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External & Internal Influences Paper

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External & Internal Influences Paper
External & Internal Influences Paper

Learning Team A

Christopher Avery, Kristi Jordan, Matthew Land, Jeffrey Nelson,

Misty Roberts, Karla Rendon

University of Phoenix

MKT/435 – Consumer Behavior

Thomas O’Brien

February 6, 2009

Introduction

Understanding the mind of a consumer is a puzzling process. It is important to consider that no single factor explains why consumers behave as they do. Rather, there are external and internal factors in addition to environmental factors that contribute to and help solve the puzzle. According to Perner (2008), consumer behavior is "the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society.” When marketing products, it imperative that Apple analyzes the impact of external and internal influences on consumer behavior and marketing strategies to connect with its target market. Team A will illustrate external and internal influences faced by Apple, and analyze the impact that these influences have on the Apples marketing strategy. Team A will also identify environmental factors that could influence consumer’s perception of Apples marketing strategies. To market its products more effectively, it is essential that Apple uses its resources to better understand consumer behavior.

External Influences

The external factors or influences on consumer behavior and marketing strategy that shape Apple’s marketing strategy for the iPhone are those of cultural, economic, and demographic. External factors are not directly under the control of the company, and must be taken into consideration by Apple to market and sell their products successfully. Examining the impact of external influences, reveals fundamental data on consumer behavior, that influences the techniques, tactics and marketing strategies of Apple.

Cultural



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