(UPDATED 8/20/2025)
Best Ways to Reach Me
- Canvas Messaging (preferred)
- Email: spencer_ross@uml.edu
Basic Course Information
- Course Meeting: Tuesdays/Thursdays 9:30-10:45 (PTB 180)
- Office Location, PTB 232 (If on campus)
- Office Hours: Tuesdays/Thursdays 12:15-1:45pm or make an appointment on Calendly
- Canvas Course Section
Table of Contents
- What’s this course about?
- What materials will you need?
- How will you be evaluated?
- What’s being evaluated?
- My course policies
What’s this course about?
What do products and services mean to consumers? How do consumers decide what to buy? What are the effects of the internal (self) and external (society) environments on purchases? This course examines these and other fundamental marketing concerns while emphasizing Transformative Consumer Research (TCR): how consumption can improve individual and societal well-being. Through academic theory, case studies, and real-world applications, you’ll analyze consumer behavior from multiple perspectives, including the effects of technology, culture, and behavioral interventions.
What should you be able to know after successfully completing this course?
| GOALS | OBJECTIVES |
|---|---|
| You’ll know/understand: | You’ll be able to: |
| Understand how consumers’ behaviors advance from pre-purchase ➡️ purchase ➡️ post-purchase | Assess the importance of consumer decision journeys as they inform marketing decisions. |
| Describe the stages of the consumer decision journey. | |
| Critique differences between traditional and recent models of the consumer decision journey. | |
| Know the internal psychological influences that affect consumers’ marketplace behaviors. | Recognize how cognition (such as perception, learning, attitudes, and memory) affects consumer behaviors. |
| Illustrate how individual differences (such as personalities, lifestyles, and values) affect behaviors. | |
| Apply theoretical models to assess how attitudes are formed and affect behaviors. | |
| Know the external situational/sociocultural influences that affect consumers’ marketplace behaviors. | Explain how sociodemographic factors (such as age, gender, ethnicity, etc.) impact consumption decisions. |
| Explain how economic demographic factors (such as income, class) impact consumption decisions. | |
| Examine consumer identities, including those of (sub)cultures of consumption. | |
| Understand the important role of consumption in addressing consumer and societal well-being (transformative consumer research). | Identify areas of transformative consumer behavior (e.g., health, sustainability, vulnerable marketplaces) and their relationship strategizing for marketing opportunity. |
| Critique the positive and negative effects of consumption on individuals’ and society’s well-being. | |
| Know how technology affects consumer decision journeys. | Critique the role of technology used by consumers (e.g. social media, mixed-reality, AI) in their decision-making. |
| Discuss how differences in tech platforms impact consumer culture and the decision journey. |
What materials will you need to be successful in the course?
Texts
Introduction to Consumer Behaviour (1e), Niosi, BCcampus, FREE Open Education Resource. If you’d like it in PDF or ePUB or other formats, it’s in the link. There are also tips here on how to access and use the web-book. Otherwise, I’ll provide links to the chapters on the course calendar and you’ll want to ensure you read the chapter.
Recommended, not required: Fostering Sustainable Behavior (3e), McKenzie-Mohr, New Society Publishers, $19.50 (PDF/EPUB), or $11.22 (Kindle) or $13.39 (Amazon Paperback)
CANVAS
I’ll post links and readings here, as well as assignment submissions here, the gradebook will be here, etc. I know that we’re all figuring it out, so will give grace to everyone in using it (in return I’m hoping you’ll be flexible with me as well as I figure out what’s where and what I can do/not do compared with other tools).
Supplemental Readings
A series of supplemental PDF required readings will be posted in the course Canvas. The PDFs are assigned readings, most of which will be discussed in class. Other articles/links may be posted on Canvas throughout the semester.
Additional Readings
As business students, you should naturally be visiting business related news sites (e.g., WSJ, FT, Bloomberg, Mashable, Business Insider) and coming to each class ready to share articles and events relating to marketing topics. Part of your course engagement grade will heavily depend on being able to present, discuss, and debate these current marketing topics.
How will you be evaluated?
Summary (Points)
| Assignment | % Contribution to Course Grade |
| Customer Experience (CX) Project (3 @ 5%) | 15 |
| Consumer Ethnography | 15 |
| Shoebox Collage Project | 15 |
| Course Engagement | 12 |
| Manning BeHub Research Credits | 3 |
| Team Insight Pitch (Research) | 20 |
| Team Insight Pitch Public Service Announcement | 15 |
| Project Peer Evaluation (online link) | 5 |
Performance Scale (Points)
| Excellent to Good | Satisfactory | Unsatisfactory but Passing | Failing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94 – 100 = A 90 – < 94 = A- 87 – < 90 = B+ 84 – < 87 = B | 80 – < 84 = B- 77 – < 80 = C+ 74 – < 77 = C | 70 – < 74 = C- 67 – < 70 = D+ 64 – < 67 = D 60 – < 64 = D- | 0 – < 60 = F |
What’s being evaluated?
INDIVIDUAL WORK (60%)
CUSTOmer Experience (CX) Project (3 @ 5% = 15%):
You’ll be 1) critiquing one baseline ad for a brand, 2) creating a customer journey map of that brand, and then 3) developing a “print” (or other type of digital, non-video, if you will) touchpoint. Your initial critique will serve as baseline response to customers’ behaviors, your customer journey map will employ some consumer research, while your touchpoint creation (usually “print” ads) will reflect theory concepts learned from the broad course units (psychological/cultural influences). Each part shall be accompanied by a brief (~200-300wd) writeup. You may wish to use Canva or Adobe Creative Cloud Express to create your touchpoints, though you’re not limited to those tools. Works are preferred submitted via Canvas. The point of the CX project is to assess your understanding and application of the course material to consumers’ behaviors, as presented through the book, readings, and classes, and allow some creativity in representing them.
