The Communication Process

There are many factors a Company must take into account when planning a campaign and this "Quality you could get used to" is no exception. Purchasing involvements are taken into account, where the product lies on a consumers Hierarchy of needs as well as who does what in the decision making process, are all factors researched and targeted prior to finalising a campaign.

VW Tiguan is a high involvement purchase. So what does that mean? Well it is a car and for most time, price, style, brand, features and bonus's also know as your core, actual and augmented product parts arecarefully considered, researched, compared and negotiated before the final purchase is made.

This particular commercials involvement is set to make you think, feel and do which in marketing terms is known as cognitive, affective and conative. Because this ad is set to make you really think about what is initially being sold your thinking and really starting to study the vehicle, especially after the first time you see it. The humour in the couple sneaking into the tent after a cheeky night spent at a hotel makes you feel, laugh and possibly relive a similar personal experience or want to act like that. Finally the conative response is for VW fans to look into this new car model and for first time buyers to start comparing and investigating this model and it's benefits to see it is right for them or possibly a new want for them.

Which leads me to the well known and all important Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Psychologist Abraham Maslow first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" that suggested that people are motivated to fulfil basic needs before on to other needs. These are set in a pyramid shape with the most important needs at the bottom.

In this day and age transport is just a must in my opinion. Not only to get from a to b, but to get from home, to work, to out, get food and for this particular target market possibly rush young children around too. In regards to the needs factor, a Tiguan ticks the physiological, safety and belonging box to me. Technically vehicles are really only needed for the basics but this economical/luxury SUV shows that the brand loyal and image conscious may not just choose this car for the basic safety, comfort features but for the trusted image of quality and taste of a VW. Other sports car and luxury vehicles like a lamborghini would show the use of esteem needs being put into place but a compact SUV would not move much further up the pyramid.

Understanding why people buy your car is part of understand what they want it for and this pyramid showing the motivation behind this want and need is an important tool when marketing your product.

The next important factor to take into account is the decision making process. Who are you trying to reach through the television on the couch or out on the street? Who is going to react better to price, needs, persuasion, word of mouth? and ultimately who is the initiator and who is the decider on what to purchase?

This is focused on through what is known as the decision making process:

Problem Recognition - Information Search - Alternate Evaluation - Purchase Decision - Post-purchase Evaluation. These factors are not only effecting motivation, perception, attitude formation, integration and learning, but usually not one sole person is necessarily going to be sole decider and gathering of information.  For example, when it comes to a family car the wife may be motivated, seeks information, the husband will most likely be the decider and purchaser. 

The Tiguan is much the same, whether for a couple, young family or single, word of mouth, comparing competition, the high involvement process kicks in and one must look into features, needs, personal style and finances before making a decision and evaluating post purchase choice. Judging from online car sites the Tiguan gets 4 1/2 stars out of 5 every time as a serious leading competitor in the industry.