent giving, like many other purchase and consumption activities, can involve both public and private magnitude that affects actions. The authors hypothesized that people might more voluntarily engage in charitable giving to those considered part of the donor's "in-group," as opposed to those in out-groups. The conclusion of Winterich and colleagues' work show that people who place a high importance on moral identity increase donations to out-groups, but this result holds only for individuals for whom a female gender identity is more important. When subjects have a male gender identity, moral identity importance increases donations to the in-group, but not the out-group. Imagine receiving a appeal to make a contribution to victims of Hurricane Katrina or the Indian Ocean tsunami. This question was investigated by Hung and Wyer (2009), who queried whether it is effective for charitable requests to support the potential donor to identify with with the victim. The authors posit that identifying the target of the appeal as a potential donor creates the anticipation of helping behavior, which might conflict with a perception of empathizing with the victim. Similarly, White and Peloza (2009) investigated charitable appeals with a focus on benefit to

: Introduction

the self versus appeals with a spotlight on profit to others. Is one type of request more valuable than the other? Further, the authors showed that when behaving in a self-serving approach was a social norm, donors responded to self-benefit appeals optimistically.

3. Altruism: It's HOW you ask, after all

Two very attention-grabbing research projects investigated the effectiveness of how charities request contributions. The first article investigates sway techniques by explaining the users cognitive responses to those techniques; the subsequent focuses on requests sent through regular mail, and how the number and timing of these mailings change donation behavior. Often, these requests by charitable agencies use scripted social influence techniques premeditated to increase the probability of obtaining a donation. Across a series of studies, these authors found that the preliminary requestthe small request, or "foot-in-the-door" depletes the cognitive resources of the target of the appeal. The depleted target seeks a less effortful way to process the request. If the donor views the solicitor as not likeable, then the heuristic does not lead to acquiescence manners. What happens if you receive multiple requests from different organizations? Each extra mailing a single charity sends negatively affects the probability that a person will respond to potential requests. The two articles on how charities ask for donations show that a depletion, wearing down, or irritation mechanism can affect donations, but the effects are different for an in-person request versus a mail request. Apparently, if a charity can wear down a donor in person, the charity can benefit by making handy a cognitive short-cut that eases the act of compliance.

4. Altruism: Keeping it in the family

Authors work helps to explain the association between gifted assets and how people think about ancestral ties, familial obligations, and one's place in a family's heritage. While this type of gift may be virtually and conceptually discrete from charitable giving to an peripheral entity, it still provides useful insight into the art and science of considerate donations, which are a unique form of consumer behavior. The fourth idea involves market versus family determinants of value. Therefore, it is important to understand both the gifting and recipient perceptions and behaviors of intergenerational wealth transfer, as it impacts the larger financial system.

5. Hedonism: I want to go out tonight

: Analysis

People do not purchase for solely down-to-earth or objective reasons. A consumer's purchasing and utilization can help create a desired reality and can inspire the senses. The study also explains how the clubbers act to devour the glee of the club experience.

6. Hedonism: Madonna was on to something when she sang about "material girls"
After a night at a club, people may turn deep in thought and contemplate some of the larger issues in life. Are people who have more money or more possessions happier? How do money, possessions, and the consumption experience affect happiness? Happiness with consumption, however, can be absolute or relative. Happiness with the evaluable good depends on utter allure, while happiness of inevaluable goods depends on relative desirability. If your friends or members of your aspirational groups yearn for designer handbags, then having lots of chic handbags will lead to happiness. Nicolao, Irwin, and Goodman (2009) asked whether this notion of the "hedonic treadmill" might cause people to be less happy with material purchases (e.g., the new designer handbag) rather than empirical purchases (e.g., the night out at the club). Their results suggest a composite relationship between purchasing and happiness. Second, acquisitive individuals respond differently than less materialistic individuals. Experiential purchases tend to produce more happiness than material purchases when the experience turns out well, and less bliss than material purchases when the occurrence turns out poorly, in particular for less materialistic consumers. Aric Rindfleisch, James E. Burroughs, and Nancy Wong (2009) investigated the influence of materialism on consumer behavior; specifically, consumers' connections with brands. No discussion of materialism, brands, and cheerfulness is complete without a consideration of counterfeit luxury brands. Wilcox, Kim, and Sen (2009) dug deeper into the question of why consumers buy imitation luxury brands. The outcome of the studies offered here demonstrates that patrons tend to purchase counterfeit goods when they believe these goods role to help the person gain social status. Of course, both the real brand and the counterfeit brand can aid a buyer pull off status, and the buyer's moral beliefs about the aptness of purchasing counterfeits does help to determine preference for fake goods. Interestingly, though, these moral way of life function far more strongly for people who buy luxury goods to express something about themselves than for people who are seeking social status. It would be fascinating to investigate how the hedonic treadmill might increase the appetite for counterfeit luxury brands among status seekers, especially materialistic status seekers. For some people, the achievement of social status is a sure alleyway to happiness, and material goods can help them realize that status.

7. Conclusion: It's nice to give and to receive

It's predominantly attention-grabbing to me that the effort on charitable giving and the work on consumption and happiness share similar conclusions. Some people, who might otherwise, need the status refuge of an expensive handbag or designer watch, could be persuaded to achieve their goals through altruistic consumption, in addition to or as a proxy for hedonic consumption.

: Analysis

Conclusions
This analysis began with a simple question of why consumer behaviour and an understanding of such processes is useful from the perspective of the marketer. There were a variety of findings uncovered over the course of this research, the majority of which establish some form of affectation according to psychological influences and messaging stimuli. Inherently linked to brand loyalty and the consumer commitment to the product or brand over time, the means of reducing switching behaviours within extremely saturated marketplaces are directly afforded by marketing communication. The effectiveness of such communication, however, can have the desired (or opposite) result on sustaining consumer loyalty over an extended period of time. While more traditional marketing models focused on product features and competitive positioning of particular brands or products, modern marketing emphasises the relationship between consumer behaviour and value. By enhancing a product s value, consumers are encouraged to engage in the buying process and are more likely to maintain personal investment in a product over an extended period of time. There are several implications associated with this research and this analysis of various academic perspectives within this field. First, there is a psychological link between purchase and loyalty. Where cognitive interpretation of marketing messages may have influence on purchasing behaviour over the long term, exploratory consumption may result from proper stimulation and more dynamic brand messaging early in the buying cycle. It is this internalisation of intent which ultimately allows marketers to attract a larger base of consumers, even in a marketplace where there are various substitute products. In order to identify the best fit communication strategy, marketers are oftentimes forced to rely on trial and error or unsupported market research. By modelling particular behaviour patterns, however, associated with exploratory buying, these firms and individuals may be able to predict consumer responses to more dynamic marketing campaigns. From rewards programmes to creative branding to niche marketing, the ability to communicate with consumers according to their personal preferences and their understanding of intrinsic an extrinsic product value is invaluable and can sustain a product s market expansion over the long term. This research has demonstrated that consumer behaviour and marketing are undeniably linked, and through the understanding of the former, the latter may be more appropriately defined.

: Conclusions