Reference no: EM133932722 , Length: Word Count:2500

Buyer Behaviour

The Task:
This case contains three main questions that relate to a practical Buyer Behaviour scenario.

Based on a case study, the assessment simulates a job application scenario in which you have been shortlisted for a Marketing Consultant position. You are now required to complete three tasks, presented in the form of a mock email to the Board of Director.

The questions are contained in email messages from the company's Senior Brand Manager to add to the authenticity of the task.

All questions are equally weighted in importance (10 marks each) and your response will be graded according to the rubric in the assessment task that relates directly to Course Learning Outcomes.

Word count: Maximum of 2400 words, (800 words per question) but excluding, (figures, frameworks, tables models and references). There is no minimum word count, but your answers must be of sufficient quality to answer the question(s).

This task is administered to ascertain your understanding and application of material in this course relevant to the overall learning outcomes, particularly in terms of being able to outline critical elements of Buyer Behaviour theoretical framework to demonstrate the relationship and strategic interaction between these elements.

Case Study Assessment

The Case: Reducing Food Waste - The FreshChoice Campaign
In 2025, the City of Melbrooke partnered with local supermarkets and community organisations to launch the FreshChoice Campaign, a social marketing initiative aimed at reducing household food waste and encouraging sustainable consumption habits. Preliminary research revealed that while residents expressed strong intentions to "eat sustainably" and reduce waste, actual behaviours often contradicted these attitudes.

Consumers habitually over-purchased during weekly shopping trips, driven by promotional cues such as "buy one, get one free" and bulk discounts. Many reported emotional comfort in stocking pantries "just in case," reflecting deep-seated cultural associations between abundance, security, and good household management. Internal influences such as self- identity-particularly among parents who equated a full fridge with being a good provider- reinforced these tendencies.

The external social environment also played a role. Among peer groups, hosting gatherings with excessive food remained a status marker of generosity, while norms of convenience meant consumers preferred ready-made meals, even if they expired quickly. Although local councils provided composting bins and supermarkets trialled "imperfect produce" sections, these initiatives were undermined by entrenched beliefs about quality and freshness. Get top-notch online assignment help.

FreshChoice's initial campaign, which emphasised the environmental impact of food waste, struggled to resonate emotionally with consumers. Residents acknowledged sustainability issues but prioritised convenience, savings, and social expectations. The challenge now lies in reframing messages to highlight immediate, personal benefits-such as saving money, improving household efficiency, and strengthening family wellbeing-while simultaneously shifting cultural norms that equate abundance with success.

To address this, FreshChoice is seeking a Marketing Consultant to design a targeted, evidence-based intervention that applies consumer behaviour theories to drive meaningful, long-term change in food purchasing and consumption habits.

As part of RMIT's LinkedIn involvement, FreshChoice Campaign became aware of the significant positive impact that Buyer Behaviour students were having on their understanding and application of theoretical BB frameworks and are impressed by your resume.

Congratulations, you are one of candidates shortlisted for the Marketing Consultant role
for FreshChoice Campaign, City of Melbrooke.

WHAT TO DO: REQUIREMENTS
As a potential appointed candidate for the Marketing Consultant role your insights and recommendations will be presented at the next Board of Directors meeting including the CEO, CMO and CIO.
You are required to provide answers to the questions posed in the following THREE emails from the FreshChoice Board. Please respond to each email on a different page.

It is important that you read each question carefully and answer what is specifically asked. Because you are new you won't have full information so you will need to clearly state any assumptions you make. You must make use of lecture notes and materials, and additional research to help provide an insightful answer.

QUESTION 1:

Subject: Launch of FreshChoice Campaign

Message from the Board: We aim to maximise our chances of success in launching FreshChoice Campaign. We greatly value your expertise in developing a social marketing campaign.

Drawing on the latest research and insights from high-quality sources, your response to our key question will identify and elaborate on the most critical factors that will ensure the success of the campaign

We look forward to your response and will table it at our next meeting.

