Abstract:

Marketing, with its transformative dual function of shaping consumer desires and forming modern needs, presents a fascinating challenge to marketing specialists. The authors explored this dual function on consumer behavior through a conditional psychology framework, investigating how marketing strategies not only respond to consumer wants but also actively create and influence consumers in real time. A mixed-method approach was employed, drawing on the perceptions of 131 marketing practitioners who provided insights into marketing's role in shaping desires and needs. Additionally, eleven marketing executives shed light on strategic decision-making processes. This research study was centered around conditional psychology, exploring conditional stimuli, their influence on marketing campaigns, and how they elicit emotional and cognitive responses that redefine consumers' final choices. The survey study revealed significant insights, and the interviews with marketing executives unveiled the power of persuasive marketing in shaping new consumption patterns aligned with various consumer lifestyles. The results underscored the transformative impact of marketing on consumer behavior, emphasizing the need for balanced strategies that ethically manage the tension between consumer empowerment and market-driven needs. This study significantly advances our understanding of marketing's transformative impact on consumer behavior through the lens of conditional psychology.