driving commuter media in south africa case study consumer behavior solomon 10th
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driving commuter media in south africa case study consumer behavior solomon 10th edition (Chapter 2 )
1. Considering the vibrant atmosphere (e.g. sounds, smells, visual stimuli, and motions) that prevails at taxi ranks, discuss the potential positive and negative impacts on perceptual selection.
2. Explain the relevance and role of the absolute and differential threshold when communicating to commuters, both inside taxis and at taxi ranks.
DRIVING COMMUTER MEDIA IN SOUTH AFRICA criticized for reckless driving, use of vehicles that are not road worthy, and unwillingness to abide by the law. A closer look, however, shows that the daily operations of the industry are governed by an intricate, informal system of geographic bound The appearance of a yellow taxicab in a movie scene instantly transfers the audience to New York. Similarly, a black cab sig aries, mutual understanding, and savvy entrepreneurship nifies the magical city of London. But when the majority of the employed South African population awakes each morning, ers. Companies such as Procter & Gamble and SAB Miller have their commute to work is far removed from cabs and subways. conducted extensive research about the unique needs of these Taxi commuters are primarily low-to middle-income earn In the absence of readily available public transport, and consumers, for whom product relevance and perceived value with many South Africans not able to afford their own vehicles, are important purchase triggers. Products are often creatively approximately 32 percent of the population of 50 million people modified to serve this market. Examples include reduced-rinse depends on minibus taxis for their transport needs. These taxis shampoos and soaps; sun-heated water/shower bags; and the (also called "kwela-kwela," meaning "get up" or "climb on" in Unilever Rajah Curry Wonderbag, in which low-cost hot meals Zulu), and the taxi ranks from which they depart, form an inte can be prepared while saving energy and reducing emissions. gral part of South African communal life. Taxi drivers are oft Marketers are challenged to inform consumers about these CHAPTER 2 Perception products and to achieve optimal message exposure in a coun ranks are encouraging trial usage among commuters. The cre- try where a diversity of cultures reside, 11 official languages are ation of Rank TV and Comuta Radio, which broadcast from spoken, and only about 11 percent of the population has access predetermined commuter hubs, are not only providing enter to the Internet. tainment to commuters, but also highly effective additional me- Research by Freshly Ground Insights (FGI) found that the dia options for marketers. Rank TV, for instance, is particularly South African commuter market (segmented as Solid Citizens, popular for regional price and product promotions, because 80 Suburban Stylers, Hungry Hot-Shots, and Madalas, meaning percent of commuters watch Rank TV; average viewing dura- "old man" in Zulu) is worth more than $20 billion per month tion is 24 minutes, and 86 percent of commuters remember the in household income. In addition to the 61 minutes that each viewed advertisements. Comuta Radio in turn broadcasts both commuter spends in a taxi per day, an average commuter de- live and preprogrammed content, including advertising, and votes 32 minutes to walking to the taxi rank, uses 45 minutes for reaches 2.5 miion unduplicated commuters daily. queuing, and spends 49 minutes interacting with fellow com- muters while waiting at the taxi rank, where food and other ber how commuter media have changed the media landscape products are often prepared and sold. Next time you see a yellow or black cab in a movie, remem in South Africa, and continue to keep 16 million South Africans Imagine a communication channel that gives marketers, informed, entertained, and happy during their daily journey on on average, 187 minutes per day to reach each member of this the kwela-kwela! lucrative, captive market. Imagine a channel that costs 5 times less than a billboard, has 11 times more impact, and triggers 7.1 million South Africans each week to notice advertising mes- DISCUSSION QUESTIONS sages. Welcome to the world of South African commuter media, where marketers are making ample use of the opportunity to communicate about relevant products with commuters both inside and outside the kwela-kwela! 1 Considering the vibrant atmosphere (e.g., sounds, smells, visual stimuli, and motion) that prevails at taxi ranks, dis- cuss the potential positive and negative impacts on per ceptual selection. Inside taxis, brands such as Knorr, Cell C, and Nestlé Milo have used branded seat covers to convey their messages, an approach that was quite popular during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. Music plays a prominent role in African culture and therefore Star Music was created to entertain commuters during their journey. Star Music is a 90-minute CD with music (often gospel and kwela or traditional street music) and adver- www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/70/13373.htmi, accessed tisements that advertisers frequently distribute free of charge to November 