Marketing of technological products

Abstract

Whereas the previous chapters have focused on the influence of technology on human behavior, this chapter looks at how technological products can best be presented to consumers. It will be clear that a welldesigned technological product, for example an ecologically built house (see section 2.1) or an energy efficient washing machine, is less effective and will have less influence if users are not interested in buying the product in the first place. The main question addressed in this chapter is what we should communicate about the product to consumers or product users. Should we, for example, stress how environmentally friendly the washing machine is? Or should we try to alter the dull image most ecological products have? Marketing is a discipline that is primarily concerned with how promotional efforts should be designed. This chapter introduces some well-known theories and models in this area. First, we introduce two marketing models that go into further detail about the relationship between message strategy and consumer behavior theories. These models will give more insights into the emotional response to advertising and provide practical guidelines for designing communication strategies and developing the more creative part of a campaign. Second, we will discuss another important tool in marketing and advertising: image management. The notion that perceptions of reality are more important than objective reality has long been recognized as a powerful tool in influencing consumer or buying behavior. The research technique called 'laddering' can be used to identify and alter images of consumer products. Empirical evidence for the advertising planning models and the laddering technique are discussed. © 2006 Springer.