Personality?
Personality
influences how
we respond to
the environment
Idealist
Traditionalist
Realist
Hedonist
One way marketers try to use personality variables is to
link product benefits with consumer personality type
Personality Type
Desired Auto Benefit
Extroverted
Freedom
Warm
Enjoyment
Affiliative
Tradition
Subdued
Relaxation
Introverted
Compromise
Cool
Control
Freudian Theory
 struggle between
Id (pleasure),
Superego (reason) and
Ego (moderates between
Id and Superego)
Id desires pleasures (sex)
 Superego says its socially unacceptable
 Ego says I’ll find a socially acceptable way (i. e. symbolic sex)
 so that Superego is happy and Id can have its pleasure.
Conflict Between the Id and Superego
• This ad focuses on the
conflict between the
desire for hedonic
gratification
(represented by the id)
versus the need to
engage in rational, taskoriented activities
(represented by the
superego).
Marketing Applications
 Products symbolically satisfy consumers sexual needs --substitute the product for the real thing
"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual
arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the MercedesBenz 380SL.“ Lynn Lavner
Others focus on male-oriented symbolism - the phallic symbol.
Do Phallic Symbols in Advertising Really exist or
is it a coincidence?
Why does advertising use sex
as an appeal to the consumer?
Because it works.
Sex is the second strongest of
the psychological appeals,
right behind self-preservation.
Sexual desire’s strength is
biological and instinctive.
For many products it is possible
to find (or invent) a sexual
connection.
 The effectiveness of sex in
advertising is gender linked.
 Men have minimal criteria
for sexual desire
 "Women need a reason to
have sex. Men just need a
place.” Billy Crystal
 Basically, they are
concerned with a woman's
anatomy -- as long as a woman
looks young enough and
healthy, she is desirable.
 in ads it’s easy to get a man's attention by using women's bodies
and associate getting the woman if he buys the product.
Often female models are placed in
sexually explicit and compromising
positions, sexually submissive postures, and
with sexually connotative facial
expressions.
Media definitions of sexual attractiveness
promote either extreme thinness or a thin
waist with large hips and breasts
Hanes Resilience 1996
The sexual connection
is much easier to set up
for men than for women.
It’s not just women who
are demeaned in using sex
in advertising, there is a
school of advertising that
says men's bodies, brains
and self-esteem are
legitimate targets to
attack, exploit and belittle
(no pun intended).
Radio Band of America
“As her date removed his
pants, Sheila suddenly
recalled a hilarious radio
show she’d heard that
morning. Later, when
pressed she’d admit the
timing was unfortunate”
The use of sex in advertising to women is more difficult
Although use of healthy, fit men may attract attention
and create desire, a man's body is often not enough
For a woman, sexual desire is a complex mixture of
such factors as money, power, prestige, etc
To sell to a woman, advertising relies on the modern
idea about how men and women relate -- romance.
Although an ad may use a man's body as an attention getting
device, he is often shown in a romantic rather than sexual
context.
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
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
Are You an Innie or an Outie?
• David Reisman:
– Sociologist who introduced the terms inner-directed and
outer-directed
• Power of Conformity:
– The impact of shaping one’s 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
• This classic ad starts
off with the line:
“The Datsun 240-Z
is not exactly what
you would call a
common sight.”
• What consumer
personality trait is
this ad appealing
to?
Motivational Research
Why do women tend to
increase their
expenditures on clothing
and personal adornment
products as they
approach the age of 50
to 55?
Motivational Research
 assumes unconscious motives influence consumer behavior
 research tries to identify these underlying unconscious forces
(e.g., cultural factors, sociological forces).
 Marketers can therefore better understand the target audience
and how to influence that audience.
 Qualitative as opposed to quantitative
 standard marketing research survey can’t reveal these motives
 Three major techniques
1. Observation
2. Focus Groups
3. In-Depth Interviews
Mr. Apple
Brand personality:
He's always been
super bright about
computers, and a
high achiever at the
University. But he's
totally cool and
down to earth, with
a subtle sense of
humour. Not a nerd
at all. But witty,
fun, and creative.
20, maybe early 30
something years
old. Masculine, but
sensitivee
Mr IBM
Brand personality:
Formal and
professional.
