The Existence and Survival of Any Business

Introduction

The existence and survival of any business in the twenty-first century relies heavily on how consumers view the products and services provided by organisations. Understanding consumer behaviour has been a focus for industrial psychologists. Consumer behaviour is all about the process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to satisfy their needs and desires. Consumer satisfaction by means of understanding and communicating with them in improving the quality of products and services that require and demand enhances sales and helps in avoiding problems. However, the history of media audience research has seen many a transformation in media theory and research perspectives. According to Williams (2003:190), "the change in thinking about media audiences coincided with the technological advances that have enabled the media to cater for more specialised audiences". The interactive activities amongst other include features such as accessing the Internet, voting via text messages or telephone, accessing the DSTV (digital satellite television) guide, sending text messages for broadcasting purposes and attending official appearances of the contestants of the show.

1. Interactive TV communication feedback allows companies to receive an instant response from the clients who are currently watching the program. This enables the producers who are sitting at the studio to alter and change the content of the program if it is boring or unsatisfactory to the viewers.

This strengthens the communication between the sender of the information and the receive making this collaboration a one that leads to success.

With the use of information derived from conventional fan mail and TV rating companies may respond a little later and may in the process lose some viewrs and clients as well.

2. Yes,

Firstly, consumers who feel that their complaints and needs are attended to, will probably trust the service or product provider. They will commit themselves and be loyal to a certain brand.

Secondly, feedbacks from these consumers will help for quality improvements. Thus, this is some form of a research in trying to know what people want and be able to meet those standards.

Thirdly, this can be used as some form of competitive advantage. Companies that react and respond to what consumers need gain an advantage over their competitors.

3. Wilson and Sherrell (1993) showed that source credibility has a positive persuasive impact: on average 7.4 percent of the explained variance of the dependent variables were due to a low- vs. high source credibility manipulation. Thus, when viewers perceive the communication as honest and valid, they tent to trust and accept it. Product placements can have a significant effect on recall (Panda, 2004). For example,

memory improves when visual/auditory modality and plot connection are congruent (Russell, 2002). Pokrywczynski (2005) has found that viewers can correctly recognize and recall placed brands in movies, using aided recall measures and free recall measures. Also, brands placed prominently in a movie scene enjoy higher brand recall than those that are not. Verbal and visual brand placements are better recalled than placements having one or the other.

LIVE AMP is a music show that plays on South African Broadcasting Corporation on Fridays at 9:00 pm. Viewers are given an opportunity to speak up their minds about what is going on the show.

Case study Two

1. Ethical considerations are important when advertising in order to ensure that there no one feels offended. Many companies have been sued for not doing their research properly when advertising. What might be acceptable to other groups may not be acceptable to other group. Cultural and religious groups are different and they value their traditions. Thus, human perceptions make it difficult for marketers to target their customers easily. Also, consumers' ethical opinions about product placements