The Self
What is the Self Concept?
72% of men
and 85% of
women are
unhappy with
at least one
aspect of their
appearance
Which of the following has caused
you to have a bad day?
Skin Problems
(12%)
Clothes you had on
(11%)
How your hair looked (77%)
If you could make only one change
with your hair, what would it be?
More attractive color (3%)
Be thicker/fuller
(93%)
Less or more curly
(5%)
At which occasions have you wished
you had a better hair day?
Wedding (4%)
College/High School Reunion (1%)
Night out on the town (12%)
Business meeting (3%)
Everyday (79%)
Self-Esteem
Self-Esteem Marketing
Self Esteem Slogans
DIET COKE "Live your life" — or, in other words, drink it
because you just feel good about it - not to lose weight
APPLE COMPUTER: "The Power to Be Your Best."
CHARLES ATLAS "You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine."
CAMAY SOAP "You are in a Beauty Contest Every Day of your
Life.”
GILLETTE: “The best a man can get."
The Real and the Ideal
The Real - the reality of who we
are
The Ideal - who we would like to
be.
The Gap creates a tension
Products are purchased because
they are consistent with either self.
 Many products appeal to
consumers tendencies to fantasize
about the way we would like to be
poses executed in pastels, with
soft focus and haloes of light and
color create highly romantic
images of feminine beauty and
purity.
Multiple Selves
consumers are different
people at different times
We play different roles - in
class or at work
Different selves have
different consumption
patterns
Clairol permits you to explore
and express the full range of
your multiple selves
Which
Library
does she
work at?
CONSUMPTION AND SELF CONCEPT
 Consumption of products and services contributes to the
definition of self.
 Consumers exhibit attachment to products to the extent that it is
used by the person to maintain his or her self concept.
Gender Identity
What does it Mean to be a Man in Our Society
• Men never cry
• Should not show emotion
• Not quitters
• Physically brave
• Independent
• Heroic and patriotic ideals
• Adventurous
• Shaving
• First day at work - earning a wage
• Initiations
• tough
• Courageous
• Drinking
• Physical strength
• Sex
This Pirelli image of Carl Lewis wearing red high heel
shoes challenges the conventional view of black male
athletes as being ‘super-masculine’
Women as Consumers
 80 per cent of the household dollar is spent by women
The products do not need to be geared towards
women since they control spending for their family's
household, as well as for their own personal needs
70 per cent of men's underwear is bought by women.
Studies continue to show that women control
purchases of everything from household goods to
investments and expensive consumer durables such as
automobiles.
According to a study by BusinessWeek and Gallup, women will
control $1 trillion by 2010, representing nearly two-thirds of the
nation's wealth.
Canadian research has indicated women are not particularly
impressed by firms seeking their dollars..
Do companies generally
meet the needs of
women as consumers?
Do women feel less
valued than male
consumers?
If so what can businesses
do about it?
Depiction of Women in Ads
ROSIE THE RIVETER
Redd Evans and John
Jacob Loeb,
"Rosie the Riveter,"
(New York: Paramount
Music Corp., 1942
All the day long,
Whether rain or shine,
She's a part of the assembly line.
She's making history,
Working for victory,
Rosie the Riveter.
Keeps a sharp lookout for sabatoge,
Sitting up there on the fuselage.
That little girl will do more than a male will do.
Rosie's got a boyfriend, Charlie.
Charlie, he's a Marine.
Rosie is protecting Charlie,
Working overtime on the riveting machine.
When they gave her a production "E,"
She was as proud as she could be.
There's something true about,
Red, white, and blue about,
Rosie the Riveter.
In the 1940s, women were
encouraged to help the war
effort by getting a job outside
the home. But it was family and
country rather than money,
status, or power that they were
encouraged to toil for .
November 1942
“For whether she rears a family
or mans a rangefinder, a
woman needs the physical
support of a good foundation."
and "Amongst other munitions
of war, Berlei are still making
foundations.".
1950s - mass consumption in high gear, TV ads
idealized the woman as the guardian of the home,
and the man as the bread winner. Men were shown
as endorsing their wives choices of products.
1960s - educated women started exhibiting their
discontent with the depiction of women in ads.
Armed with diplomas and new sophisticated birth
control methods, they demanded for the right to
have both career and family. The great social
change in the sixties allowed a variety of depictions
of women: sex kitten, nurturing mother and
independent working girl. Men become consumers.
1970s Advertisers in the nineteen seventies realized the changing
roles of women, and so they used such issues like woman's lib,
ethnic heritage, and critiques of capitalism to sell their products.
Advertisers realized that not just white people were buying
products. Ethnic people were placed in advertisements.
1980s independent woman.
1990s 2000s
She is a "multifaceted
success machine”.
She is a nurturer and a
seducer.
She is the twenty-four hour
a day woman, and she
never sleeps.
Men are domesticated. Sex
objects
Is it a mistake to
portray women this
way?
BODY IMAGE
Is there an ideal body image?
A poll by Kellogg’s found that 62 percent out of a
sample of 503 women over 18-years-old believe
that an ideal body weight and size do exist.
These women said the major factor determining
the feminine ideal comes from television
advertising or fashion magazines.
 Ads appearing in popular teen magazines promise to transform a
girl’s appearance. While these ads are designed to encourage a girl
to use make-up and dieting to look acceptable, they can undermine
her self-confidence and contribute to negative body image
 Girls are usually more concerned with appearance than boys
because they have been socialized to overemphasize appearance
 One study of Saturday morning toy commercials found that 50%
of commercials aimed at girls spoke about physical attractiveness,
while none of the commercials aimed at boys referred to appearance
 Other studies found 50% of advertisements in teen girl magazines
and 56% of television commercials aimed at female viewers used
beauty as a product appeal.
One study found women’s magazines have 10.5 times more ads and
articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines did.
The latest addition to Mattel's best-selling fashion
doll range has caused near-riots in toy stores as
children and collectors alike rush to pick up their
very own Bulimic Barbie.
The new doll, complete with a fridge full of ice
cream, chocolate and cake, is the epitome of doll
technology. "Look at this," squealed mother-of-two
Dawn Galway, 31, activating the toy's realistic gag
reflex by pushing its hand into its mouth. "Isn't that
the cutest thing you've ever seen?" she asked, as the
synthetic vomit gushed into the tiny basin.
A Mattel PR spokeswoman said: "Mattel have an
ongoing commitment to fans of Barbie to keep her
relevant and now. Market research indicates that
many young girls are developing a fascination with
bulimia and other eating disorders, and this new doll
reflects that." Barbie enthusiast Kylie Holridge, 10,
said. "Now, with Bulimic Barbie, I know just how to
get that perfect thin figure.
Bulimic Barbie
Kylie's elder sister Jodie, 13, said that Barbie has
inspired her quest for a slimmer, trimmer figure
since she was nine.
Matel, the makers of Barbie, sued The Body Shop, UK for
this ad. They withdrew it and settled out of court.
Kellogg’s Special K cereal
realized that campaigns
featuring young, thin
models barely squeezing
into tight clothes alienated
their older audience,
“Our consumers told us
they really couldn't relate to
advertising techniques that
used unrealistic body
images. "They said that
they couldn’t live up to the
standards of beauty dictated
by advertisers."
1998 Kellogg's Special K runs a campaign
that says there is no ideal body weight.