This paper discusses the critical review on the needs and motivation that influences consumers’ buying behavior through the use of canned fruits as a product offering. Canned fruits are considered fast-moving consumer goods or convenience goods. Maya Brand Is a well established canned food brand from Malaysia since 1 892 in which canned fruits such as pineapples represent one of their product lines.
The chosen product category is canned fruits, pineapple canned fruits in particular. Canned fruits are classified as fast-moving consumer goods (FMC or convenience goods as they are consumed in a single use or on a few usage occasions, which also offered to as non-durable products (Kettle, Brown, Burton, Deans & Armstrong, 2010). The chosen brand product is Maya Brand, with its competitors namely being Nash, Lee, Rexes and so forth.
This paper will outline the potential needs and motivation to canned fruits, the linkage between generic goals and product-specific goals using the means-end analysis, whether consumers behave rationally or emotionally when making a purchase decision for this particular FMC as well as the motives that current marketers of Maya Brand arouse in their marketing campaigns o promote their canned fruits. . 1 Needs Needs is a human action which marketers try to understand, emphasize and satisfy.
Everyone has different needs as they continually strive to accomplish those needs. Innate needs (physiological) or basic needs are food, air, clothing, shelter and sex (Shifting, Bedlam, Coca’s, Paladins, Ward & Sank. 2008). Purchasing canned fruits is considered as an innate need as canned fruits are categorized as food as well as a fast moving consumer good (FMC). Consumers generally place less thought Into the arches of FMC than they do for other products (FMC View, 2007). Hence, consumers purchase Maya Brand’s canned fruits as it is not only convenient but also cheaper compared to fresh fruits.
For certain families that do not have time to shop for fresh fruits, they can Just go to the nearby convenient stores and purchase the canned fruits. At least 90% of the families consume some commercially canned foods during a period of three to four months as a result of change In family life consume canned fruits. Needs becomes a motive when it is aroused to an adequate level of intensity ( Coffman, et al. , 2008). This means that when an individual realizes the need of canned fruits, it becomes a reason to look for the desired brand, and the desired choice of fruits.
Certain consumers choose to buy Maya Brand brand because they have a large variety of mixture of fruits, for example, fruit cocktail which consists of peaches, pears, pineapples, grapes and cherries, (Maya Brand, 2009). Consumers also choose Maya Brand because of its reputation as the company is a major force in the canned fruit industry as it is not only well established in Malaysia but many other countries, particularly in Asia (Maya Brand, 2009). . 2 Motivation Motivation is an inner drive that indicates goal-oriented arousal (Montgomery, 2008).
This inner drive is formed by a state of tension caused by an unfulfilled need (Coffman, et al. , 2008). Thus, consumers of Maya Brand canned fruit have a driving force inside them to satisfy their need of enjoying a convenient healthy snack. 2. 3 Goals A goal is an unrealized state that an individual does not possess but which is deemed desirable (Moslem, 2003). In other words, consumers are internally driven to achieve a desired outcome such as hunger pangs or a sudden craving for a snack. All behavior is goal-oriented. Needs work as a motivation to attain a goal that can be generic or product-specific (Coffman & Sank, 2000).
In this case, a generic goal to a healthy convenient snack would be canned fruits while a product-specific goal would be Maya Brand’s canned pineapple fruits which specifically represent one of the various brands in the market. Generic goal – Canned fruits Product-specific goal – Maya Brand A different way to tackle the needs-goal paradigm is through means-end analysis. It presents marketers a way to position products by relating means (the product’s hysterical attributes) with advertising that aims to connect the consumption of products to the achievement of desired ends (valued states) (Stuntman, 1982).
For example, knowing that consumers intend to consume canned fruits does not reveal much unless marketers know the reason for their consumption (health, convenience, hunger, etc. , which are value-level considerations) and what fruit type (long, peach, pineapple, etc. ) they associate with canned fruits. The Maya Brand marketer who seeks to satisfy the mentioned consumer’s means for consumption would be clever to invoice consumers who are concerned with the goal of healthy convenient snack to buy canned pineapple fruits and particularly, the Maya Brand brand name to attain that goal (Drudge, 1996).
