Consumer Behavior: Applying Involvement Theory in Global Marketing

This essay delves into the application of consumer involvement theory in international marketing, focusing on how marketers can influence consumer buying decisions in a global and digital context. It explains consumer involvement as a key motivator in purchase behavior and explores how international marketers must design marketing mixes to leverage this. The essay examines the low-involvement learning model, the Learn-Feel-Do hierarchy model, and the strategies for high and low involvement products. It provides examples of how advertising campaigns, brand management, and promotional strategies can be tailored to influence consumers based on their level of involvement, considering factors such as product type, regional differences, and the importance of digital advertising. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for a balanced marketing mix that considers both high and low involvement segments and the importance of understanding consumer behavior to design effective marketing campaigns.

Consumer Behavior in Global and Digital World

According to the consumer involvement theory, consumer involvement is defined as a state
of mind that motivates a consumer and leads to the identification of products or the services
offered, the pattern of the consumption and the consumption behaviour. It is the base for
seeking, processing, and transmitting of information by the consumers, making the purchase
decisions and making the evaluation of the purchases. An international marketer must design
the marketing mix in a way that turns the involvement in the organisation’s favour and
marketing communication plays an empirical role in the same. The application of the
consumer involvement theory in the international buying decisions can be explained in the
following segment.
According to the low involvement learning model, the low involvement products are the
products that are often purchased as a matter of routine and are low in terms of value and
risk. In the case of such products, the international marketer must follow a sequence of
cognition > behaviour > attitude. The international marketer can design an advertising
campaign using TV, as it would cover the consumers across the globe.
 The marketer can educate the customers about the products or the services by making
use of the advertising techniques that are music, hiring a popular celebrity or
spokesperson in the target region or nation, and special effects.
 The marketer would benefit if he would engaging in brand management by relating
the day-to-day habits, beliefs, lifestyle, and behaviour of the people of the targeted
region in the advertising campaign of the low involvement products.
As per the Learn-Feel-Do Hierarchy Model, purchases are a mix of cognition and thinking;
feelings and emotions. According to the model, products are classified into four categories
namely, the High Involvement/High Thinking, High Involvement/High Feeling, Low
Involvement/Low Thinking and Low Involvement/Low Feeling.

 For the products that fall into high involvement/high thinking quadrant, such as cars,
laptops, and technology-driven products, the international market can succeed by
providing more and more information about the products. This would help in brand
building and favourable attitude among the overseas customers. This is crucial
because of the cross-border differences and therefore, the factual and relevant
information must be the prime focus of the international marketer.
 For the products that fall in the high involvement/high feeling categories, such as
jewellery, perfumes, fashion clothes, sports cars and more, the marketer must focus on
the development of the affection among the international customers. This can be done
by including the regional language, practices in the promotional strategy that would
build a good psychological and emotional state of entertainment.
 For the products falling in the low involvement/low thinking quadrant, the examples
of which are bread, soap, stationery items and more of this kind, the success of the
influencing over the buying decisions depend on the brand loyalty. Thus, the
marketers must focus on the creation of the advertisements that aid in brand recalling.
The challenge in the same is that consumer's choices are dependent upon the social
pressures and the lifespan of the brand loyalty is short.
For high involvement category of purchases, the marketers must provide extensive
information with respect to product features, attributes, benefits and more. The longer
format media consisting of magazines, newspapers and journals are apt for this.
For low involvement purchases, the creation and use of emotional needs is the key. Thus,
brand loyalty can be created with the help of attractive stores and display, merchandise
and such. The main focus should be laid on the use of the audiovisual media.

When there is a scenario of both high involvement and low involvement segments, a
balanced marketing mix strategy must be created. The decision must be made taking into
account the size and potential of each of the targeted regions or segments.
Thus, as per the discussions conducted in the previous parts, it can be concluded that
designing a promotional message is crucial for an international marketing in the age of
the digital advertising, global business practices and the competition. An international
marketer should design the advertising campaign and the promotional message depending
upon the level of the consumer involvement that is existing for the most of the products
and services pertaining to that targeted region or segment. In addition to the above, the
marketer must gain information high involvement and the low involvement purchase
scenarios and accordingly, the marketing strategies must be updated. Influencing the
customers buying decision is the key to successful marketing campaigns.