High Invilvement Marketing

Consumer involvement Theory, to be precise.

This is one way to understand the psychology and behavior of your target audience. There are others. But none quite so simple and insightful.

Involvement refers to how much time, thought, energy and other resources people devote to the purchase process.

The Emotional / Rational scale is a measure of reason vs. impulse, desire vs. logic, passion vs. prudence. That sort of psycho stuff.

> High involvement / rational

> High involvement / emotional

> Low involvement / rational

> Low involvement / emotional

> Graph: Look inside the mind of Mr. Gendut.

Definitions:

High involvement / rational

In this category you find expensive business purchases: anything relating to the technological infrastructure, the office location and lease, as well as the company health insurance plan.

On the consumer side, high involvement / rational purchases tend to be linked to high cost. This category can include financial services and products, the purchase of a home or car, as well as major appliances and electronics.

That said, high involvement consumer purchases can vary significantly on the rational / emotional scale from individual to individual. For Ms. Smith, a car is strictly a way to get to work, and her selection is based on fuel economy and reliability. For Mr. Wilson, a car is an important expression of his status and ego.

Your task is to determine how the majority of your target market relates to the purchase of the particular product or service.

For both B2C and BtoB markets, advertising for Hi/R purchases tend to be copy driven, with clear explanations of features and benefits.

High involvement / emotional

Business purchases that fall into this category might include such things as office design, advertising, and perhaps the hiring of certain employees.

For individuals, high involvement / emotional purchases can include jewelry, weddings, and holiday travel plans. In some societies