altruism and hedonism

8/3/2019 Altruism and Hedonism

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ALTRUISM AND HEDONISM:A review and discussion of

recent findings in the

marketing and consumer

behavior literature.

| Analysis |Pawan Kalyani

2010M06

SCMHRD, Pune


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:Introduction

2

Table of ContentsIntroduction ....................................................................................................................................... 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 t o describe the ethical doctrine he supported.

He believed that individuals had a moral obligation to renounce s elf-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 net

pleasure (pleasure minus pain). The name derives from the Gr eek word for

"delight"


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:Introduction

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Introduction

Marketers in todays 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 frompsychological 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 peoplehappyor 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 morevoluntarily 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 thevictim. 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 perce ption ofempathizing with the victim.

Similarly, White and Peloza (2009) investigated charitable appeals with a focus on benefit to


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:Analysis

4

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 ofhow

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 donorviews 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 workhelps 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 conce ptually 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 ofvalue. 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

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.


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:Analysis

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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 domoney, 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 designerhandbag) 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 thequestion 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 investigatehow thehedonic

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

forhedonic consumption.


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:Conclusions

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ConclusionsThis 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, themeans 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 products 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 andloyalty. 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 products 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.

altruism and hedonism

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