The purchase and consumption, the two sacred moments of Marketing

VOL. 0016 – FLORIDA, MONDAY, APR 17, 2023

Juan F. Arjona Harry

President & CEO Strategee

Achieving a positive impact on consumers requires significant efforts from brands when competing in the market. This task is the responsibility of brands that want to maintain or conquer an important place in the minds of consumers. It only serves to be one of the three brands that generally make up what is called the "Evoked Set of Competitive Brands".

This set brings together the first three brands that are generally purchased and consumed in a category. This fact is repeated from category to category. It is recurrent.

That's why it's crucial to be within those top three positions, as that's the only way to increase the probability of making a sale. This is the reason why brands seek viable alternatives for positioning in the Evoked Set.

An effective and intelligent way to bring the brand closer to the Evoked Set is to build advertising communication around the two sacred moments for marketing, which are the moments of purchase and the moments of consumption.

When and how to impact the moment of purchase?

First, it's important to mention that it will be necessary to specify the different stages of the purchase in order to establish the moments in each of the channels, as it differs greatly whether it's online or physical.

When we talk about options in the moments around the stages in the consumer's decision-making process, we have several moments, which are outlined below, as well as how to positively impact them for the brand:

1. Problem recognition: This is the first stage in the consumer's decision-making journey. In this stage, the key is to help the consumer find a real and palpable difference between their Current State and their Ideal State (which is achieved by consuming the product); this difference generates a state of psychological tension in the individual, motivating them to do everything in their power to benefit from the promises of well-being advertised. For example, Current State: being slightly overweight; Ideal State: living with controlled or reduced weight thanks to the consumption of the product. So, intelligent advertising communication presents the enormous benefits of consuming the product [thus forming an ideal for the consumer] that when compared to their current state, immediately generates the tension that will drive them to make a purchase. Here, the moment of purchase is impacted in the pre-stage of the purchase decision-making process.
   

2. Information search: This is the second stage in the purchase journey, which occurs just after the consumer feels the tension generated in the previous stage. At this point, the consumer seeks information that will prevent them from making a wrong purchase decision. The brand can have advertising that talks about itself, its features, and benefits for the consumer. The brand that provides the best information will have a greater probability of being purchased. Here, the moment of purchase is impacted by reducing perceived purchase risk.
   

3. Evaluation of alternatives: This is the third stage of the purchase journey and is precisely when the comparison between the brands that the consumer has chosen to compare and make a better decision occurs. Again, the brand can impact this part of the journey by communicating the benefits of consuming the product compared to other market options.
   

4. Selection of the ideal alternative: This is the fourth stage of the purchase journey; the brand can reinforce its message communicatively that it is the best option compared to others, and it should do so by highlighting its differentiator. Here, the purchase is impacted by further reducing the risk of failure with the purchase. The brand can also use testimonials that reinforce the idea that consuming the brand is the ideal alternative, making it possible for the theory of influence of others on one's own decisions to result in the choice of the brand.
   

5. Post-purchase evaluation: This is the final stage of the customer journey and provides an opportunity to use storytelling to communicate to other consumers that their decision was the right one and that they are enjoying the benefits of consuming the brand. The use of consumer testimonials can be a powerful means of effective communication.

The above are the possibilities that impact the moment of purchase throughout the entire decision-making process.

Now, from the moment of consumption, we have several alternatives, including:

1. Communicating the recommended consumption rate for better product performance. Generally, this strategy of communicating higher consumption rates per unit directly impacts positive demand growth, benefiting the entire category, but mostly benefiting those who were proactive and started the campaign first. Category leaders usually take advantage of this strategy. Highly recommended for the first, second, and third brands in the category.
   

2. Communicating a different consumption occasion, with the advantages and benefits that come with consuming the product in this new occasion. Typically, category leaders benefit from this strategy and are the ones who mostly adopt this type of strategy. Recommended for the first or second brand in the category.
   

3. Calling out new consumers to try the brand and benefit from its multiple advantages could also be a consumption-based strategy to implement. This strategy is generally more effective for leading brands and occasionally for the second brand in the category.
   

4. Stimulating the replacement rate among the group of consumers can also result in sales growth, and accelerating it can be a very effective strategy, as consumers - feeling the famous FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) - feel better by upgrading to a new version to enjoy the brand's benefits more.

The CMO thus has several alternatives to positively impact the growth of their brand in the market. At Strategee, we support brands in finding the strategic path that leads to profitable and sustainable growth.