Chapter 7

New Understandings of Consumer Goals and Motivation

In This Chapter

arrow Understanding the new science of motivation

arrow Seeing how nonconscious goals guide behavior

arrow Examining implications for marketers and consumers

arrow Putting together a new view of how consumers shop and buy

Every human being knows what it feels like to have a goal. Unless you just flipped randomly to this page, you’re probably operating under a conscious goal right now: getting through this chapter! Goals are the motivational drivers behind decisions and actions and are extremely important to marketing and neuromarketing, because they’re the mechanisms by which we connect our perceptions, emotions, and preferences for brands and products to our choices and behavior as consumers.

In this chapter, we look at the exciting and surprising new science of goals and motivation. We explain how people regularly have nonconscious goals that they aren’t aware of; how these goals are activated, pursued, and either achieved or not achieved; what happens after successful or unsuccessful goal pursuit; and how all this relates ...

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