Hence, the marketer is attempting to turn the generic goal intro a product-specific goal. 2. 4 Rational vs. Emotional Motives Consumers can be rationally or emotionally motivated when making any purchase decision. Rational motives serve to maximize satisfaction based on an objective assessment (Aziza, 2009). Emotional motives imply that consumer select goals based n subjective or personal preference (Coffman, et al. , 2008). FMC markets are defined as relatively low-cost, constantly purchased and immediately consumed products on which consumers exert minimal purchasing effort (Alley, 2011).
Maya rationally motivated in their purchasing decision. As shown in the picture below, a quick check at the Giant Hypermarket reveals that Maya Brand’s canned pineapple fruits along with its competitors are relatively low in cost, roughly about the same price, roughly about the same size and weight and have an expiry date within two years of purchase. Emotional motives can be used when rational motives do not produce a decision (Herbert, 1976). Due to its FMC nature, consumers are more likely to be emotionally motivated based on their subjective criteria.
Today’s consumers want variety and choice (Data, 1996). For example, Maya Brand’s canned fruits have a variety of recipes available online for their canned pineapple fruits (Maya Brand, 2009). Besides, packaging sells the product by attracting attention and communicating to the consumer (Preponderates, 1971). The labeling and design of Maya Brand’s canned fruits can which is the companies symbolic red and yellow lour will cause consumers to behave emotionally by attracting their attention and by triggering the hunger need of consumers to consume canned fruits.
Also, Maya Brand is a well established brand which fulfills the consumer’s desire for prestige and recognition dames, 1999). 2. 5 Arousal of Motives Park and Imitate (1985) describes motive as “goal-oriented arousal”. The arousal of motives is due to internal stimulation including physiological, emotional and cognitive arousal as well as external stimulation including environmental arousal (Coffman, et al. , 2008). Consumers generally may understand that they need to upend on related information to help them make the appropriate decisions when selecting products, particularly a wide range of canned fruits on offer in the market.
As long as their activated needs aren’t satisfied, they will continue to remain in a state of tension. Current marketing campaigns for Maya Brand’s canned fruits utilities both physiological and environmental arousal. Physiological arousal occurs when there are changes in physiological processes in the body like stomach contractions that activate specific needs like hunger (Coffman, et al. , 2008). For instance, a angry person may open his fridge door to search for food and make a mental note to stock up on food.
Research indicates that television programs are able to provoke physiological arousal (Surrender & Gilbert, 1987). Maya Brand’s canned pineapple fruits have been featured in several cooking television programs and subsequently their videos on various recipes can easily be found online (Maya Brand, 2009). Videos of Recipe – (Maya Brand, 2009) Today’s consumers want variety and choice (Data, 1996). Consumers who purchase Maya Brand’s canned fruits have a wide variety of recipes in which videos of them an be downloaded and printed.
Environmental arousal occurs when distinct stimuli in the environment activate particular needs and motives (Coffman, et al. , 2008). For example, promotion is an environmental cue. “Promotion is used to communicate with consumers with respect to product offerings. ” (Rowley, 1927). During Chinese New Year, Maya Brand introduced a promotion whereby nag pap packets would be given out as a free gift for every purchase of three of their canned fruits, while stocks promotion will be motivated to purchase Maya Brand’s offerings although they had o intention to purchase it on that day.
Chinese New Year Promotion – (Maya Brand, 2009) Besides, research shows that on unplanned purchasing, exposure to in-store cues in a grocery environment such as local hypermarkets activates need recognition (Swear, 1989). The vital consequences of an inefficient assortment and promotion are stock-outs and confusion, which angers consumers when they are not able to find their desired products (Kyle & Thomas, 1986). Hence, Maya Brand’s canned fruits are placed strategically in the isle of other fast moving consumer goods so that it is easily noticeable by consumers.
