Chapter 6 Personality and Lifestyles CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 8e Michael Solomon

Chapter 6

Personality and Lifestyles

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 8eMichael Solomon

Prentice-Hall, cr 2009

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Chapter Objectives

When you finish this chapter you should understand why:

• A consumer’s personality influences the way he responds to marketing stimuli, but efforts to use this information in marketing contexts meet with mixed results.

• Consumers’ lifestyles are key to many marketing strategies.

• Psychographics go beyond simple demographics in helping marketers understand and reach different consumer segments.


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Chapter Objectives (cont.)

• Identifying patterns of consumption can be superior to knowledge of individual purchases when crafting a lifestyle marketing strategy.


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Personality

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


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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


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Freudian Systems (cont.)

Marketing Implications

• Unconscious motives underlying purchases

• Symbolism in products to compromise id and superego• Sports car as sexual

gratification for men• Phallic symbols, such

as cigars


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Motivational Research

• Freudian ideas unlock deeper product and advertisement meanings

• Consumer depth interviews

• Latent motives for purchases

• Examples of Dichter’s motives (Table 6.1)

• Bowling, electric trains, power tools = power

• Ice cream, beauty products = social acceptance


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Dichter’s Consumption Motives

Table 6.1 (abridged)

Motive Associated Products

Power-masculinity-virility Power tools, hot rods, coffee, red meat, razors

Security Ice cream, home baking, hospital care

Eroticism Sweets, gloves

Moral purity-cleanliness White bread, cotton fabrics, bathing, oatmeal

Social acceptance Toys, sugar, honey, soap, beauty products

Individuality Gourmet foods, foreign cars, vodka, perfume

Status Scotch, carpets

Femininity Cakes, dolls, silk, tea, household curios

Reward Cigarettes, candy, alcohol, ice cream, cookies

Mastery over environment Kitchen appliances, boats, sporting goods

Disalienation Home decorating, skiing, morning radio broadcasts

Magic-mystery Soups, paints, carbonated drinks, vodka


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Motivational Research (cont.)

• 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


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Neo-Freudian Theories

• Karen Horney

• Compliant versus detached versus aggressive

• Alfred Adler

• Motivation to overcome inferiority

• Harry Stack Sullivan

• Personality evolves to reduce anxiety


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Neo-Freudian Theories: Jung

• Carl Jung: analytical psychology

• Collective unconscious

• Archetypes in advertising (see Figure 6.1: old wise man, earth mother, etc.)

• BrandAsset® Archetypes model

• BAV® Brand Health measures


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BrandAsset Valuator Archetypes

Figure 6.1 (part 1 of 2)


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BrandAsset Valuator Archetypes (cont.)

Figure 6.1 (part 2 of 2)


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BrandAsset® Archetypes + BAV® Brand Health

• Archetypes across cultures and time

• Archetypes telegraph instantly

• Strong evidence of achieving business objectives with this model

• “Early warning” signal of brand trouble


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Trait Theory

• Personality traits: identifiable characteristics that define a person

• Traits relevant to consumer behavior:

• Innovativeness

• Materialism

• Self-consciousness

• Need for cognition

• Frugality


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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


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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 the 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)


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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

• Extensive consumer research goes into brand campaigns


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Brand Behaviors and 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

Table 6.2 (abridged)


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Lifestyles

• Lifestyle: patterns 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

• Example: Magazines targeting specific lifestyles: WWF Magazine, 4 Wheel & Off Road, Reader’s Digest


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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


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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


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Linking Products to Lifestyles

Figure 6.2


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Discussion

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


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Psychographics

• Psychographics: use of psychological, sociological, and anthropological factors to:• Determine market

segments• Determine their reasons

for choosing products• Fine-tune offerings to

meet needs of different segments

• Consumers can share the same demographics and still be very different!


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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


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Lifestyle/Personality Variables for Soup

Lifestyle Personality

Active Lifestyle (Vegetable):

I am: outdoorsy, physically fit, workaholic, socially active

Mentally Alert (Clam Chowder):

I am: intellectual, sophisticated, creative, detail-oriented, witty, nutrition conscious

Family Spirited (Chicken Noodle):

I am: family-oriented, churchgoer, traditional

Social (Chili):

I am: fun at parties, outgoing, spontaneous, trendsetter

Homebody (Tomato):

I am: a homebody, good cook, pet lover; I enjoy spending time alone

Athletic (Cream Soups):

I am: athletic, competitive, adventurous

Intellectually Stimulated Pastimes (French Onion):

I am: a technology whiz, world traveler, book lover

Carefree (Minestrone):

I am: down-to-earth, affectionate, fun loving, optimistic

Table 6.3


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Doing a Psychographic Analysis

• Lifestyle profile: differentiates between users and nonusers of a product

• Product-specific profile: identifies a target group and profiles consumers based on product-related dimensions

• General lifestyle segmentation: places a large sample of respondents into homogeneous groups based on similarities of preferences

• Product-specific segmentation: tailors questions to a product category


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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


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Lifestyle Dimensions

Table 6.4

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


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Psychographic Segmentation Uses

• To define target market

• To create new view of market

• To position product

• To better communicate product attributes

• To develop overall strategy

• To market social/political issues


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VALS2TM

Figure 6.3

Click to take theVALS2 survey


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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?


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• Global MOSAIC• Identifies segments across 19 countries

• RISC• Lifestyles/sociocultural change in 40+ countries• Divides population into 10 segments using 3 axis:• Exploration/Stability• Social/Individual• Global/Local

• 40 measured “trends” (e.g., “spirituality”)

Global Psychographic Typologies


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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?


6-36Figure 6.4

Ten Risk Segments


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Geodemography

• Consumer expenditures/socioeconomic factors + geographic information

• “Birds of a feature flock together”

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


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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?


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Food Cultures

• Food culture: pattern 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


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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

Click to access Mybestsegments.com


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Comparison of Two 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

Table 6.5

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

Documents

Chapter 6 Personality and Lifestyles CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, 8e Michael Solomon