Reflection of Consumer Behavior

This class has changed the way that I look at advertisements when I watch television. I now think why companies use the strategies they use in their commercials. I notice how well different products market towards their demographics. I think it is very interesting that the shows we watch completely change the type of advertisements shown. During a show like South Park I now notice that sometimes during a commericial break there is often only one, long video game commercial. This is because the companies know the people that watch South Park are often very involved in gaming.
Advertisers use of reference groups are very apparant to me now after this class. Athletes have become very popular in commercials with referent power being a very useful marketing tool. Peyton Manning has become a advertising staple and I think it is very interesting that UGG boots has signed Tom Brady.
One of the most interesting aspects in this class that we learned about was Business Analyst Online. I thoght this plethora of information is an incredibly useful tool. I was very excited to have access to this program and I was actually able to use it for another class where I was creating a business plan. I also thought the VALS survey was very interesting.
I enjoyed taking this class very much and I feel as though I know a great deal more about why consumers think the way they do.

Reference Groups

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ78q2sJ7iA

This is a link to the Citizen Eco-Drive watch commercial featuring New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. This commercial uses referent power because people admire this football player and want to be like him. The commercial says just like the watch and the quarterback, buying this product will make you "unstoppable." This company often uses referent power in their adverstisements, especially athletes that ppeople admire. They have used basketball point guard Steve Nash and tennis player Martina Hinges in their advertisements.