6-1 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter 6 Personality and Lifestyles CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 9e Michael R. Solomon

6-1 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter 6

Personality and Lifestyles

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 9eMichael R. Solomon


Chapter Objectives

When you finish this chapter, you should understand why:

• A consumer’s personality influences the way he or she responds to marketing stimuli.

• Consumers’ lifestyles are key to many marketing strategies.

• Psychographics go beyond simple demographics to help marketers reach different segments.

• Identifying patterns of consumption is superior to knowledge of individual purchases when a marketer crafts a lifestyle marketing strategy.


Personality

• Personality: a person’s unique psychological makeup and how it consistently influences the way a person responds to his/her environment


Freudian Systems

Personality = conflict between gratification and responsibility

• Id: pleasure principle

• Superego: our conscience

• Ego: mediates between id and superego

• Reality principle: ego gratifies the id in such a way that the outside world will find acceptable


Freudian Systems (continued)

Marketing Implications

• This ad focuses on the conflict between the id and the superego

• Ads often times use symbolism to motivate product purchases


Motivational Research and Consumption Motives

• Power-masculinity-virility

• Security

• Eroticism

• Moral purity-cleanliness

• Social acceptance

• Individuality

• Status

• Femininity

• Reward

• Mastery over environment

• Disalienation

• Magic-mystery


Motivational Research

• Criticisms

• Invalid or works too well

• Too sexually based

• Appeal

• Less expensive than large-scale surveys

• Powerful hook for promotional strategy

• Intuitively plausible findings (after the fact)

• Enhanced validity with other techniques


Neo-Freudian Theories

• Karen Horney

• Compliant versus detached versus aggressive

• Alfred Adler

• Motivation to overcome inferiority

• Harry Stack Sullivan

• Personality evolves to reduce anxiety

• Carl Jung

• Developed analytical psychology


Carl Jung, Father of Analytical Psychology

• Disciple of Freud

• Established concept of collective unconscious

• Explained the creation of archetypes

• Old wise man

• Earth mother

• Young & Rubicam uses the concept of archetypes in its BrandAsset® Archetypes model


Figure 6.1 BrandAsset Valuator Archetypes


Figure 6.1 BrandAsset Valuator Archetype (continued)


Trait Theory

• Personality traits: identifiable characteristics that define a person

• Traits relevant to consumer behavior:

• Innovativeness

• Materialism

• Self-consciousness

• Need for cognition

• Frugality


Are You an Innie or an Outie?

Idiocentrics (individualist orientation)

Allocentrics (group orientation)

Contentment More satisfied with current life Less satisfied with current life

Health Consciousness

Less likely to avoid unhealthy foods

More likely to avoid unhealthy foods

Food Preparation Spend less time preparing food

Love kitchen; spend more time preparing food

Workaholics More likely to work hard and stay late at work

Less likely to work hard

Travel and Entertainment

More interested in traveling to other cultures

Visit library and read more


Problems with Trait Theory

• Prediction of product choices using traits of consumers is mixed at best

• Scales not valid/reliable

• Tests borrow scales used for mentally ill

• Inappropriate testing conditions

• Ad hoc instrument changes

• Use of global measures to predict specific brand purchases

• “Shotgun approach” (no thought of scale application)


Brand Personality

• Brand personality: set of traits people attribute to a product as if it were a person

• Brand equity: extent to which a consumer holds strong, favorable, and unique associations with a brand in memory—and the extent to which s/he is willing to pay more for the branded version of a product than for a nonbranded (generic) version


Table 6.2 Brand Behaviors and Possible Personality Trait Inferences

Brand Action Trait Inference

Brand is repositioned several times or changes slogan repeatedly

Flighty, schizophrenic

Brand uses continuing character in advertising Familiar, comfortable

Brand charges high prices and uses exclusive distribution

Snobbish, sophisticated

Brand frequently available on deal Cheap, uncultured

Brand offers many line extensions Versatile, adaptable


Lifestyles

• Lifestyle defines a pattern of consumption reflecting a person’s choices of how one spends time and money

• Lifestyle marketing perspective: people sort themselves into groups on the basis of:

• What they like to do

• How they spend leisure time

• How they spend disposable income


Colorado’s Lifestyle Marketing


Lifestyles as Group Identities

• Forms of expressive symbolism

• Self-definition of group members = common symbol system

• Terms include lifestyle, taste public, consumer group, symbolic community, status culture

• Each person provides a unique “twist” to be an “individual”

• Tastes/preferences evolve over time


Building Blocks of Lifestyles

• Product usage in desirable social settings• Consumption style• Patterns of behavior

• Co-branding strategies: brands team up with other companies to promote their products understand this

• Product complementarity: symbolic meanings of different products relate to one another

• Consumption constellations: define, communicate, and perform social roles


Figure 6.2 Consumption Style


Discussion

• What consumption constellation might characterize you and your friends today?


