Understanding Consumer Motivation

Introduction

Bord Bia commissioned this study to develop a deeper understanding of the Irish food and drink market and to explore consumer motivations for engaging with and purchasing products and brands. The consumer led model that has been developed will inform future growth strategies and assist you to develop brands and new product opportunities. People consume in different ways and today’s ‘multi-modal’ consumer presents a challenge to food and drink manufacturers. Today consumers are far less brand loyal than they were years ago. Rather than relying on one brand to deliver on all their needs in a category, they are looking for a personal portfolio of brands that can serve different needs at different times. People can be multiple brand users in a category but also for every repertoire consumer in a category there can be a type of brand loyalist, often purchasing on automatic pilot and out of habit. This summary is designed to introduce you to the psychology of food and drink, and provide provocative stimulus on your desk during the months ahead.

Why Use Motivations?

If you understand why people consume your brand you will be able to engage your customers better than your competitors.

On the surface it seems as if people consume food and drink for purely functional reasons. In standard research customers say they eat because they are hungry and they drink because they are thirsty. Many food and drink companies communicate to customers using product features and benefits such as “matured for longer” or “contains healthy bacteria”. Marketing based on product features is easily copied by competitors. If they improve on your product formulation they can steal your competitive advantage. It is far more difficult to copy an emotionally based positioning strategy. Bord Bia have carried out this research into motivations for consuming food and drink so that you can engage effectively with people.

With engagement comes brand loyalty. Emotive brands are more...