MKT201 – Week 6 The Self (Ch. 5) Perspectives on the Self • Does the Self Exist? – 1980’s called the “Me Decade” – March 7th designated “Self Day” by Self magazine – Western societies emphasize uniqueness of self. – Collective self: Eastern culture’s belief that a person’s identity is derived from his or her social group. – Mien-Tzu (FACE): Confucian belief that reputation is achieved through success and ostentation (boastful display) Self Concept • Self Concept: – The beliefs a person holds about his or her own attributes and how he or she evaluates these qualities • Many Dimensions of the Attributes of Self Concept such as: – Content (facial attractiveness Vs mental aptitude) – Positivity (i.e. self-esteem) – Intensity & stability over time – Accuracy (i.e. the degree to which one’s self-assessment corresponds to reality) • Consumer perceptions of self can be quite distorted, particularly with regard to their physical appearance. Self-Esteem Self-esteem: – Refers to the positivity of a person’s self-concept. • Marketing communication attempts to influence consumer by: • Social Comparison: – A process by which consumers evaluate themselves by comparing themselves with others (particularly comparisons with idealized images of people in advertising) • Self-esteem Advertising: – Attempts to change product attitudes by stimulating positive feelings about the self. Real and Idealized Selves • Ideal Self: – A person’s conception of how he or she would like to be – Partially molded by elements of a consumer’s culture • Actual Self: – A person’s realistic appraisal of the qualities he or she does and does not possess Fantasy: Bridging the Gap between the Selves: – Fantasy: A self-induced shift in consciousness – Fantasy appeals: Marketing communications aimed at individuals with a large discrepancy between their real and ideal selves Self-Concept Components of the Self-Concept Content, Positivity or Negativity, Intensity, Stability Over Time, and Accuracy Self-Esteem Refers to the Positivity of a Person’s Self-Concept Real and Ideal Selves Ideal - How a Person Would Like to Be Real - Realistic Appraisal of Who We Really Are Fantasy: Bridging the Gap Between the Selves When the Gap Between the Real and Ideal Self is Large, Those Consumers are Good Targets for Fantasy Appeals Fantasy Appeals Multiple Selves • Role Identities: – Different components of the self (student / dancer; active at any given time) • Symbolic Interactionism: – Stresses that relationships with other people play a large part in forming the self (symbols -> meanings: red light: stop; gold watch: rich man) – Self-fulfilling prophecy (prediction): By acting the way we assume others expect us to act, we wind up confirming these perceptions (e.g. boy – playing toy guns) • The Looking-Glass Self: – The process of imagining the reactions of others toward us, i.e., “taking the role of the other”; depending on whose views we’re considering. Self-Consciousness • Self-Consciousness: – A painful awareness of oneself magnified by the belief that others are intently watching. – Excessively conscious of one's appearance or manner (think about Michael Jackson) Self-Consciousness (cont’d) Techniques to measure such tendency: – Measurement of Public Self-Consciousness : • A heightened concern about the nature of one’s public “image” • Results in more concern about the appropriateness of products and consumption activities (e.g., clothing, cosmetics) – Measurement of Self Monitoring: • Awareness of how one presents oneself in a social environment (e.g., physical appearance, accomplishments) Consumption and Self-Concept Identity Marketing: - a strategy which tries to alter some aspects of a person’s self to advertise for a branded product. e.g., free season tickets for life for anyone who will tattoo the logo of a product/brand. Consumption and Self-Concept • Products that Shape the Self: You are What you Consume – People use an individual’s consumption behaviors to help them make judgments about that person’s social identity. – Symbolic self-completion theory: People who have an incomplete self-definition tend to complete this identity by acquiring and displaying symbols associated with it. Example: Adolescent boys (age 13-17) – using “macho” products such as cars and cigarettes (showing masculinity) Consumption and Self-Concept • Self/Product Congruence: – Consumers demonstrate consistency between their values and the things they buy. – Self-image congruence models: Products will be chosen when their attributes match