The person who purchases a product is not always the user of the product, or the only user of the product. Nor is the purchaser necessarily the person who makes the purchase decision or pays for the product. The marketplace activities of individuals entail three functions, or roles, as part of the processes involved in consumer behaviour. The three functions are: the consumer , the person who consumes or uses the product or service; the buyer , the person who undertakes the activities to procure or obtain the product or service; and the payer , the person who provides the money or other object of value to obtain the product or service. A mother may buy toys or medicine for her children (who are the users), she may buy food for dinner (and consume it along with other family members) or she may buy cosmetics or clothing (and be the only user). She may buy a magazine that one of her teenagers has requested, or rent a video that her husband wants to watch, or she and her husband may buy a car that they select and purchase together. Many marketers specifically target buyers, payers and consumers, and develop communications directed at these groups. Not only does consumer research provide a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour, but it also assists marketers in deciding who to target: the buyer, the payer or the user. For some products or services, they must identify the person who is most likely to influence the decision. For example, as people live longer, they often become dependent on the advice and counsel of their children or other caregivers. Should a retirement community advertise to the elderly or to their middle-aged children? Should an emergency-response system be targeted to elderly parents or to their concerned children? Such issues are just as relevant in other product categories, and can be seen in the toy industry in relation to young children and their parents. For example, some toy manufacturers advertise their products on children’s television shows in order to reach the users, others advertise in parenting magazines to reach the buyers, and others run dual campaigns designed to reach both children and their parents. (The various influences on family consumer behaviour are discussed in detail in Chapter 9.) Some marketers believe that the buyer of the product is the best prospect, whereas others believe it is the user of the product; still others direct their promotional efforts to both buyers and users of their product or service.