Consumer Behaviour And Culture Marketing Strategy

Meat and Livestock Australia Advert

Discuss about the Consumer Behaviour and Culture Marketing Strategy.

This report deeply analyses the Australian advert which was released to the public in 2004. Eighty people have so far raised issues regarding the advert. This number is high and cannot be brushed away. This report tries to break down the advertisement to establish the relationship between the advertisement and consumer behaviour. Advertisement appeals and segment variables have been used. The report further analysis the consumer behaviour issues that have been raised by the advert. Such issues include cultural appeals, emotional appeals, prompts towards decision making and consumer motivation, etc. Besides, the report also looks into ways in which the advert can be improved so that it can be embraced by all the members of the society. Improvement of the advertisement would improve the marketing of the company’s products.

Meat and Livestock Australia is an Australian company that deals with research, development and marketing of outcomes that benefit the producers of cattle, goats, and sheep in Australia. The company carries out its duties in collaboration with the Government of Australia and the entire red meat industry of Australia. The mission of Meat and Livestock Australia Company is to deliver value to the people through investments in business initiatives that promote competitiveness, sustainability, and profitability.

The advertisement shows Sam Kekovich’s attempt to fight un-Australianism. He does so by encouraging the people of Australia to eat lamb on Australian Day which is marked by the people every year. According to the advertisement, Sam Kekovich mistakenly confused a lesbian for a man. He also sneakily gave a little boy a lamb chop when the boy’s parent was looking away.  The advert paints a picture that the boy’s parent had failed in her responsibility of providing food for the child. Another controversial issue with the advert is the fact that the boy wore a singlet with the writing, “vegan and proud.” Many people have protested against the advert. However, Meat and Livestock Australia have come out guns blazing to defend themselves against any wrongdoing in the advert. The country’s Advertising Standard Bureau carried out a determination and cleared the company of any wrongdoing in the advertisement. The determination established that the company’s ads were not meant to be taken seriously by the Australian community members. The advert was grouped in the category of “over the top.”

Market segregation is the scenario whereby the targeted audience customers are broken into groups such that customers with similar interest are grouped together.

Analysis of segmentation variable

This is market identification based on common personality qualities or demography. The advert targets the lesbian group of customers and refers to them as boys.

This approach emphasizes on customers behaviour and interests. Since young boys like food, Kekovich takes advantage of the case and hands a lamb chop to a vegas boy to eat. He tends to encourage such children that there is no harm in eating lamb meat

There is a belief that people make choices on what to purchase based on the existing alternatives (Widing & Sheth, 2004, p. 67). However, emotions play a very important role in the decisions that people finally make. The advert by the Meat and Livestock Australia encourages people to eat lamb on the Australian day. The day is very special to the country’s indigenous community. Any effort to encourage people to consume lamb on this particular day is regarded highly offensive to the community members. The people feel disgusted every time the advert appears on their television screens. They are of the opinion that the company doesn’t respect them. This advert triggers emotions among the people who feel that they are targeted. As a result, the community members may shy away from purchasing the company’s products.

Other people who are not affected by the advert may also join hands in solidarity with the affected community. They may call for emotional appeal from every willing person to shy away from the advertised commodities. The end results may be very disgusting as much as business is concerned (Foxall, 1994, p. 70). The company may make huge losses if people keep away from buying the advertised products as well as other products that are produced by the company. The company may have been given the go-ahead to continue with the advert, but the reaction from the community may overshadow the advert.

Culture refers to beliefs, customs, and values that regulate the consumer behavior of people of any given community. People’s culture may direct, guide and order the kind of food that the people can eat (Otnes & Tuncay-Zayer, 2012, p. 113). Culture, therefore, dictate what people of a given society may eat during certain events e.g. wedding, holidays or even during picnics. Indigenous Australian people lived in Australia long ago before the European came to Australia. The European people integrated with the indigenous Australian people, and they have lived in peace over the years. Australian day is a special day which has been set aside for the remembrance of the indigenous Australian people. It is a culture among the vegans. However, Kerovich tends to fight un-Australian when he encourages the people to eat lamb on Australia day. Eating of lamb is unacceptable on Australian day among the people of indigenous Australian origin. Kerovich knowingly acted in a manner that suggested that he had an issue with the people’s culture. The boy’s shirt read out that he was a vegan and was proud of it. However, Kerovich handed a lamb chop to the boy so that he could eat it. Kerovich also ensured that he gave out the lamb chop when the boy’s mother wasn’t aware.

Cultural appeal

Despite the fact that Australian Advertising standard’s Bureau approved the advert, there is enough evidence that it undermines the culture of the indigenous Australian people. An advert that promotes views that undermine any community’s culture is likely to send away potential customers. People highly value their cultural beliefs. Any person who attempts to undermine some peoples’ cultural beliefs is likely to face a great opposition. As such, the Meat and Livestock Australia Company may face the ripple effect of the advert. The Australian people who feel that the advert undermines their culture may opt to boycott products from the company. Other interested parties may also lead campaigns against the products produced by the company.

Customer motivation is the driving force which compels customers into some actions. Motivation triggers goal oriented behaviours among customers. The motivation may be positive or negative. By referring to lesbians as men, the lesbians may be motivated in boycotting all the products from the company. They may develop a permanent enmity between them and the company. Consumers tend to be motivated by good ethics. A company that lacks respect for its customers is likely to lose the customers. Every company must look for ways and means of motivating its customers to keep them. Any action by the company that is likely to demotivate consumers can negatively impact on the company. It is always tough to convince and customers. It is, therefore, important that every company tries as much as possible to keep them.

