The Self
What is the Self Concept?
72% of men and
85% of women are
unhappy with at
least one aspect of
their appearance
Many products are
bought because
people are trying to
highlight or hide
some aspect of the
self
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 refers
to the positivity of
one's attitudes
towards self
Consumer's feeling
about themselves
shape their
consumption practices
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."
Dasani: "Treat yourself well.
Everyday."
The real and the Ideal
The Gap
creates a
tension
The Real - the reality of
who we are
The Ideal - who we
would like to be.
Products are purchased because they are consistent with either self.
The Real and the Ideal
Many products appeal to consumers
tendencies to fantasize about the way
we would like to be
The Breck girls were idealized
images of an American woman from
the 1930s to the 1980s who
Advertising executives thought
everyone could love: a woman both
desirable and chaste
poses were executed in pastels,
with soft focus and haloes of light
and color to 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
1998 Bacardi
launches a $15 million
advertising campaign
under the theme
"Bacardi by night."
"We know our
consumers do
something each day -they work, they have
responsibilities. But at
night they let off steam.
Who do the ads
target?
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’
Gays are 12 times more likely to be in professional jobs,
 94% more likely to use a product of service advertised in a gay
publication
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 generally control
spending for their family's
household, as well as for their
own personal needs
70% 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 Business Week and Gallup,
women will control $1 trillion by 2010, representing nearly
two-thirds of the USA’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?
Cascade Dishwashing Detergent
1958 issue of Lady's Home Journal.
The man in this ad is envious of his
hostess' spotless drinking glasses.
Rather than giving him advice on how
to get his glasses just as clean, she advises
him to tell his wife to use Cascade.
The designers of this ad assume that
washing dishes is a woman's chore.
The roles are strictly defined; it never
crosses the woman's mind that Jean's
husband might have something to do
with dishwashing in his household.
How are women portrayed today?
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.
Is it a mistake to portray women
this way?
This ad is striking
because it shows a
man in what is
typically thought of
as a woman’s role.
What does the fact
that he can open
the pail “without
passing out” say
about men?
Men are domesticated.
Sex objects
Which word seems to go
with each picture?
taketa
naluma
Sound Symbolism: The vast majority of people pair taketa with
the angular illustration and naluma with the curved one.
taketa
Because the consonants are
hard it is perceived as
“harder” and more
“masculine”
Clorox, a hard-working
laundry product
naluma
consonants are sonorants
perceived as “softer” and
more “feminine”
Chanel, a perfume
Social Influences (continued)
 Sex roles: society’s expectations about the appropriate
attitudes, behaviours, and appearance for men and women.
 Products can take on the
attributes of their users, and
become linked to one gender
or another.
 Men buy hardware while
women shop for clothing and
food(?)
 In today’s social environment
of gender equality, changing
roles, and political
correctness, these rules no
longer apply.
BODY
IMAGE
How an individual
conceptualizes
his/her personal
appearance
including the size,
shape, and weight
of his/her body
Is there an
ideal body
image?
While on average
people weigh more than
they did 20 years ago;
the perceived 'ideal'
body type is getting
thinner.
This dissonance has
been found to
contribute to body
dissatisfaction in both
men and women
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.
Teen People Magazine
March 2003
One study found
women’s
magazines have
10.5 times more
ads and articles
promoting weight
loss than men’s
magazines did.
Victoria’s Secret is Revealed
What does this ad suggest women
should look like?
The current ideal of female beauty
is difficult to achieve. The ideal being
a young Caucasian female, height
5'8"- 5'10", weighing 110-120 pounds
or less.
 Make-up, lighting and airbrushing are used to slim down the
images even more.
Less than 10% of the female
population are genetically destined to
fit this ideal.
Victoria’s Secret, “Angels’ Collection”
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.
“Men are Supposed to be Strong”
 What message does this ad
send to men? Women?
 Do we usually see more
scantily clad men or women?
 Is this what a man looks like?
Should men look like this?
Why or why not?
 Where do our ideals of beauty
come from?
• Recent advertising trends are just as harmful to men
• Unforgiving & unrealistic images
• Men’s magazines encourage obsession with body
image, aging & sexual prowess