Attitude-Behaviour Gap (10 marks) 800 words

Consumers often express strong intentions to reduce food waste but struggle to follow through because of:
Promotional cues (e.g. bulk discounts, "buy one, get one free" offers encouraging over-purchasing)
Convenience motives (e.g. preferring ready-made meals even if they expire quickly)
Emotional comfort (e.g. feeling secure with a fully stocked pantry)

These factors widen the gap between sustainable intentions and actual household food management.
Your Task:

Briefly explain how two internal factors contribute to over-purchasing behaviour.
Suggest two marketing strategies (e.g. reframing promotions, savings-focused messaging) that could reduce this intention-behaviour gap.

Remember to:

Use relevant Buyer Behaviour concepts (e.g. self-concept, perception)
Include at least FIVE high-quality references for the Board's review
Add Word Count, any assumptions, and a Reference List

QUESTION 2:
Message from the Board: We are committed to developing targeted educational and promotional tactics that uncover deep consumer insights and highlight the external forces shaping household behaviour. Our objective is to translate these insights into strategies that shift cultural norms and peer expectations around food purchasing, so that sustainable practices become both socially desirable and personally rewarding.

In Melbrooke, the external social environment plays a significant role in reinforcing food waste. Within peer groups, hosting gatherings with excessive food continues to be seen as a status marker of generosity. Similarly, norms of convenience encourage reliance on ready- made meals, even if they are prone to expiring quickly. These powerful social and cultural influences often override consumers' environmental intentions, sustaining patterns of over- purchasing and waste.

External Influences and Social Norms (10 marks) 800 words For many households, external influences shape food consumption through:
Peer expectations (e.g. providing excess food at gatherings to show hospitality and generosity)
Norms of convenience (e.g. reliance on ready-made meals even when waste is likely)
Cultural values (e.g. associating abundance with success, security, and status)
These external pressures reinforce wasteful practices, even among consumers who express a commitment to sustainability.

Your Task:

Explain how two external factors (e.g. peer norms, cultural values) reinforce over- purchasing and waste behaviours.
Recommend two strategies (e.g. social marketing campaigns, community challenges, reframing abundance) that could shift external norms to support more mindful and sustainable food consumption.

Remember to:

Ground your answers in Buyer Behaviour theory
Use concepts from lectures and credible sources
Include at least FIVE high-quality references for the Board's review
Add Word Count, any assumptions, and a Reference List

QUESTION 3:

Message from the Board: As a social marketing team, we face an ongoing challenge in designing advertising that genuinely changes how households manage food and reduce waste. In Melbrooke, our insights reveal that while most residents agree food waste is a problem, their actions tell another story. The issue lies not in awareness, but in habit, emotional triggers, and marketing saturation that promotes excess.

Current advertising often reinforces over-buying through "value" and "bulk" messages. To counter this, our communication strategy must reframe the meaning of value-from quantity to quality, from saving money now to saving resources for the future. Advertising should tap into personal relevance, appealing to control, care, and pride in resourcefulness rather than guilt or social approval.

Consumers respond to messages that fit seamlessly into their daily routines. Campaigns should therefore use clear, relatable storytelling and visual cues that show how small actions-like smarter shopping, storage, and meal planning-translate into tangible household benefits such as saving money, saving time, and reducing clutter.
The focus moving forward is to develop an advertising-driven 4Ps strategy that promotes a culture of mindful consumption through engaging, practical, and emotionally resonant communication.

We look forward to your recommendations, which will be tabled at our next meeting.

Mindful Consumption through Communication Your Task:
Recommend a marketing mix (4Ps) strategy that uses persuasive advertising to reduce food waste in Melbrooke households.
Product: How can ads show that smart packaging and meal-planning tools make life easier and help reduce waste?

Price: How can ads highlight deals or rewards that show saving food also saves money?

Promotion: What kind of ad message would make people feel proud to be smart and sustainable, not wasteful?

Placement: How can ads make sustainable options easy to see and choose in stores, online, and the community?