Decision making prompts refers to activities that may trigger the making of some decisions among customers. The decisions may have either positive effects or negative effects on the products of companies in the market (Peter & Olson, 2003, p. 89). By airing an advert where a boy is fed on lamb on Australian day, the advert triggers some decisions among the people who feel targeted by the advert. Such people may decide to cut ties with all the products from the company completely. Lesbians in Australia may also decide to keep off all the products from the company. There is no good reason why someone would refer to them as boys in an advert. Advertisements are practiced ad repeatedly done before a good one is finally selected (Mowen, 2000, p. 45). Any mistake would have been identified long before the advert was recorded and sent to media houses. It is therefore very open and clear that the motive of Meat and Livestock Company was to assume the existence of the Lesbians. The advert provides a picture that the only groups of people are boys and girls. The company is of the opinion that Lesbians can be grouped as boys (Marieke de Mooij, 2010, p. 51).

Customer motivation

Competitors are likely to take advantage of the advert. The advert is non-ethical and disrespectful towards some groups of people in Australia. Competitors can take advantage and approach the indigenous Australian people in an attempt to win them as customers. (Kanuk, 2002, p. 69). Companies be well aware of their competitors before they produce adverts

The advertisement undermines the practises of some groups of people in Australia. It refers to lesbians as boys. At the same time, a vegan boy is given a lamb chop to eat on Australia day. The boy’s mother is also depicted as someone who has failed in her responsibility of feeding her son. The advert is therefore likely to fail in its key objective of marketing the company’s products in order to attract more customers. Instead, the advert annoys lesbians, women and the indigenous Australian people. They are likely to gang against the company and keep off from purchasing the company’s products.

It is quite unethical for a stranger to give food to a child who is under the care of his mother. In addition, the mother was never consulted. He ensured that the mother was looking away while he performed the act. At the same time, he was very aware that the boy and mother belonged to a culture that does not encourage eating of lamb on such particular day. As a result, the advert promotes unethical behaviours in the society. It encourages people to disregard other community’s cultures (Peter & Olson, 2003, p. 56). The Advertising Standard Bureau also promoted the unethical behaviour by clearing the owners of the advertisement of any wrong doing. The regulator provided such a ruling despite the many complaints that had been raised by the society members who castigated the advert. The advert also shows disrespect for the lesbian community when one of them is referred to as a boy. (Tyagi & Kumar , 2004, p. 97).

Companies must keenly observe consumer behaviour insights such as culture, product position, emotional appeal and consumer motivation in an attempt to market goods (Schiffman, 2013, p. 73). Peoples’ culture, for instance, is critical as much as marketing is concerned. Marketing companies should, therefore, avoid adverts that infringe other people’s culture as much as possible. Such adverts are likely to trigger rebellion from members of the community whose culture is fringed by the particular advert. The people may, therefore, keep off from purchasing the company’s products (Babin & Harris, 2004, p. 121).

Decision making prompts

Advertising companies must ensure that their adverts don’t trigger emotions among the people (Evans, et al., 1996, p. 64). The advert tends to provide a picture that mothers are unable to provide food for their children. This is seen when Kerovich hands a lamb chop to the boy while the mother is around. However, the mother had not failed in her responsibility of caring for the son as portrayed in the advert. It was on Australian day, and the people are not expected to feed on lamb at all. The advert is, therefore, likely to trigger the emotion of women in the society (Craig-Lees, et al., 1995, p. 71). They may decide to stop buying commodities from the company associated with the advert. As much as any company would like to market its products and to ensure that as many people purchase them as possible, they must avoid adverts that are likely to portray the products in bad faith.

The advert should not portray lesbians as boys. They should be accorded respect and simply referred to as lesbians. In addition, the lamb chop should not be given. Instead, a beef chop should be given to the boy. It should also not be given on Australian day

Conclusion

The advertisement is a business marketing strategy that promotes business competition and improved business gains. It enables many people to become aware of the products that are offered on the market. There are different types of advertisement. However, video adverts are more convincing and hence persuades more people to purchase the products. Despite the huge advantages that come with video advertisements, it is necessary for the companies to pay a lot of attention to the factors that are likely to affect consumer behaviour. Also, the views should be treated with a lot of concern.

References List

Babin, B. J. & Harris, E., 2004. Consumer behaviour. 5th Edition ( ed. s.l.:Cengage Learning.

Craig-Lees, M., Joy, S. & Browne, B., 1995. Consumer behaviour. s.l.:Jacaranda Wiley Ltd..

Evans, M. J., Moutinho, L. & Raaij, W. F., 1996. Applied Consumer Behaviour, 1st edition. s.l.:Addison-Wesley, England..

Foxall, G. R., 1994. Consumer Psychology for Marketing. s.l.:London: Routledge.

Kanuk, S., 2002. Consumer Behaviour. Sydney: Prentice Hall Australia Pty. Ltd..

Marieke de Mooij, 2010. Consumer Behavior and Culture: Consequences for Global Marketing and Advertising. s.l.:SAGE.

Mowen, J. C., 2000. Consumer Behaviour, second edition. New York: Maxwell Macmillan International Edition.

Otnes, C. & Tuncay-Zayer, L., 2012. Gender, Culture, and Consumer Behavior. s.l.:Routledge.

Peter, J. P. & Olson, J., 2003. Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Strategy .. New York: Richard Irwin, Mcgraw Hill & Co.

Schiffman, L., 2013. Consumer Behaviour. s.l.:Pearson Higher Education AU.

Tyagi, C. L. & Kumar , A., 2004. Consumer Behaviour. s.l.:Atlantic Publishers & Dist.

Widing, S. & Sheth, J., 2004. Customer Behaviour: Consumer Behaviour and Beyond. New York: The Dryden Press, Harcourt Brace Publishers.