Cognitive Dissonance for New Products

I wonder how a subject like consumer behavior can be taught? How can real justice be done to all such social-sciences related subjects. The very fact that those subjects deal with social animals / human beings, it becomes all the more intriguing and perplexing. Intriguing because are they sciences or are they art-related? If they are sciences, the subject matter must be universally applicable and universally proved. If they are art-related, they are culture-specific which therefore means that the principles can not be universally applicable and universally proved. It is perplexing because what is once correct for an individual or a group of individuals in a particular context in a particular environment may not be correct the next time. What explains this dichotomy? And that seems the very purpose of social-sciences related subjects - to sensitize the knowledge seekers / students to the inherent and incumbant diversity of behaviors.

One of the very interesting and highly useful concepts in consumer behavior course is the concept of cognitive dissonance? What is cognitive dissonance, after all? Definitions aside, it is co-existence of two diametrically opposite desires. The best example is cigarattes. Every smoker after all knows that smoking is dangerous and at times can be fatal, yet, wishfully expects to live longer with no resultant health issues.You might argue is it not a case of split personality? Yes, it is, but in the mildest form.

How does cognitive dissonance exist for new products? What are the cognitive dissonance levels? How can this be related to consumers' buying decision journey? All such issues are explored in our case study, "Tata Nano: Consumers' Post Purchase Behavior". Explore the case study in detail and surely you would be unravel some of the fundamental buying-behavior myths