Inner Stimuli, Outer Stimuli and Their Relationship with Consumer Behavior: A Structural Functionistic Study in Popular Music Industry

Abstract

All researches pertaining to marketing would be worthless, unless they will boil down to the most important ingredient of success in the field of consumer behavior. In this research, consumer behavior is not looked upon as something that a consumer does unknowingly. Consumer behavior is treated as an expression of decision on the part of the consumer. This decision is phenomenological in nature, which is a function of the inner and outer stimuli. These stimuli work together to form consumer behavior by entering into a black box, which the human mind. In this paper, the correlations between the outer stimuli and such behaviors are gauged. There were 284 respondents who answered a questionnaire regarding their consumer behavior in the popular music industry. These behaviors are outlined based on the black box model that was adjusted within the parameters and limitations of this research. The survey was conducted at the SM Baguio City. Respondents bought music products from music stores within that mall. It was shown that in general, self-identity was related or associated with consumer behaviors. Environmental and marketing stimuli were range restricted, so only one variable was found significant and it was promotion effectiveness. This implies that differences in self-identity, which is a result of different upbringing, environment, and inner dynamics, go well with differences in consumer behavior. In contained and similar environment (like in the case of this research), self identity is an important determinant of consumer behavior. Marketing efforts should therefore be focused toward fulfilling the demands associated with the self identity of the consumers.