Case study 1 consumer behavior

Must by at least 500 words, NOT counting the title and references!  Must also have a minimum of 3 references.  Must be typed in APA style format.

Please Follow the example case and complete the following case study.  Please note that all sections must be complete.  The key issues section is critical.  Look for the terms and concepts that we have learned and apply them to the case.  Do not define the key issues.  What in the case makes them the key issue? 

Grading Rubric:

1. Case Summary 2 points
2. Key issues 10 points
3. Personal Analysis 3 points
4. Case Questions 9 points
5. Conclusion 2 points

CASE STUDY

HONDA’S ASIMO

Meet ASIMO! He is 4 feet tall, with a pleasant childish voice, and the ability to recognize and interact with people; however, ASIMO is no child. He is the humanoid robot “brainchild” of scientists at Honda. ASIMO’s technology includes two camera eyes to map its environment and recognize unique faces. Its body construction is so humanlike that it can run at 3.5 mph, toss a ball to play with a child, and use its opposable thumbs to open a bottle and serve you a cold drink. ASIMO is the perfect household companion.

Honda has not yet made ASIMO available to purchase for home use, but it is only a matter of time until families can have their own humanoid robot. But not everyone is interested. Although some consumers have interacted with robotic kiosks that can process food orders and provide rudimentary in-store customer service, many are a bit nervous about an actual robot serving them meals or sitting down and telling them the news of the day. Why? Perhaps it is Hollywood’s influence on our perception of robots. It might not be the sweet WALL-E that comes to mind when we think about robots, but the Terminator or another threatening machine.

Even robot developers have differing views on the roles robots could play or how they should look. Some see them as humanistic in appearance, serving as kind, compassionate companions for the aging or lonely. The movie Her explored the human-like connection that could exist with a computer-generated being. However, the developers of a robot calledLeonardo describe wanting to create a social robot with a whimsical appearance, intentionally not human or animal. They believe that “robots will be their own kind of creature and should be accepted, measured, and valued on those terms.”

If consumers are not ready for ASIMO, perhaps they are ready for some of its features. Facial recognition technology (FRT), the ability for a computer to “read” your face, is seeing strong development and application. According to some analysts, the FRT market is expected to grow from $1.92 billion to $6.5 billion within the next 5 years.

Advertisers and big brands are taking notice of FRT. Imagine a billboard in a mall that advertises Abercrombie to a teen girl and Target to a busy mom. Immersive Labs, recently acquired by Kairos, has developed digital billboards that measure the age range, gender, and even attention level of a passerby to deliver a tailored ad. With the addition of Immersive Labs, Kairos believes it has become the only facial biometrics company in the world that offers both facial recognition and emotion analysis tools.

According to researchers, FRT can do more than read your face and estimate general physical characteristics. It can map out a biometric profile that is as unique as your fingerprint. Red Pepper is a company that uses this advanced technology to develop Facedeals, a smartphone app that provides personalized offers to consumers. Here’s how it works. You download the app, walk into a store with a Facedeals camera and are recognized. Facedeals interfaces with your Facebook information, analyzing your content for favorite brands, relationship status, places visited, and other information. Then Facedeals presents you with a personalized offer.

Google is considering letting individuals use a body motion, perhaps a “wink” or “eyebrow movement,” as their FRT password. Forbes.com has unveiled an app where your webcam watches your facial responses when you view ads to learn what products and ads you like and dislike.

Although the marketing applications for FRT are numerous, companies should be aware that a recent study found that 75 percent of respondents were uncomfortable with in-store facial recognition technology that could identify them as a high value shopper and then alert a salesperson. That could change as technology continues to permeate our lives and as consumers become convinced of the value of real-time personalized offers made possible only by having their unique facial features recognized.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What are the most likely consumer market segments for robots? Which consumer characteristics would be important to determine these market segments? What types of roles do you envision robots playing for these consumers?
2. Reflect on the value of FRT as a marketing tool. Give one example that illustrates how this technology can be most effectively used by marketers.
3. Discuss the “creepiness” concerns that some consumers have about robots and FRT. How can marketers address or even overcome these issues?