InternationalPsychographic s

/s C. Winters

recentline read. "'Younger ManagersLearn Global Skills."' The ar-tiele mentioned how some U.S.eompanies are giving interna-tional experience to managers

much earlier in their careers. Obviously, mote andmore U.S. companies have a sense of urgency aboutthe need to understand other eultures. Trainingprograms are popping up everywhere to help U,S.managers prepare for a glohe-hopping career and tokeep up with their European and Japanese counter-parts.

What segmentation tools do marketers have tohelp support their international market develop-ment decisions? Speeifieally, what psychographicsegmentation services are available for interna-tional markets? Some advertising agencies and SRIInternational have pioneered efforts to provide suchservices.

Global Scan

B acker Spielvogel & Bates Worldwide beganGlobal Sean in 1985. A total of 18 countriesare included in the program. About 1.000

people are surveyed annually in each country exceptthe United States, where the sample is 3,500.

About half of the 250 questions are specific to thecountry and the olher half are "gk)bar" questionsincluding ones to measure values (self-esteein. self-suffieieney, etc.). Questions about speeifie producteategories are included as well as ones about politi-cal systetns.

In the United States, the survey i.s mailed. Inother countries, personal delivery or administrationof the questionnaire is done beeause of fear of letterbombs and, in less developed countries, unreliabledelivery of the mail or low literacy rates.

In other countries,

personal delivery

of the

questionnaire is

done because of

fear of letter bombs

Lewis C. Wintersis Manager of Re-search at ChevronCorp,

Five Segments Identified:• Slrivers (26%): young people living hectic lives.• Achievers (22%): people who have the success

that the Strivers want.• Pressured (13%): largely women who face con-

stant financial and family pressures.• Adapters (18%): older people who are eontent

with their lives.• Traditionals (I6%): people who hold to the old

values of their country and resist change.• Unassigned (8%); people who defy the classi-

fication scheme.

The percentages shown are for the U.S. In othercountries they eould be quite different. For ex-ample, in Japan, Adapters are tied wilh Strivers at22% eaeh as the largest groups.

Japan VALS

I n ihe late 1970s. SRI International establishedVALS I and later VALS II in the U.S. JapanVALS was established in 1991. The objective

of Japan VALS was to determine the consumereffeet of ehanging values and social hehavior inJapan.

As in VALS tl in the U.S.. categories (segments)are based on produet usage (unlike VALS I whiehwas based on Arnold Mitchell's theoretical baseinvolving Ihe evolution of values a la Maslow).

Ten segments are identified in Japan VALS—two segments within each of four dimensions andtwo groups that do not fit any of the fourdimensions.The dimensions and groups are:

Exploration Dimension• Integrators (4%): well-educated, modern people

who enjoy the new and risky.• Sustainers (15%): people who resist changes.

48 September 1992 Macketing Research:

SelJ-Exprcssiou Dimension• Self-Innovators (79^); young, active people who

arc interesicd in fashion and spend ;t lot ofmoney on them.selves.

• Self-Adapters (I K/r); shy people who are sen-sitive to others and putiei'ii thcii- buying afterthat of Self-Innovalors.

Achievement Dimension• Ryoshiki ("social intelligence") Innovators

(6<7f): carecr-oi-iented. highly educated, middle-aged people.

• Ryoshiki Adapters (IO%): shy people who aresensitive lo others and palleni their buying aflcrthat of Ryoshiki Innovators.

Tradition Dimension• Tradition Iniiovauirs (6Vr): middle-aged

homeowners with middle management jobswho are active in community affairs.

• Tradition Adapters(l()^/(.):afnuent. young, well-educated managers who travel IVequenily.

Realist Orientation• High Praginalic (147^: least likely to agree

with any attitude statement; withdrawn; suspi-cious: tinconcerned ahout self-improvement orpreserving eustoins.

• Low Pragmatic (17%); attitudinally negativepeople with no psychological tendenc}'^ whoprefer inexpensive goods and establishedbrands.

Japan VALS is intended to be highly Ilexible(different from previous VALS systems). BrueeMacEvoy. project director for Japari'vALS does notbelieve that one .segnienlalioii system can be appliedcross-eulturally. Japan VALS i.s not the U.S. VALSquestionnaire applied in Japan. SRI has begun towork on a Germany VALS. and Norway VALS,France VALS. and Italy VALS may soon follow. "

Youn^ & Rubkam's 4Cs

C ross Cultural Consumer Characterization(4Cs) is a system very similar to originalVALS. It is an a priori theoretieally bltsed

system. It altempts lo measure and segment peopleby their goals, motivations, and values (i.e.. thefactors Y&R believes determine the choice.s con-sumers make).

The 4Cs system groups people according to threemajor headings and seven segments in total.

Constrained• Resigned Poor: people whose goal is to sur-

vive; they have largely given tip; they valuesubsistence.

• Struggling poor: people whose goal is improve-nieni; they want to eseape from hardship; theyvalue hope and ktek.

VALSil'uid

especially Japan

VALS are very

complicated

lifestyle/purchase

behavior systems

with virtually no

theoretical

underpinnings

' .Middle Majority• Mamstreu'P.Ts: people w'',,..se goal is security;

iliey want i.(inlbrmity an..! fLinlly responsibil-ity: !!!ev v;.lue socia! ^I'.cepiaii :e.

• Aspirei-' peopk- whose ^u<\] is to be seen ussuece.ssful; the;, are niclivaied by cnv;: jhcvvalue status.

• Sueceeders; people whose goal is eontrol m-.J."ntaterial success"; they are moiivalcd byaehievement; they value recognition.

Innovators• Tradiiionals: people whose goal is self-iden-

tity; they are motivated by rebellion and self-eonfidenee; they value .self-salisfaetion.

• Reformers: people whose goal Is social belter-nienl; they are niolivatetl by social eonseieneeand nioiLil cerlitudes: Ihey valtie self-esteemand social altruism.

People in 12 countries have been classified intothe 4Cs segments on ibe basis of a battery of agree-disagree questions. Margai'et Mark, director olY'on-sumer insights for Y&R. believes that Maslow'shtiman-needs hierarchy and Rogers' dilTusion ofinnovations are so basic thai we can assume tbattime and culture do not change them,

The 4Cs system identifies how each segmentexpresses iiself in behavior (purchases), attitudes,lifestyle activilies, and oecupation ehoiees.

Mark sees tbis tool as beneficial as a siartingplace within a eulUire. As you get eloser to aetuallyexecuting advertising, you need lo be sensitive tocultural differences.

It Ain't Broke

G lobal Sean and 4Cs are proprietary systemslargely lor internal use. The SRI VALS (Val-ues and Lifestyles Segmentation) program

can be obtained by any marketer, media, or adagency for a fee. CuiTently. the VALS programcosts have not been .set—it's slill in developnient.

I was (and still am) a proponent of VALS 1. 1believe that system needed slight modification of itsquestions and further split of the so-called••Belongers" grotip. Otber than thai. I believe it wasa system ibal was not -broken—yet SRI sought tofix it (actually abandon il) with VALS II.

VALS II and especially Japan VALS are verycomplicated lifestyle/purchase behavior systemswilh vinually no theoretical underpinning's. Be-cause Y&R's 4Cs maintains the value-sharina.Maslow, Mitchell, theoretical struettire of VALS 1.I favor it most. The company has adtied solid theo-retical input from Ev Rogers' woi-k.

In tbe U.S., if the 4Cs were linked (as VALS II is)to media/produet purchase behavior via SMRB andMRI databases, all of us frustrated VALS I fanswouiti be happier, \M

Markeling Research:September 1992 49