Consumer ETHNoGRAPHY (15%):
You’ll be conducting a detailed ethnographic study of a consumer setting, observing behaviors, motivations, and cultural influences with field notes and/or interviews. From that data, you’ll develop 2-3 insights on consumer behaviors that might lead to actionable marketing strategy. Works are preferred submitted via Canvas. The point of the consumer ethnography is for you to assess consumer behavior concepts and theories such as motivations, attitudes, identity groups, etc, as consumers behave in actual purchase and consumption settings.
Shoebox Collage Project (15%)
As consumers, our decision journeys are affected by both internal and external processes. You’ll be asked to make a shoebox collage with objects that represent the consumer psychological (inside of the box) and consumer cultural (outside of the box) processes that influence your decision journeys. This should contain, at a minimum, 20 unique and personally relevant specific theories/concepts of consumer behavior, with a fully-referenced key (see Canvas for specific details). The point of the shoebox collage project is to provide a point of creativity for you to relate the theories and concepts from the course directly to your own individuality as a consumer.
Course Engagement (12%)
Communication skills are extremely important in marketing (after all, it’s one of the things we do!), which is why I grade course engagement on active participation and contribution, not mere class attendance (you’ll note I don’t have a formal attendance policy). I also expect everyone to actively engage in class discussions, any class exercises, and make quality contributions/discussions on Canvas. All of this counts as engagement. And since this class is going to run partially like a social media marketing agency, being a contributing member of the team is extremely important!
Therefore, course engagement is a function of: (in-class active participation + outside-class on Canvas)*(volume)*(quality). Both inside and outside of classtime, I encourage us to work hard to create and maintain a supportive, respectful, and empathetic environment. While I’ll help guide you, the class should be a thought lab to express your critical and analytical thinking, while also considering the backgrounds of others in and out of the class.
While you must be present in classes to be able to participate in them, I guarantee attendance alone will not earn a full 12% engagement mark (for example, attendance but no participation may earn closer to 10% while no attendance but a lot of participation may earn closer to 8%). Your involvement and participation are vital to the success of yours and your peers’ learning experiences; consistency and quality matter. I encourage actual, real discussion in and out of classtime. The point of course engagement is to foster communication and collaboration skills with peers, as well as to actively engage the content, both inside and outside class lecture.
Manning BeHub (Behavioral Hub) Research Credits (3%)
You’re required to participate in at least 3.0 credits of Manning BeHub research studies (or, if you choose, see me for an alternative credit task) as part of your course grade. 3.0 credits is approximately 4-6 studies in a semester (1.0 credit = 1% of final course grade). Most studies take between 10-20 minutes per study. If you accumulate credits for my course in excess of the 3.0, up to an additional 2.0 credits may be awarded as extra course credit
Many studies will be online studies that can be done at home, though occasionally, in-person “lab” studies will be offered for credit or other incentives. I’ll send out announcements via Slack to the class as the BeHub periodically announces new study availability. You may also direct BeHub questions to me as one of its co-administrators. Study availability may be ongoing through the semester. However, studies are usually only open for limited periods of time before they expire and are then unavailable for participating credit. Please make sure you participate in studies before they are closed. The point of participating in research studies is that these studies will help your professors (including me) generate knowledge and insight about business, as well as give you firsthand experience of how business research is conducted
TEAM WORK (40%)
TEAM INSIGHT Pitch (Research) (20%)
Whereas “the Shoebox project” (above) gets you to analyze yourself as consumer through all of the behavioral theories/concepts (and is a lot more creative), and whereas the CX project apply theories to consumer practice, this team project analyzing a critical transformative consumer research topic from the inside, out and thinking how to leverage behavioral insights in social marketing.
You’ll be working in teams of ~5, picking a Transformative Consumer Research topic. You’ll be doing some primary customer research/analysis as well as using your knowledge to convince marketers, policymakers, and consumers that the problem is “solveable.” There will be a one page executive summary, as well as an 8-10 minute presentation that: identifies the issue, leverages behavioral theories, addresses target consumers, and proposes how marketing interventions, campaigns or structural challenges will cause behavioral change to improve the issue.
Groups may meet with me during any class workshops or outside class. As well, students may use Canvas tools to help with collaboration. If there’s a problem within the group, you should inform me as soon as problems arise, not the week before deadlines. The point of the insights pitch is to showcase written and oral communications skills, to work on interpersonal skills in a teamwork collaboration, and to demonstrate research, critical, and analytical problem-solving skills in a cumulative fashion.
Team Insight PItch (Public Service Announcement) (15%)
Your team will take your insights pitch and translate it to a ~2 minute video public service announcement (PSA). This will be the creative execution of your insights and will be critiqued in class at the end of the semester. Critical to the success of your PSA will be your ability to communicate and demonstrate your team’s understanding of how behavioral insights and theory relate to the issue. Tools you could use include OBS Studio, Canva’s Video Maker, or Adobe Spark Video Editor. The point of this public service announcement is to demonstrate an ability to take research insights and translate them to marketing strategy and application as well as to showcase oral communications skills in a visual presentation.
Peer Evaluation (Online Link) (5%)
A link to a rigorous Qualtrics peer evaluation form will be posted in the last week of class. Failure to submit the evaluation by the assigned date will be an automatic “0” (zero) for your own evaluation score, as I use your peers’ scores to calculate your own evaluation grade. If you can’t be bothered to give your peers their scores, I won’t be bothered to calculate your score.