Psychographics

• Psychographics: use of psychological, sociological, and anthropological factors to:• Determine market segments• Determine reasons for choosing products• Fine-tune offerings


Best Buy Psychographic Segments

• “Jill”: busy suburban mom who buys electronics for family

• “Buzz”: focused, active younger male interested in buying latest gadgets

• “Ray”: family man who likes his technology practical

• “BB4B (Best Buy for Business)”: small employer

• “Barry”: affluent professional male who’ll drop tens of thousands of dollars on a home theater system


Forms of Psychographic Analysis

Lifestyle profile

Product-specific profile

General lifestyle study

Product-specific study


AIOs

• Grouping consumers according to:

• Activities

• Interests

• Opinions

• 80/20 Rule: lifestyle segments that produce the bulk of customers

• Heavy users and the benefits they derive from product


Table 6.3 Lifestyle Dimensions

Activities Interests Opinions Demographics

Work Family Themselves Age

Hobbies Home Social issues Education

Social events Job Politics Income

Vacation Community Business Occupation

Entertainment Recreation Economics Family size

Club membership Fashion Education Dwelling

Community Food Products Geography

Shopping Media Future City size

Sports Achievements Culture Stage in life cycle


Psychographic Segmentation Uses

• To define target market

• To create new view of market

• To position product

• To better communicate product attributes

• To develop product strategy

• To market social/political issues


Figure 6.3 VALS2TM


Discussion

• Construct separate advertising executions for a cosmetics product targeted to the Belonger, Achiever, Experiencer, and Maker VALS types.

• How would the basic appeal differ for each group?


Global Psychographic Typologies

• Global MOSAIC identifies segments across 19 countries

• RISC measures lifestyles/sociocultural change in 40+ countries

• Exploration/Stability

• Social/Individual

• Global/Local


Discussion

• Extreme sports. Day trading. Blogging. Vegetarianism. Can you predict what will be “hot” in the near future?

• Identify a lifestyle trend that is just surfacing in your universe.

• Describe this trend in detail, and justify your prediction.

• What specific styles and/or products are part of this trend?


Geodemography

• Geodemography involves using data on consumer expenditures and other socioeconomic factors with geographic information about the areas in which people live to identify consumers who share common consumption patterns

• “Birds of a feature flock together”

• Can be reached more economically (e.g., 90277 zip code in Redondo Beach, CA)


Discussion

• Geodemographic techniques assume that people who live in the same neighborhood have other things in common as well.

• Why do they make this assumption, and how accurate is it?


Food Cultures

• Food culture refers to patterns of food and beverage consumption that reflects the values of a social group

• Differences in international food cultures:

• In China, milk chocolate has less milk

• In United States, Campbell’s soup is saltier than in Mexico

• In Germany, food must be healthier


Figure 6.4 European Food Cultures


PRIZM by Claritas, Inc.

• 66 clusters of U.S. zip codes

• Example: “Young Influential,” “Money and Brains,” “Kids and Cul-de-Sacs”

• Ranked by income, home value, and occupation

• Maximize effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and impact of marketing communications


Table 6.4 Comparison of PRIZM Clusters

Furs and Station Wagons

New money, parents in 40s and 50s

Newly built subdivisions with tennis courts, swimming pools, gardens

High UsageCountry clubsWine by the caseLawn furnitureGourmet magazineBMW 5 SeriesRye breadNatural cold cereal

Low UsageMotorcyclesLaxativesNonfilter cigarettesChewing tobaccoHunting magazineChevrolet ChevetteCanned stews

Tobacco Roads

Racially mixed farm town in South

Small downtowns with thrift shops, diners, and laundromats; shanty-type homes without indoor plumbing

High UsageTravel by busAsthma medicineMalt liquorsGrit magazinePregnancy testsPontiac BonnevilleShortening

Low UsageKnittingLive theaterSmoke detectorsMs. MagazineFerrarisWhole-wheat breadMexican foods


Behavioral Targeting

• Behavioral targeting refers to the serving of customized ads (primarily online) based on the prior activity on those sites by the target

• Data collected are anonymous but still privacy proponents express concern


Chapter Summary

• Consumer personality influences the way one responds to marketing stimuli

• Lifestyles are an important aid to many marketing strategies

• Psychographics go beyond simple demographics to help marketers understand different consumer segments

• Identifying patterns of consumption are valuable components of a lifestyle marketing strategy

Documents

6-1 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter 6 Personality and Lifestyles CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 9e Michael R. Solomon