some aspect of the self. – predict that products will be chosen when their attributes match some aspect of the self. • Ideal-self : more relevant for highly expressive social products. • Actual-self: more relevant for everyday, functional products. The Extended Self • Extended Self: – External objects that consumers consider a part of themselves • Four Levels of the Extended Self: – – – – (1) Individual Level: Personal possessions (2) Family Level: Residence and furnishings (3) Community Level: Neighborhood or town one is from (4) Group Level: Social groups • A consumer may also feel that landmarks, monuments, or sports teams are part of the extended self. • Identity Theft: – Criminal use of personal information to secure credit Protection Against Identity Theft The Extended Self Those External Objects That We Consider a Part of Us Comprise the Extended Self. There Are Four Levels of the Extended Self: Individual Level Personal Possessions (you are what you wear) Family Level Residence and Furnishings (symbolic body) Community Level Neighborhood or Town (belonging) Group Level Social Groups (subcultures) Advertisements: Extending the Self • This Italian ad demonstrates that our favorite products are part of the extended self. Discussion Question • Some consumers feel that a sports team is part of the extended self. At www.flameheads.com they celebrate fanaticism toward the Tennessee Titans football team. • How does affiliation with a sports team affect self perceptions? What other affiliations are part of the extended self? Sex Roles • Sex Identity: – An important component of a consumer’s self concept • Gender Differences in Socialization: – Agentic goals (Males): Stress self assertion and mastery – Communal goals (Females): Stress affiliation and fostering of harmonious relations Sex Roles • Gender differences in consumption situations – E.g., food preferences of men vs. women Satirical (Sarcastic) Ad of Exploitation • This French shoe ad pokes fun at ads that demean women by proclaiming: “No woman’s body was exploited in the making of this advertisement.” Sex Roles (cont.) • Gender Versus Sexual Identity: – Sex-Typed Traits: Characteristics stereotypically associated with gender (masculinity Vs femininity) – Sex-Typed Products: • Many products are sex-typed (i.e., they take on masculine or feminine attributes and are associated with gender. (Beer: masculine, Shampoo: feminine) • Androgyny: – Refers to the possession of both masculine and feminine traits – Sex-typed people: Stereotypically masculine or feminine – Androgynous people: Mixed gender characteristics Gender vs. Sexual Identity • Many products are sextyped… – They take on masculine & feminine attributes • Princess telephones • Thor’s Hammer vodka Culturally Bound Sex Roles • This ad for Bijan illustrates how sex-role identities are culturally bound by contrasting the expectations of how women should appear in two different countries. (Perfumes) Sex Roles (cont.) • Female Sex Roles: – Female sex roles are still evolving • Male Sex Roles: – Masculinism: The study of the male image and the cultural meanings of masculinity • Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Consumers: – GLBT population is an attractive segment to marketers – The 1990’s saw big corporations actively court this market segment Female Sex Roles (S5) • New managerial class of women – Has forced marketers to reexamine strategies • Sporting goods, car accessories, and electronics products for women Male Sex Roles • Masculinism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masculinity – Three models of masculinity: • Breadwinner (civic virtues, pursuit material success) • Rebel (rebellion, independence, adventure, potency/powerful) • Man-of-action hero (best of the other two models) • Misandry (hatred of males as a sex ) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misandry Male Sex Roles (Cont’d) • Grooming products for men – Metrosexual (straight, urban male who exhibits strong interests and knowledge about fashion, home design, gourmet cooking and personal care) • David Beckham • Queer Eye for the Straight Guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer_Eye_for_the_Straight_ Guy – Prosumers/urban influentials (educated customers focus on personal appearance and living environment) Discussion • The “metrosexual” is a big buzzword in marketing, but is it real or just media hype? • Do you see men in your age group changing their ideas about acceptable interests for males (e.g., home design, cooking, etc.)? • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosex ual Sex Roles Gender Differences in Socialization Males: Agentic Goals Such as Self-Assertion, Mastery Females: Communal Goals Such As Affiliation, Relationships Gender Versus Sexual Identity Sex-Typed Traits Sex-Typed Products Androgyny Roles GLBT Consumers (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender) • ~4%-8% of U.S. population – Equivalent to Asian American market – Spends $250-$350 billion a year – Simmons study: compared to heterosexual markets, readers of gay publications are more likely to… • Hold professional jobs • Own a vacation home • Own a notebook computer Body Image • Body Image: – Refers to a consumer’s subjective evaluation of his or her physical self • Body Cathexis: – A person’s feelings about his or her body • Ideal of Beauty: – A particular model, or exemplar, of appearance Ideals of Beauty • Is Beauty Universal? – Men are attracted to an hourglass shape – Women prefer men with a heavy lower face, aboveaverage height, and a prominent brow • The Western Ideal: – Big round eyes, tiny waists, large breasts, blond hair, and blue eyes • Ideals of Beauty over Time: – Periods of history tend to be characterized by a specific “look” – Sexual dimorphic markers: Aspects of the body that distinguish between the sexes Ideals of Beauty Over Time • Specific “looks”/ideals of beauty – Early 1800s: delicate/”looking ill” appearance, 18-inch waistline (use of corsets) – 1890s: voluptuous, lusty woman – Bad economy: mature features vs. good economy: babyish features – 1990s: “waif” look (large round eyes and a very thin body) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waif – Modern women: high heels, body waxing, eyelifts, liposuction Waist-Hip Ratios (normal: 0.6 – 0.8) Beauty Ideals in the 1950’s • This 1951 bathing beauty exemplified an ideal of American femininity at that time. Ideals of Beauty Over Time (Cont’d) • Media & marketing communicate standards of beauty – Barbie dolls: unnatural ideal of thinness • Plus-sized apparel market • Strongly masculine, muscled body for men Working on the Body • Fattism: – Our society is obsessed with weight • Body Image Distortions: – Women’s ideal figure is much thinner than their actual figure – Anorexia: Starving oneself in a quest for thinness – Bulimia: Binge (uncontrolled) eating followed by purging (vomiting, laxatives, fasting, or over-exercising) – Body dysmorphic disorder: An obsession with perceived flaws in appearance Unrealistic Body Shape Expectations • This ad for an online weight-loss site drives home the idea that the media often communicate unrealistic expectations about body shape. Discussion Question • In this advertisement, it is insinuated/introduced that this model’s physique was achieved partially through drinking milk. (Notice that the model is so thin you can see her ribs.) • Is her physique really ideal? What kind of distorted message is this sending to young girls about body image? Distorted Body Image Cultural Emphasis on Thinness • Society’s emphasis on thinness makes many consumers insecure about their body image. This South American ad promises, “You’ll never have to go to the beach in a T-Shirt again.” Working on the Body (cont.) • Cosmetic Surgery: – Consumers are increasing electing to have cosmetic surgery to change a poor body image or enhance appearance. – Men are increasingly having cosmetic surgery too. • Breast Augmentation: – Our culture tends to equate breast size with sex appeal. – Some women have breast augmentation procedures because they feel larger breasts will increase their allure/attractiveness. Body Decoration & Mutilation • Decorating the self… – Separates group members from nonmembers – Places the individual in the social organization – Provides a sense of security • Tattoos & body piercing – Historically associated with social outcasts – Now a fashion statement Body Decoration and Mutilation: Purposes Separate Group Members From Nonmembers Place the Individual in the Social Organization (e.g. boy-> man) Place the Person in a Gender Category (e.g. red lips) Enhance Sex-Role Identification (e.g. high-heel shoes) Indicate Desired Social Conduct (e.g. earring for gays) Indicate High Status or Rank (e.g. glasses with clear lenses) Provide a Sense of Security (e.g. lucky ornaments) Tattooing • Tattooing is becoming mainstream. This Spanish ad for Nike tennis products says, “Rest in heaven, not on the court.” Body Piercing • Body piercing has practically become a mainstream fashion statement.