Consumer behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Consumer behavior - Essay Example There is a contrary perspective as well, which is, organization can straight way come up with marketing strategies, and then influence the consumer behaviour. That is, if the organization makes an all out ‘attack’ on the customers’ sense organs of eyes, ears and even nose, they can influence or tune the consumer’s behaviour and their buying habits. Either way, it is of paramount importance to focus on consumers’ behaviour and come up with marketing strategies, so the organization’s product or service can be made an enticing one as well as an optimally selling and successful one. In that direction, the focus will be on the British product or brand of BMW’s MINI or MINI Hatch, explaining how its marketing mix elements driven by psychological and sociological drivers has been working together to influence consumer buying behaviour, and thereby aiding it to become one of the most successful consumer products of the world. Background Mini (b randed initially as MINI, MINI Cooper and now as MINI Hatch) was originally a British automotive brand, but is now currently owned and manufactured by the German auto major, BMW Group. Due to its unique design and performance, Mini, since its launch in 1950s, became one of the most likeable and popular cars in Britain as well as throughout the world. It came under BMW’s control in 1994, when BMW purchased Minis’ then owner, Rover. However, with Rover facing massive losses at the turn of the millennium, BMW decided to sell Rover and thereby stop treating â€Å"'The English Patient†, as the struggling Rover subsidiary was nicknamed by the British Press. Even while selling off the Rover, BMW understanding the significance and potential of Mini as a brand made up its mind to hold it. They allowed Rover to sell out all the manufactured models, and when the last one was sold, the brand name 'Mini' got reverted to BMW. Under that brand name, BMW started manufacturing o f its version at Oxford plant in Cowley, United Kingdom, thereby launching what came to be one of the most successful brand plus iconic products out of UK. BMW’s MINI as an optimal PRODUCT With BMW reworking and re-branding an already successful product of Mini, it had in its hand an optimal PRODUCT, when it launched it in 2000 at the Paris Motor Show. During the launch, BMW modified the brand name as MINI Cooper, with the letters of ‘Mini’ capitalized, along the addition of the name Cooper. Both these changes were done to give it a makeover and importantly to differentiate it from the Mini was produced by Rover. This fresh avatar of MINI was unrelated to the old Mini in the technical and configuration sense, but still retained certain key, successful and iconic features like the transverse 4 cylinders, along with front-wheel-drive configuration and importantly the iconic as well as the unique "bulldog" touch. Although, they incorporated certain old features, the new MINI was an advancement or forward evolution of the old car, as many technologically advanced aspects starting from the high powered engine to various technical and non-technical aspects were featured. BMW MINI’s designer Frank Stephenson had this to say, â€Å"The MINI Cooper is not a retro design car, but an evolution of the original. It has the genes and many of the characteristics of its