10, 201; http://www.atkearney.com/index.php/Publications/ taxi drivers across the country. It is especially popular for dis- volume-xiv-number-1-2011.html, accessed Novenber 9, 2011; seminating customized seasonal messages and promotions. mediaclubsouthafrica.com/index.php?option-com Makhulu-taxis with fully branded exteriors are also quite &id;=423, accessed November 11, 2011: http://wv unilever.com/ prevalent, and have been used successfully by brands such November as Puma and the Carson Hair braiding product called Restore dustry,"http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/29/africa-taxis-grassroots/ Plus. But marketers and agencies are now doing much more accessed November 10, 2011; MaryLou Costa, "The $2-a-day Consumer, than interior and exterior taxi branding to stimulate consumer analysis/cover-stories/the-$2-a senses and engage them with brands. Brand activations at taxi November 13, 2011. 2 Explain the relevance and role of the absolute and differ ential threshold when communicating to commuters, both inside taxis and at taxi ranks. Sources: www.comutanet.co.za, accessed November 11, 2011; http:// how-the-worlds-5-billion-low-income-consumers decide-what to-buy- tp://www cle mediacentre/news/LowcarboncookinginSouth Africa.aspx, accessed 10, 2011; Robyn Curnow, "Africa's Taxis Drive a Grassroots In- Marketing Week (November 13, 2011), http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/ $2-a-day-consumer/3026951.article, accessedExplanation / Answer
1Positive impact of the vibrant atmosphere on the perceptual perception can be understood in the following ways.
1.Visual- Since the South African commuter market is worth more than $20 billion per month, one of the ways marketers can increase their sale and profit is through visuals, which directly influence consumers psyche. Not only the product colouring and branding attracts the attention of the consumer, the pictures used in advertisement and its shape, increases impulsive consumer behaviour, thereby increasing the sales. The advertisements which has visual stories and aesthetics, appeals to the consumers emotions. The emotional connection between the brand and the consumer is essential to facilitate brand loyalty and continuous consumption, all via visual aesthetics.
2.Sound- The effects and relation of sound is crucial to marketing area. The pitch, texture and tempo of the sound can enhance the consumers auditory perception. Sounds have directional effect on the way a consumer acts and reacts cognitively and behaviourally . For example, a soothing sound used in an advertisement can have a positive effect on the consumer's perception about a certain brand , which will lead to consumption and profit.
Negative effects of vibrant atmosphere on perceptual selection.
1.Sound- Since African culture is rich in music and as a marketer , the taxi ranks becomes a perfect space to strategize and market the product. For example, Star Music often advertise gospel and traditional street music within the taxi which can lead to auditory disorder called Hyperacusis which can be defined as a phenomenon where individuals displaying their perception of certain everyday sounds as excessively disturbing than the norm. The constant marketed music can lead to symptoms like headache, concentration difficulty, agreesion etc (
Paulin, Andersson, & Nordin, 2016 Baguley, 2003). It can also create Noise pollution.
2Visual- The usage of visuals in marketting areas have an effect on the consumer behaviour. Our brains visual perception system unconsiously guides our decision making and consuming behaviour through valence perception. Companies use visual stimuli to facilitate unconscious visual valence that leads to manipulative advertisements and mass consumption. The consuming pattern is induced deliberately within the consumer, rather than occurring on its own. It is a breach of consumer ethics as it submilinally manipulates consumer behaviour.
2Differential and absolute threshold has a crucial role when communicating to commuters . Absolute threshold can be defined as the point where a consumer can identify the difference between ' nothing' and 'something'. The absolute threshold is subjective and varies from person to person. Hence, when a clothing brand decides to put up an advertisement both inside and outside taxi ranks, claiming to give 50% discount on their clothing products, it will catch the attention of the consumer and might reinforce impulsive purchasing behaviour. Absolute threshold, is thus the minimum amount of stimuli needed to activate our sense organs. Similarly, Deferential threshold also has an effect on the consumer behaviourIt can be defined as the just noticeable difference perceive by the consumer. It greatly depends on the intensity of the first stimuli and is directly proportional to the intensity of the second stimuli. For example, If the price of any McDonald's burger is increses by 0.50 cents, it will not grab the attention or will have less significant reaction , as compared to the price of the burger increased by $4. The brand and corporations understand the effects of our sensory perception on the consumer behaviour and thus increase and modify their brand image and sales accordingly.
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