One reason people consume is to meet their self-imposed "needs". Another is to find solutions to problems they either have or think they have.

There are at least five major internal factors influencing consumption.

1) Motivation

2) Learning and Memory

3) Personality and Self-concept

4) Attitudes

5) Information Processing

1) Motivation

The 1943 "pin up" crate label to the right was not intended for the housewife consumer. Its only purpose was to encourage the male produce buyers to look closer at the label, and thus the vegetables in the crate.

At a deeper level, motivation means encouraging you to take action.

2) Learning and Memory

This means how we learn about a product, and how much we remember about that product.

A maxim in the advertising business is that a bad ad remembered is more effective than a clever ad forgotten.

The ad to the right uses sexual symbolism to encourage the viewer to remember the name of the product.

The ad below, from England, uses a traditional technique to get our attention - sex. It then creates a unique linkage between the "story" on the screen and the product. The goal of the ad is to make the story, and thus the linked product, memorable.

Spirit Airlines is consistently rated the worst air carrier in America. YouTube is full of passionate hate videos about Spirit. Yet they are one of the most profitable airlines in the country. Why?

The "motivation" for the buyers is price, which we'll study in Module 6. But how do they learn about the prices and how do they remember? Sex.

Click here to read "Spirit Airlines Sees Business Take Off With Raunchy Ads"

3) Personality and Self-concept

This plays on your image of yourself and your vision of how you want to be.

Think of the products advertised that promise to make you "more" - more attractive, more self-confidant, more successful.

Many famous ad slogans speak to self-concept.

"Be All You Can Be"

"There's Something About an Aqua Velva Man"

"I Dreamed I Was Bewitching in My Maidenform Bra"

"Have It Your Way"

The cartoon to the right clearly shows the image conflict facing young women.

In contrast, the Singapore ad below urges us to look beyond an individual's outer appearance and seek the person within.

4) Attitudes

Because of the importance of attitude, marketers try to influence you before AND after a purchase.

The first task is to motivate the first sale. Marketers can encourage this by promoting a positive image of the product.

The next task is to encourage repeat sales. Marketers can do this either by reinforcing that their product is better. Or by reinforcing that their product is no worse.

The ad below is a classic "product demonstration" designed to influence your attitude about a product. We'll study this ad technique more in Module 6.

The cigarette industry faces enormous challenges in maintaining positive consumer attitudes in the face of anti-smoking campaigns and medical evidence. One company spent almost seven billion dollars worldwide on marketing and related expenses. That buys a lot of attitude.

Click here to read "Report Slams Marlboro for Marketing to Teens Globally"

5) Information Processing

This is the final step in the advertising process, where all of the internal and external factors are balanced. It's the actual purchasing impact of the ad.

You've been motivated, you've remembered, the ad has spoken to your personality and has shaped a positive attitude. You've absorbed all this information, processed it, and are ready to make that purchase! The information processing was a success.

Or you fail to make the purchase. Remember the Taco Bell ad? Cute dog, catchy ads, no sales. The information processing was incomplete

Here is another disaster we'll talk more about in the next module.

In these campaigns, the information processing failed. There was some gap, some weakness in the advertising. We did not process the information in the intended way - to influence a purchase.

Most successful advertising use several techniques to achieve information processing. The article below talks about creating a bond with the purchaser to encourage sales.

"Automotive marketers have the opportunity to experiment with their campaigns by trying innovative digital strategies and tactics that are proven to capture the attention of today's "always-on" consumer."

Click here to read "How Auto Marketers Can Take Advantage of Relevant Moments"