The Bachelorette

Have you ever wondered what causes people to watch reality television shows? I'm constantly asking myself that question, even though I am a big fan of reality television.  I have my own reasons for watching the shows, like most people who watch them.  After reading about consumer behavior, I can't say exactly what draws people to reality television, but I have a good idea of the process they go through when deciding to watch the show.  Although the consumer behavior steps in the book are more set out for a service or product, I want to apply them to my decision to watch this season of The Bachelorette...even though I watch every season.

This season of The Bachelorette started out in a way that has never been done before.  The eligible men that showed up on the first night had to decide whether to keep Britt or Kaitlyn as the bachelorette.  In case you don't know, they chose Kaitlyn.  Might I say that the marketing techniques for reality television are remarkable!  After watching a preview of the show, they can make the audience believe that one person said something about another, even though they really didn't.  The previews take people's words so out of context it is unbelievable...yet people believe it.  I can't lie, I'm definitely one of those gullible people that believe them too.  Some of the dramatic events rumored to occur on this season are that Kaitlyn sleeps with three men before hometown dates, one man falls in love with another, and a guy shows up that wasn't part of the original twenty-five men to try and win over Kaitlyn's heart.  I think this really will be the most dramatic season yet!

With that introduction, I think I can discuss Step One: Need Recognition.  

This is when the consumer realizes they are unsatisfied and want to go from their current state to their desired state.  When I started watching The Bachelorette for the first time, I did it because I needed some good entertainment, and the drama definitely lured me in!

Step Two: Search for Information

Before I started watching the show I had seen previews on television and thought it looked exciting.  I was performing an external search for information.  Gathering what I could from the previews.  I also asked some friends what they thought of the show and they all really liked it.  

I did an internal search for information when I decided to watch this season because I pulled from my past experiences of watching the show and I know I really enjoy it.

Step Three: Evaluation of Alternatives

I evaluated my alternatives of either watching the show or being bored and sitting around the house.  I'm sure I had more alternatives at the time, but in my mind those were the only two.  I used my consumer decision rules (a set of criteria that consumers use to quickly and efficiently select from alternatives) to decide to watch the show.  My criteria mostly consisted of whether the show was entertaining, if it was believable, and if I had the time to watch it.

Step Four: Purchase and Consumption

Obviously I didn't purchase the show to watch it, but I would say that I consumed it.  I metaphorically bought into all the drama the show was selling.  All the crying, lying, drinking, cursing, and crazy dates drew me in.  

Step Five: Postpurchase

I've definitely become loyal to this show.  I like that it's dramatic and the eligible men and women that go on the show never cease to amaze me with their craziness.  There are some pretty strange people that come on the show and, oddly enough, there always seems to be a villian in the house that the bachelorette isn't aware of for most of the season.  This of course equals (I bet you can guess) more DRAMA!

I wonder what will happen this season. Will Kaitlyn end up engaged or alone? We'll just have to wait and see.

The John J. Hemmingson Center & Sustainability

Since I've had the privilege of calling Gonzaga University home for most of the last three years of my life, I thought it would be fitting to write my first blog post about the new Hemmingson Center that is set to open in October of this year.  Not only is the Hemmingson Center exciting because it is very spacious and new, but because it is also sustainable.  The facility has received the LEED Gold Certification.  The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification demonstrates that the center met the gold standard on a system that rates design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings.  Gonzaga has boasted for years that it places great focus on sustainability and this building is a perfect example of that.  

You might be wondering what this has to do with marketing? Well, Gonzaga has marketed itself to several donors and its strong alumni network as being sustainable and environmentally friendly.  For this reason, I believe Gonzaga was able to raise a large amount of donations to help fund this beautiful building.  Reading in the marketing chapter about greenwashing and how some companies spend more time advertising about being green than actually being green, caught my attention.  I would be extremely disappointed in the university if it claimed that the building was green and then was unable to become LEED certified.  Thinking of the green movement in this way helped give me perspective on how others feel when a company doesn't stay true to its word.  I'm very proud to call myself a Zag and I'm excited to enjoy this sustainable, gorgeous facility when I return to campus in the Fall!