Perhaps a bit stiff,
or "square." But
tops in his class
intellectually. He's
gone to the best
University, with an
advanced degree.
And he has very
polished social
skills. 40ish years
old. Masculine,
perhaps a bit
macho.
BRAND PERSONALITY
The type of person the brand
represents
The Quaker Oats man, dressed in
traditional Quaker garb was
chosen purposely to reflect the
"Quaker" faith and its values of
honesty, integrity, purity and is a
paternal archetype conveying oldfashioned goodness and shrewdness
Quaker Oats 1877
A trustworthy, dependable,
conservative personality might
reflect characteristics valued in a
financial advisor, a lawn service,
or even a car
How do you feel about
these brands?
What’s their
personality?
5 Major Brand Personalities
Sincerity: Down-to-earth, family oriented, genuine, old-fashioned.
similar to one that exists with a well-liked and respected member of
the family. E.g. Kodak
Excitement: Spirited, young, up-to-date, outgoing. E.g.
Competence: Accomplished, influential, competent - relationship
similar to one with a person whom you respect for their
accomplishments, such as a teacher, minister or business leader. E.g.
Hewlett-Packard,
Sophistication: Pretentious, wealthy, condescending: relationship
similar to one with a powerful boss or a rich relative.
Ruggedness: Athletic and outdoorsy. E.g. Head.
A Brand Personality Framework
Table 5.10 The Personality-like Associations of Colors
BLUE
Commands
respect, authority
•North America’s favourite color
•IBM holds the title to blue
•Associated with club soda
•Men seek products packaged in blue
•Houses painted blue are avoided
•Low-calorie, skim milk
•Coffee in a blue can perceived as “mild”
•Bottled water label suggest purity
Caution, novelty,
temporary,
YELLOW
warmth
•Eyes register it faster
•Coffee in yellow can perceived as “weak”
•Stops traffic
•Sells a house
Secure, natural,
relaxed or easyGREEN going, living
things
•Good work environment
•Associated with vegetables and chewing gum
•Canada Dry ginger ale sales increased when it
changed sugar-free package from red to green
and white
RED
Human, exciting,
hot, passionate,
strong
Powerful,
affordable, informal
Informal and
BROWN
relaxed, masculine,
nature
Goodness, purity,
ORANGE
•Makes food “smell” better
•Coffee in a red can perceived as “rich”
•Women have a preference for bluish red
•Men have a preference for yellowish red
•Coca-Cola “owns” red
•Draws attention quickly
•Coffee in a dark-brown can was “too
strong”
•Men
seekreduced
productscalories
packaged in brown
•Suggests
chastity, cleanliness, •Pure and wholesome food
delicacy,
•Clean, bath products, feminine
refinement,
formality
Sophistication,
•Powerful clothing
BLACK power, authority,
•High-tech electronics
mystery
SILVER, Regal, wealthy,
•Suggests premium price
GOLD stately
WHITE
Financial Services Firms Often Feature Blue and
Green on Their Sites
Brand Relations
The relationship between the brand-as-person and the
customer, - analogous to relationship between two people.
A brand's personality must reflect the perceptions,
motivations, and values of its targeted customers
One important relationship for many brands is friendship.
 Characterized by trust, dependability, understanding,
and caring
 A friend is there for you, treats you with respect, is
comfortable, is someone you like, and is an enjoyable
person with whom to spend time.
Dodge Neon
Your friend
Nokia: A Trusted Friend
Motorola
"We call this human
technology"
Intelligence
everywhere
Respect Segment
"My job is to help you get
accepted."
"You have good taste."
Intimidated segment
"Are you ready for me, or will you spend more than you can afford?”
"If you don't like the conditions, get another card."
"I'm so well known and established that I can do what I want."
"If I were going to dinner, I would not include you in the party."
What Creates a Brand Personality?
Packaging, advertising,
marketing activities
Consumers’ experience with
brand
The creation and
communication of a
distinctive brand personality
is one way marketers can
make a product stand out
from the competition
The Logo as a Face
when you see the
same logo time and
time again, it
becomes familiar,
like a familiar
human face
you experience a
sense of recognition,
"Hey, I've seen you,
I know you
BRAND EQUITY
1. the total value of a brand as a
separable asset
2. a measure of the strength of
consumers’ attachment to a
brand
3. The strength of the positive
associations and beliefs the
consumer has about the brand
What is a lifestyle?
