Form versus Function
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The argument of form versus function seems to come more into play with the more widespread use of credit by consumers which has helped to streamline the purchasing decision. With the massive expansion of the availability of credit since the 1970s people have been more likely to react on impulse and just buy what they want now and hope to be able to pay it off at some later date (Stavins, 2001). This highlights a perfect example of how marketers can tap into the "emotional power of design" (Keller & Kotler, 2012, p 332) and through this create a more rewarding experience for the consumer, but if consumers are not fully satisfied with how the product functions this could lead to dissatisfaction and ultimately buyer's remorse.
In my mind, this is an example of how many products are able to affect purchasing decisions with flashy packaging, but are not able to deliver on the actual functionality of the product. In most cases these types of products would be very easy to overcome by their competitors due to the lack of repeat business. A good example of this would be the Beats brand of headphones that have been shuffling around between many manufacturers and have really fancy packaging and design, but which many audiophiles consider to be not at all worth the excessive price and could help to explain why they have been shuffled around so much. In this case the brand image has not lived up to the hype and price tag of the item being sold and in the end your just paying for the name.
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Solution Summary
This solution responds to a post considering which is more important in marketing products, form or function. It provides examples.
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I agree with the post, form versus function appears to have been impacted by the availability of credit. Consumers now have the mindset that they have more disposable income, allowing them to make choices not driven purely on necessity. Because of this, marketers are able to create demand based on form. The emotional power of design is much more appealing when one is able ...
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