Insegnamento a.a. 2025-2026

30295 - PSYCHOLOGY OF MARKETING

Department of Marketing


Class timetable
Exam timetable

Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31
BAI (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - BEMACS (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - BGL (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - BIEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - BIEM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - BIG (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - CLEACC (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - CLEAM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - CLEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08) - WBB (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  3 credits M-PSI/01  |  3 credits SECS-P/08)
Course Director:
JOACHIM VOSGERAU

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: JOACHIM VOSGERAU


Suggested background knowledge

This course assumes knowledge of the basic principles of marketing, as previously learned in an Introduction to Marketing course.

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

Much of consumer behavior is motivated by psychological factors and processes, such as emotion, cognition, and social influence. Thus, by understanding consumers’ cognitions and emotions, marketers can add psychological value to consumers’ experiences, and can capture additional economic value in exchange. The main objective of this course is to provide a psychological foundation for understanding consumer behaviors and marketing actions.

CONTENT SUMMARY

Topics include some or all of the following:

·         Evolutionary foundation of consumer behavior.

·         Neuromarketing.

·         Emotion.

·         Attention.

·         Sensory marketing.

·         Memory.

·         Language.

·         Brand personality.

·         Social and personal influences.

·         Advertising.


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Define relevant psychological constructs and effects.
  • Describe contemporary models of consumer behavior.
  • Recognize psychological influences on marketing performance.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Apply relevant psychological constructs and effects in specific contexts
  • Apply contemporary models of consumer behavior to design or improve marketing campaigns, especially to components that are related to memory, attention, language, logo design, visual and auditory branding, as well as person-based branding.
  • Evaluate existing marketing campaigns and assess to what degree they successfully apply contemporary models of consumer behavior 

Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Practical Exercises
  • Individual works / Assignments
  • Collaborative Works / Assignments

DETAILS

The learning experience of this course includes, in addition to face-to-face lectures, 5 assigned readings throughout the semester, and 3 5-minute quizzes consisting of multiple-choice questions covering the material of the lectures (slides) up to that session as well as the 5 readings. The quizzes are meant to help you prepare for the final exam which will cover the same material as the quizzes. The 5 readings (short academic articles) are aimed at improving students learning and comprehension of academic articles and contemporary consumer behavior theories. In the group project, students form small groups, and work on a company of their choice. Specifically, they evaluate the existing marketing campaign of that compny (.i.e., logo, auditory and visual branding, advertisements, product packaging, spokepersons and influenncers, digital marketing, ect-.) and propose potential improvements to the companies marketing campaign. Finally, we will do a parctical in-class branding exercise by running a small scale experiment in class to assess the power of branding for food products.

 


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
     x
  • Individual Works/ Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    
  • Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
 x    

ATTENDING STUDENTS

15% quizzes: There are 3 5-minute quizzes consisting of multiple-choice questions covering the material of the lectures (slides) up to that session as well as the 5 readings. The quizzes are meant to help you prepare for the final exam which will cover the same material as the quizzes.

 

40% group presentation: Students will form small groups, and will give an in-class group presentation on a selected topic.

 

45% final exam: A 45-minute written exam consisting of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, diagram, and short-answer questions on the materials covered in class.

 


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

100% final written exam (same as attending students): A 1-hour written exam consisting of 60 multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, diagram, and short-answer questions on the textbook. The multiple-choice questions are mainly aimed at testing the learning of the concepts, methods and tools illustrated in the textbook and their correct understanding.


Teaching materials


ATTENDING STUDENTS

Course slides posted on Blackboard, plus 5 readings:

 

 

Reading 1    Blake, A. B., Nazarian, M., & Castel, A. D. (2015). The Apple of the mind’s eye: Everyday attention, metamemory, and reconstructive memory for the Apple logo. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 68, 858-865.

 

Reading 2    Dass, M., Kohli, C., Kumar, P., & Thomas, S. (2014). A study of the antecedents of slogan liking. Journal of Business Research, 67(12), 2504-2511.

 

Reading 3    Kohli, C., & Suri, R. (2002). Creating effective logos: Insights from theory and practice. Business Horizons, 45(3), 58-64.

 

Reading 4    Peck, J., & Childers, T. L. (2006). If I touch it I have to have it: Individual and environmental influences on impulse purchasing. Journal of Business Research, 59, 765-769.

 

Reading 5    Goldstein, N. J., Cialdini, R. B., & Griskevicius, V. (2008). A room with a viewpoint: Using social norms to motivate environmental conservation in hotels. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(3), 472-482.


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

TEXTBOOK: "Consumer Behavior" by Wayne Howyer, Deborah MacInnis, and Rik Pieters (2024, 8th edition), Cengage

Last change 24/11/2025 14:18