Lifestyle Components
People
Setting
Product
Products are the building blocks of lifestyles
consumers choose particular products and services and
activities over others because they are associated with a certain
lifestyles
 people use products to define lifestyles
For this reason marketing strategies try to position a product
by fitting it into an existing pattern of consumption or setting
Integrating Products into
Consumer Lifestyles
• This ad illustrates the
way that products like
cars are tightly
integrated into
consumers’ lifestyles,
along with leisure
activities, travel, music,
and so on.
Life Style Marketing
people of similar social and
economic circumstances
share common lifestyles and
patterns of consumption.
Lifestyle marketing recognises that
people sort themselves into groups based
on the things they like to do
Lifestyle marketing looks at patterns of behaviour to
understand how they make their choices in a variety of
product categories - in context
Products are used in desirable social settings or contexts
marketing strategies try to position a product by fitting it into an
existing pattern of consumption
What products go with this lifestyle?
Product Complementarity
An important part of lifestyle
marketing is to identify the set
of products and services that go
together
different products are related
to each other symbolically
these sets of products, termed
consumption constellations
A Consumption Constellation
for the Yuppie Lifestyle
 A cluster of complementary
products, specific brands,
and/or consumption activities
used to construct, signify,
and/or perform a social role”
By choosing distinctive
product groupings laden with
symbolic meaning, consumers
communicate their affiliation
with a positively valued, or
aspirational, lifestyle.
 From this perspective, the
meaning of a product depends
on the context in which it is
displayed or used
Consumers buy on the basis
of product complementarity
Marketer should understand consumers' cross-category
associations
Why is Knowledge about lifestyles is
important for Marketers?
 defining the target market (beyond demographics)
 new product development,
 cross-merchandising
 promotional and media strategies
 creating a new view of the market
better communicating product attributes/benefits - to
match a person's lifestyle.
 reaching consumers
A manufacturer of bathroom
accessories wishing to license
a line of sportswear products
needs to know
1. how its brand image in the
sportswear category will
translate into purchases of
linens.
2. what linen styles will appeal
to its sportswear customer,
3. the optimal way to display
these items at retail
4. how best to advertise these
products in the appropriate
lifestyle context.
Psychographics
 the use of psychological,
sociological and anthropological
factors to construct market
segments
 based on differences in
choices of consumption activities
Demographic information tells
us WHO buys
 Psychographics tells us WHY
they buy
Activities, Interests and Opinions (AIO)
 Psychographic segmentation groups consumers
according to their lifestyles
 activities, interests and opinions are one
way of measuring people’s lifestyles
 Lifestyle is then boiled down by discovering
1. how people spend their time.
2. what they find interesting and
important and
3. how they view themselves and
the world around them
• The pictures at the
right depict two
very different
“ideal” vacations.
• How can
psychographic
segmentation help
identify target
markets for each
type of vacation?
VALS (Values and Lifestyles)
 categorizes consumers into 8
mutually exclusive groups based on
their psychographics and several key
income related demographics.
 highlights factors that motivate
consumer buying behavior.
The primary VALS type represents
your dominant approach to life. The
secondary classification represents a
particular emphasis you give to your
dominant approach.
 http://www.sricbi.com/VALS/presurvey.shtml
Use VALS to:
•Identify WHO to target
•Uncover WHAT your target group buys and does
•Locate WHERE concentrations of your target group lives
•Identify HOW best to communicate with your target group
•Gain insight into WHY the target group acts the way it does
VALS has been applied to:
•New product/service design
•Marketing and communications
- Targeting
- Product positioning
- Focus group screening
- Promotion planning
- Advertising
•Media Planning
•On-line advertising design and implementation
LIFESTYLE TRENDS
 Society's priorities and preferences are constantly changing
 Essential for marketers to both track and anticipate them
 Needham's longitudinal lifestyle study since 1975
 Found that in late 1990s Americans wanted, in essence, gain
without pain.