Consumer Psychology & Brand Management
Niveau
Master
Learning outcomes of the courses/module
The participants:
• understand key psychological mechanisms of consumer behavior and decision-making.
• analyze consumers’ perceptual, judgment, and decision-making processes.
• apply psychological theories to marketing and branding strategies in a targeted way.
• develop well-founded brand positioning and communication concepts.
• evaluate advertising and marketing measures based on empirical and theoretical insights.
• integrate social, cultural, and digital influencing factors into marketing decisions.
• design and reflect on empirical studies in the field of consumer psychology.
• understand key psychological mechanisms of consumer behavior and decision-making.
• analyze consumers’ perceptual, judgment, and decision-making processes.
• apply psychological theories to marketing and branding strategies in a targeted way.
• develop well-founded brand positioning and communication concepts.
• evaluate advertising and marketing measures based on empirical and theoretical insights.
• integrate social, cultural, and digital influencing factors into marketing decisions.
• design and reflect on empirical studies in the field of consumer psychology.
Prerequisites for the course
None
Course content
• Foundations of Consumer Psychology (S-O-R model; decision processes; implicit vs. explicit processing)
• Affective & Cognitive Processes (emotion, motivation, attention, memory, learning)
• Decision-Making Behavior (heuristics & biases; prospect theory; dual-process models; nudging)
• Perceptual & Judgment Biases (framing; anchoring; halo effect; availability; fluency; scarcity effects)
• Consumption in a Social Context (social influences; identity; culture; social norms; symbolic meaning of consumption)
• Brand Psychology (brand image, identity & personality; brands as mental networks & attitudes)
• Brand Management (positioning; brand architecture; brand strategies; customer experience)
• Communication & Advertising Effects (persuasion; design elements such as images, humor, emotion, music)
• Consumer Research (surveys; experiments; implicit measurement methods; application in marketing contexts)
• Intercultural & Digital Marketing (cultural models; digital consumption environments; platform- and data-driven marketing)
• Affective & Cognitive Processes (emotion, motivation, attention, memory, learning)
• Decision-Making Behavior (heuristics & biases; prospect theory; dual-process models; nudging)
• Perceptual & Judgment Biases (framing; anchoring; halo effect; availability; fluency; scarcity effects)
• Consumption in a Social Context (social influences; identity; culture; social norms; symbolic meaning of consumption)
• Brand Psychology (brand image, identity & personality; brands as mental networks & attitudes)
• Brand Management (positioning; brand architecture; brand strategies; customer experience)
• Communication & Advertising Effects (persuasion; design elements such as images, humor, emotion, music)
• Consumer Research (surveys; experiments; implicit measurement methods; application in marketing contexts)
• Intercultural & Digital Marketing (cultural models; digital consumption environments; platform- and data-driven marketing)
Recommended specialist literature
• Bak, P. M. (2024). Werbe- und Konsumentenpsychologie: Eine Einführung. Stuttgart: Schäffer-Poeschel.
• Felser, G. (2023). Werbe- und Konsumentenpsychologie. Berlin: Springer.
• Runia, P., & Wahl, F. (2022). Marken-Management: Lehrbuch der professionellen Markenführung. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
• Spieß, E. (2018). Konsumentenpsychologie. München: Oldenbourg.
• Stegemann, M. (2024). Konsumverhalten verstehen, beeinflussen und messen: Die Psychologie hinter effektivem Marketing. Wiesbaden: Springer.
• Felser, G. (2023). Werbe- und Konsumentenpsychologie. Berlin: Springer.
• Runia, P., & Wahl, F. (2022). Marken-Management: Lehrbuch der professionellen Markenführung. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter.
• Spieß, E. (2018). Konsumentenpsychologie. München: Oldenbourg.
• Stegemann, M. (2024). Konsumverhalten verstehen, beeinflussen und messen: Die Psychologie hinter effektivem Marketing. Wiesbaden: Springer.
Assessment methods and criteria
Exam
Presentation
Presentation
Language
German
Number of ECTS credits awarded
6
Semester hours per week
Planned teaching and learning method
The course is based on an e-learning concept that incorporates a didactically aligned combination of online and in-person phases. During the online phases, an inductive learning approach is applied, fostering the independent acquisition of knowledge and the completion of tasks. The in-person phases follow a deductive approach, in which learning processes are guided and deepened, and content is systematically delivered through lectures as well as practical examples.
Semester/trimester in which the course/module is offered
3