6
Personality Chapter and Lifestyles
By Michael R. Solomon
Consumer Behavior
Buying, Having, and Being
Sixth Edition
6-1
Consumer Behavior on the Couch:
Freudian Theory
Freudian Systems:
Id: Oriented toward immediate gratification
Pleasure principle: Behavior is guided by the
primary desire to maximize pleasure and avoid pain
The id is selfish, illogical, and ignores consequences
Superego: A persons conscience
Ego: The system that mediates between the id and
the superego
Reality principle: The ego finds ways to gratify the id
that will be acceptable to the outside world
6-2
Motivational Research
Motivational Research:
Attempts to use Freudian ideas to understand the
deeper meanings of products and advertisements
Depth Interviews: Technique that probes deeply
into a few consumers purchase motivations
Latent motives: Underlying motives
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Motives for Consumption
6-4
Trait Theory
Trait Theory:
An approach to personality that focuses on the
quantitative measurement of personality traits
Personality Traits:
Identifiable characteristics that define a person.
Extroversion: Trait of being socially outgoing
Extrovert: A person that possesses the trait of
extroversion
Introversion: Trait of being quiet and reserved
Introvert: A person that possesses the trait of
introversion
6-5
Traits Specific to Consumer Behavior
Innovativeness:
The degree to which a person likes to try new things
Materialism:
Amount of emphasis placed on acquiring and owning products
Self-consciousness:
The degree to which a person deliberately monitors and controls the
image of the self that is projected to others
Need for cognition:
The degree to which a person likes to think about things (i.e., expend
the necessary effort to process brand information)
Frugality:
Deny short-term purchasing whims and resourcefully use what one
already owns
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Traits Specific to Consumer Behavior
Power of Conformity:
The impact of shaping ones behavior to meet the
expectations of a group
Need for Uniqueness
Degree to which a person is motivated to conform
to the preferences of others versus standing apart
from the crowd
6-7
Idiocentrism or Allocentrism
Idiocentrics:
Individuals who have an individualist orientation
Allocentrics:
Individuals who have a group orientation
Differences between idiocentrics and
allocentrics:
Contentment: Idiocentrics tend to be more content with life
and their financial situation
Health Consciousness: Allocentrics are more likely to avoid
unhealthy foods
Food preparation: Allocentrics spend more time preparing
food
Travel and Entertainment: Idiocentrics are more interested in
traveling. Allocentrics are more likely to work on crafts.
6-8
Brand Personality
Brand personality:
The set of traits people attribute to a product as if it
were a person
Brand equity:
The extent to which a consumer holds strong,
favorable, and unique associations with a brand in
memory
6-9
Lifestyle: Who We Are, What We Do
Lifestyle:
A pattern of consumption reflecting a persons
choices how of he or she spends time and money
Lifestyle Marketing Perspective:
Recognizes that people sort themselves into groups
on the basis of things they like to do, how they like
to spend their leisure time, and how they choose to
spend their disposable income
6 - 10
Linking Products to Lifestyles
Figure 6.2
6 - 11
Product-Lifestyle Linkages
Co-branding strategies:
Strategies that recognize that even unattractive products are
more attractive when evaluated with other, liked products
Porsche Fairmont Hotel
Unilever Dove
Nike Polaroid
Roxy Toyota
Product complementarity:
Occurs when symbolic meanings of products are related to
each other
Consumption constellations:
Sets of complementary products used to define, communicate
and perform social roles
6 - 12
Psychographics
Psychographics:
Use of psychological, sociological, and
anthropological factors for market segmentation
Forms of Psychographic Studies:
Lifestyle profile
Product-specific profile
General lifestyle segmentation profile
Product-specific segmentation
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AIOs
AIOs:
Psychographic research groups consumers according
to activities, interests, and opinions (AIOs)
80/20 Rule:
Only 20 percent of a products users account for 80
percent of the volume of product sold
Researchers attempt to identify the heavy users of a
product
Heavy users can then be subdivided in terms of the
benefits they derive from the product or service.
6 - 14
AIOs and Lifestyle Dimensions
6 - 15
Uses of Psychographic Segmentation
Psychographic segmentation can be
used:
To define the target market
To create a new view of the market
To position the product
To better communicate product attributes
To develop overall strategy
To market social and political issues
6 - 16
Discussion Question
The pictures at the
right depict two
very different
ideal vacations.
How can
psychographic
segmentation help
identify target
markets for each
type of vacation?
6 - 17
VALS 2
The Values and Lifestyles System
Three Self-Orientations:
Principle orientation: Guided by a belief system
Status orientation: Guided by opinions of peers
Action orientation: Desire to impact the world
around them
6 - 18
VALS 2 Segmentation System
Figure 6.3
6 - 19
Regional Consumption Differences:
You Are What You Eat!
Food Culture:
A pattern of food and beverage consumption that
reflects the values of a social group
Geodemography:
Analytical techniques that combine data on
consumer expenditures and other socioeconomic
factors with geographic info about areas in which
people live to identify consumers with common
consumption patterns
6 - 20
PRIZM
PRIZM (Potential Rating Index by Zip
Market):
Classifies every U.S. Zip Code into one of 62
categories
Rankings in terms of income, home value, and
occupation on a ZQ (Zip Quality) Scale
Categories range from most affluent Blue-Blood
Estates to the least well-off Public Assistance
Different clusters exhibit different consumption
patterns
6 - 21
A Comparison of Two PRIZM Clusters
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