Independently Created Case Study
As a portion of the requirements of this class, each student is to interview/survey 3 generations to determine why they buy product X. Analyze the differences in marketing strategies for the different consumer groups. Create “3 customer personas” associated with these buyers. To learn more about personas, please read the PDF article, “Stay Out of the Danger Zone: Using Personas for Content Development.”

You are to utilize and apply the theories that we are learning in this class. Describe / evaluate the experiences in the purchasing process for those you interview. Include value to the buyer, and relevance of what you learned to the study of consumer behavior marketing practices. Who is the product target market (include “personas)? Describe the technology utilized to drive the purchase. How did the store drive traffic to their product ? Give some examples of the influencers involved such as family, cultures, etc. As such, you would apply the universal consumer purchase decision, incorporating such things as the impact of advertising and promotion, what motivated him/her to make the purchase or decision, how the purchase satisfied a need or want, what research was completed, individual perception of the product or service, what was learned, any previous attitudes held (before the purchase decision) that may have changed and why, specific influence of family, friends, opinion leaders, their pervasive culture, what types of messages were conveyed to him/her, etc. Glean the “facts” from the interview conversations that you have.

This deliverable is to be a maximum of 5 pages of text (double spaced-12 inch margins) and include an Executive Summary of key points. References will be required, which may include the textbook and class discussions, relevant scholarly articles, practitioner / trade publications, etc. Utilize APA style and format which will include title page, table of contents, endnotes, and appendices (if necessary) should be a part of the assignment. (Students must research APA style and format if unfamiliar with it. Consult resources available in the DBU Writing Center.)

To give you an idea of the structure for the paper, the Table of Contents could look like this:

• Introduction
• Persona Profiles for Generational Buyers
• Descriptions of Buyers’ Purchasing Process
• Product Purchased
• Product Target Market
• Technology Used in Purchasing
• Store Marketing
• Purchasing Influencers (as noted above)
• References
please read the attached PDF article of “Stay Out of the Danger Zone