www.BrandLessBox.com White Paper

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Aaron
Abbott—www.BrandLessBox.com
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Running Head: EVOLVING CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Evolving Consumer Behavior:
The Institute for Forensic Education
Aaron Michael Abbott
www.BrandLessBox.com

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Aaron
Abbott—www.BrandLessBox.com
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With “94% of respondents reported watching online
video with some level of frequency” (Schmitt, p.4), The
Institute for Forensic Education (IFFE) has spent the last
5 years with a Web site and product architecture that has
proven to be ahead of the times in an Internet-naïve,
Criminal Justice System—allowing the company to prepare for
when the marketplace is behaving as we see today. With
changing consumer behaviors, and paradigm shifting models
within the worlds of business and marketing practices, IFFE
has been conscious of these technological developments and
the inherit opportunities. While sales have been down, it
is clear why. IFFE has marketed to only one segment of its
target audience—the one with the highest price point, an
additional challenge in achieving successful conversions.
With experience and understanding, IFFE is putting on
the Web 2.0 jumpsuit and taking the plunge. Price points
are being greatly reduced based on segment spending habits,
and these various market segments will be targeted
separately. All future business models and Web site
developments are based on the fundamentals of creating
platforms that will cater to the exhibited behaviors and
needs of the consumers that are being targeted.
Consumer’s Internet behaviors are changing. It is no
longer up to the company to say the product is the best.

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Aaron
Abbott—www.BrandLessBox.com
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The people are going directly to their fellow consumer to
see what their actual experiences have been with the
product (Deloitte, 2007). IFFE’s experiences and consumer’s
responses support the opportunity to target market segments
with varied interest for the consumption of the training
videos. While www.CJexchange.com is being developed
specifically for the students in the Criminal Justice
System, fans of the television shows may never consider
visiting a Web site that has training resources for the
Criminal Justice System. But they all want video, and IFFE
has that.
With nearly 900,000 fans of CBS’ primetime hit, CSI,
IFFE would miss a segment that would love this content
(Facebook.com.com, n.d.). However, they may not respond to
marketing of the learning aspect of the resources. Rather,
they want to be entertained and provided with appropriate
content that relates to their desires and behaviors (Cohen,
2008)—their interest in CSI and related content. If this
was ignored, then these 900,000 fans may have never been
successfully targeted, and remained a non-conversion
forever.
Consumer behavior has led IFFE to develop www.real-
csi-videos.com, to target this specific market segment of
Facebook.com. By targeting their curiosity while providing

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Aaron
Abbott—www.BrandLessBox.com
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solutions based on their behaviors of Internet use and
media consumption, this Web site targets a more generalized
audience—independent of the Criminal Justice System. These
consumers connect with these shows enough to want to take
the time to join a fan page on a social network. Appeal to
this behavior, and the conversion trail will be stimulated
into action.
IFFE will soon begin advertising via these fan pages
on the various social networks. Appealing to the consumer’s
behaviors and understanding their interests, the company is
in an optimum position to take advantage of the state of
the Internet user in the beginning of the 2010’s.
Recognizing and responding to the fact that Internet users
want user-friendly experiences, with original content, it
makes complete sense to respond to these behaviors with
Internet platforms that cater to them, and marketing media
that communicates the messages relating to their behavior
patterns.
While www.CJexchange.com will provide a platform that
will allow students, teachers, and professional in the
Criminal Justice System to connect and train with blogs,
user forums, Web 2.0 tools, job boards, training resources,
and more; it does limit its attractiveness to only those
who are involved in the Criminal Justice in a professional

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Aaron
Abbott—www.BrandLessBox.com
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capacity. The value of www.real-csi-videos.com is that
while it can still attract those users of
www.CJexchange.com, it will be much more consumable by
those in the general public who say, “I just love that show
CSI!” And they love watching videos Online. By recognizing
the behaviors of these segments, and what they want out of
the Internet, IFFE is appealing to their evolving
behaviors.
Understanding that television show fans don’t want to
be in a training program, and want to be entertained, IFFE
is customizing marketable product versions based off what
these consumers look for, where they go, and what they do
while they are on the Web. These television show fans can
access streaming videos $10.00 dollars per month at
www.real-csi-videos.com. Without the foundation that the
Hollywood Studios have ingrained into the psyche of the
television audience around the world, and understanding and
measuring their Internet behaviors within social networks,
IFFE would be limited to the use of the existing site,
www.ForensicDeathInvestigation.com, and www.CJexchange.com.
The development of www.real-csi-videos.com is an
opportunity based solely on the amount of traffic and
content within the social network platforms relating to the
subject matter of IFFE’s training videos. Tom Hopkins

