The
Human Element
An Introduction
to Y&R’s 4Cs
4Cs is an acronym short for
Cross Cultural Consumer Characterisation.
Two big ideas in a short name.
Taking them in turn ...
1. Consumer Characterisation
4Cs is a values segmentation designed to explore Priorities in Brand Choice as they
operate in an individual person. There are seven groups, each based on a single priority.
Priority for...
SURVIVAL
Resigned. Rigid, strict, authoritarian and chauvinist values, oriented to
the past and to Resigned roles. Brand choice stresses safety,
familiarity and economy. (Older)
ESCAPE
Struggler. Alienated, Struggler, disorganised - with few resources
apart from physical/mechanical skills (eg car repair). Heavy
consumers of alcohol, junk food and lotteries, also trainers. Brand
choice involves impact and sensation.
SECURITY
Mainstream. Domestic, conformist, conventional, sentimental,
passive, habitual. Part of the mass, favouring big and well-known
value for money ‘family’ brands. Almost invariably the largest 4Cs
group. (Average demos)
STATUS
Aspirer. Materialistic, acquisitive, affiliative, oriented to extrinsics ...
image, appearance, charisma, persona and fashion. Attractive pack
more important than quality of contents. (Younger, clerical/sales type
occupation)
CONTROL
Succeeder. Strong goal orientation, confidence, work ethic,
organisation ... support status quo, stability. Brand choice based on
reward, prestige - the very best . Also attracted to ‘caring’ and
protective brands ... stress relief. (Top management)
DISCOVERY
Explorer. Energy - autonomy, experience, challenge, new frontiers.
Brand choice highlights difference, sensation, adventure, indulgence
and instant effect - the first to try new brands. (Younger - student)
ENLIGHTEN
MENT
Reformer. Freedom from restriction, personal growth, social
awareness, value for time, independent judgement, tolerance of
complexity, anti-materialistic but intolerant of bad taste. Curious and
enquiring, support growth of new product categories. Select brands for
intrinsic quality, favouring natural simplicity, small is beautiful.
(High education)
2. Cross-Cultural
Uniquely among values segmentations, 4Cs groups are comparable across countries,
offering a new marketing perspective on the world - beyond geography.
How is this achieved?
The basic building blocks of 4Cs are 45 cross-cultural values statements developed over the
past 12 years, grounded in universal theory. An iteration process is used to construct a
culture-customised algorithm adjusted to the local norms and meanings.
This procedure ensures cultural comparability – and at the same time delivers optimal local
discrimination of behaviour. The result is solid confidence in findings, implications and
conclusions.
4Cs is a standard variable in BAV databases:
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Canada
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
France
Germany
Belgium
Thailand
Hungary
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Netherlands
Portugal
Poland
Russia
South Africa
Taiwan
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
Venezuela
Chile
Greece
China (mainland)
India
Also available in national omnibus studies
4Cs is also installed in several robust, rolling-data, large sample (10,000 to 25,000) national
omnibus studies such as TGI and Gallup:
3. Uses and Applications
4Cs can be used to examine any human activity involving choice - and has been
successfully applied to issues ranging from politics to taste in movies, apart from its
primary function in brand positioning and targeting. The usefulness of any and all types of
marketing research can be enhanced by the addition of 4Cs. Some of the options ...
Conceptual Development
Understanding and experience of the seven 4Cs ‘mind-sets’ provides a model that can be
used to develop hypotheses about varieties of response to products, brands, ads, situations.
Output can range from creative solutions to insight-enhancing research content.
Qualitative
Focus groups, for instance, recruited by 4Cs type are qualitatively different to the more
normal demographic approach. As opposed to conflict and confrontation of opinion, a
group of people with consistent values can explore issues in more depth and subtlety, and
produce more useful surprises. The dominant/passive respondent problem is largely
avoided.
Ad-Hoc Quantitative
The simple inclusion of 30 six point agree statements adds an extra 4Cs dimension to
analysis, especially useful in conjunction with product field attitudes, brand image, reasons
for purchase and lifestyle behaviour. Apart from ‘useful surprises’ that uncover the values
involved in apparently obvious consumer needs (eg economy, quality, aesthetics, health
etc) the combination of 4Cs and product field measures can be used to make ‘devoted’
product field segmentations that surpass the usual approach because they set the product
field in the context of the whole human being.
BAV
All BAV studies worldwide include 4Cs - connecting to the powerful BAV diagnostic
measures as well as basic brand use and media habits. This ready-to-go facility can be used
to provide insight for projects both large and small.
Syndicated databases
Most countries have at least one continuous large sample industry database of brand use,
media and lifestyle. Installing 4Cs in these databases opens up new possibilities for
inexpensive and timely investigation, extending to small brand and area sub-samples.
Media Selection
Matching the values profile of a target group to that of candidate media adds quantifiable
‘editorial environment’ to the criteria normally used in media selection. This has serious
implications for cost-effectiveness
Creative Communication
4Cs is about the ‘human element’, and connects intimately and easily with the life
experience and perceptions of the colleagues and clients with whom we work. Abstract
statistical input can be brought to life, especially useful at the creative interface - as
creative people need to envisage and empathise with the ‘one person’ that the target market
resolves into at this stage.