Heuristics and Print Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Heuristics and Print Advertising - Essay Example This calls for the use of simpler methods to get satisfactory solutions. An example of this is the application of heuristics. Heuristics refers to experience-based techniques for discovery, learning and solving problems. Heuristics can also be described as simplifying strategies or rules of thumb that help people in their reasonable judgment and make guesses more quickly. Therefore, they are informal shortcuts or rules used to make daily judgments and get satisfactory solution since organizations cannot afford to spend large amounts of resources like energy, time and money on every single judgment or detail of life (Kahneman et al, 1982). Consumer behavior theories also give a good understanding of the behavioral trends among consumers and the factors that affect their decisions. Marketers combine information from these theories with heuristics so as to attain strategic marketing. The consumer behaviour theory gives a practical application of understanding the behaviour trends in con sumers and thus providing a way of strategizing to influence them. The theory explains the psychological, mental, emotional, non-utilitarian or subjective aspects of consumer behaviour in making buying decisions. ... It is also important to understand that there are consumers who are always after brands of high value hence they seek a lot of information on available brands before making any purchase (Engel et al 1995). Other consumers have habitual buying behaviour whereby they purchase products as a habit whereas others are variety seeking. Howard (1989) states that variety consumers always shop around to get a different brand of a product just to have variety. Variety seeking consumers are the best targets for advertisements since it brings the existence of the brand into their attention so that they can seek it. When they have got used to it, the manufacturers can make slight changes to re-advertise it as a new or improved product once again. Another consumer behaviour theory that explains the trends in consumer behaviour is the neoclassical consumer theory. This theory is a branch of microeconomics that deals with understanding consumer behaviours through the application of classical models o f economics. These models are based on the perception of consumers as people who are very rational in their decision making. In this respect it views them as people who always seek to maximize their satisfaction and benefits with purchases through informed and reasoned analysis of utility and value. When the neoclassical consumer theory is applied to consumer behaviour, it assumes that the utility or benefit of a product describes their behaviour over a life time. The utility maximizing rule states that for consumers to maximise satisfaction, they should allocate their finances so that the last amount of money spend on each product yields the same utility. The neoclassical theory factors in the issue of elasticity. If a product is highly elastic, its consumption will reduce if its price

DARE Program Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DARE Program - Research Paper Example In this essay, the proponent tries to discuss a brief overview of the program, a review of the effectiveness and or ineffectiveness of the program, changes that have been implemented to increase its effectiveness, and based on the findings of the research the proponent elaborately discusses grounds whether or not it is appropriate to continue to fund this program. Overview of DARE Founded in 1983 in Los Angeles, DARE aims to help children or young people from kindergarten through 12th grade not to be involved with peer pressures, drugs and violence, but ensure them to live productive lives (DARE America, 2012). This program guarantees children to improve their skills, and divert them to be more productive for them not to be associated with drugs, gangs and violence. Under this program, children are customarily given with classroom lessons in line with resisting peer pressures, and instead live a productive life free from drugs and matters concerning violence. Review of DARE’s effectiveness or ineffectiveness DARE program is claimed to be in line with hopelessly outmoded theories of human learning and behavior, it is a failure when it comes to distinguishing what a legal substance or illegal drug is, it generally considers all use as abuse, and it presents inconsistent view of substance with reference to what students actually observe in their environment (Hanson, 2011). All of these are important considerations that are deemed to be elemental reasons that could point out to the ineffectiveness of DARE program. Furthermore, Hanson also points out that DARE is a disaster for students but a specific accomplishment for those implementing and making profit from it. Hanson simply implies that the reason why DARE continuously exists is due to the fact that there is a remarkable advantage and benefits out of it especially on the part of those who implement it, and not so much of the children who actually should benefit from it. In line with the claim of Hanson, a study conducted by Clayton, Cattarello and Johnstone (1996) showed that there was no significant difference when drug or alcohol intervention was conducted on the 7th grade approximately after one year with DARE program and after a 5-year measurement interval. The result was able to show the information about the students in their 7th grade regarding their attitudes towards drugs, resisting peer pressure and level of drug use by peers. To support this further, evaluation regarding DARE’s effectiveness showed that student’s knowledge, attitudes and behavior on drug prevention could be loss over time, which was substantially observed to come right after the program (Birkeland, Graham & Weiss, 2005). In fact, student’s behaviors and perceptions are crucial to programs that at some point could associate DARE and its goals (Doulas & Lurigio, 2010; Champion, 2010). In other words, due to the fact that students who have undergone the DARE program will undergo adolesc ent stage and potential influence from the environment, it could not be perfectly relied on that they could have significant immunity against actual exposure to alcohol and drug abuse as their attitudes, behaviors or knowledge will change over time. These