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Aaron
Abbott—www.BrandLessBox.com
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points out that ”…for brands to be truly effective in
social media they need to find something the social group
wants to talk about" (MarketingWeek.com, 2008). This is the
very nature of the video content IFFE is providing access
to Online. IFFE has the content they want. Now IFFE just
has to deliver it to the specific segments based on their
behavior patters to ensure consumption in the appropriate
places. This further dives into the fact that “the real
value for advertisers is the role of social influence in
persuading consumers to purchase” (Schmitt, p.6). The
nature of the content will drive this word-of-mouse viral
effect. When people see this content, they can’t help but
tell their friends about it. This has been seen in past
user experiences.
By implementing opportunities to allow content
creation on these new sites, such as user forums,
discussions, product feedback, content upload areas, etc.;
IFFE will provide a natural experience in relation to what
consumers want out of the Internet today and allow natural
brand evangelists to rise from the networks. While video
access is the most important aspect of the membership to
these sites, it is as important to provide fresh
interactive experiences that involve the users. Such
content as widgets, quizzes, interactive crime scenes, and

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Aaron
Abbott—www.BrandLessBox.com
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even online games will show that IFFE is with the times and
thus, the content must be worth the small monthly fee.
Especially when it involves access to content that the
consumer is emotionally drawn to, and only available here.
While providing content that is unique, stimulating,
and creates a perceived and received value in the mind of
the consumer; it is very important for IFFE to target these
segments specifically and focus on who they are and where
they are. For instance, advertising via Facebook.com pages
will require creating ads that make mention of the
television shows, and their desire to get inside the
reality of crime scene investigation. Whereas, targeting
students to utilize www.CJexchange.com will be much more
appropriate via sites this segment uses for school and
their careers. By knowing who is where, and why, IFFE will
ensure proper communication to the proper segments,
appealing to the behaviors and reasons for use of the
various platforms. Consumption is based on the product
being offered in a way that they would want to use it.
In closing, IFFE has taken advantage of all
opportunities it has had over the past 5 years to provide
content that is needed by select audiences, in the ways
they want to access it. Understanding the generalized
scope, of the refined niche that the Criminal Justice

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Aaron
Abbott—www.BrandLessBox.com
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System is, in combination with popularity effect of the
subject matter via the Hollywood Studios, there are huge
international market segments that are sitting out there,
with a desire for the content IFFE has to deliver. Without
understanding their motivations, behaviors, and desires of
Internet usage, IFFE would still be focused on selling the
physical DVD/CD-ROM training programs in a world that is
slowly moving away from traditional media and into the
realm of new media. IFFE would ultimately ignore and lose
potential consumers forever. Without recognizing the power
of social media, such as with nearly 900,000 fans of the
television show CSI on Facebook.com, then IFFE would miss
out on a market that could eventually bring more money to
the company than the schools, agencies, and students
combined.

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Aaron
Abbott—www.BrandLessBox.com
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References
Cohen, A. (2008). Barneys and friend. Fast Company.
Retrieved January 22, 2010 from http://www.fastcomp
any.com/magazine/125/barneys-and-friend.html
Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. (2007). Most consumers read and
rely on Online reviews; companies must adjust.
Marketing Charts. Retrieved January 22, 2010 from
http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/most-
consumers-read-and-rely-on-online-reviews-companies-
must-adjust-2234/
Facebook.com.com. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2010 from
http://www.Facebook.com.com/search/?q=CSI&init=quick#/
CSI/CrimeSceneInvestigation?ref=search&sid=1676255965.
319495464..1
Marketing Week.com. (2008). Consumers in control.
Marketing Week. Retrieved January 22, 2010 from http:
//www.marketingweek.co.uk/in-depth-analysis/consumer
s-in-control/2060326.article
Schmitt, G., Supe, M., & Lerch, B. (2008). Meet the
connected consumer: how social apps, pokes, and
widgets can help you connect. The Razorfish Consumer
Experience Report. Retrieved January 22, 2010 from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9631697/Meet-the-Connected-
Consumer2008