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Chapter 6 Personality, Lifestyles, and the Self-Concept End of Chapter Material Discussion Questions (*) Indicates material on prep cards. 1. What is meant by the term “personality”? What are the major qualities of personality? What does it mean that personality is unique to the individual? Answer: The term “personality” is used in several ways in everyday life. However, there are common themes across these ways. As the book explains, personality refers to the totality of thoughts, emotions, intentions, tendencies and behaviors that consumers exhibit consistently as they adapt to the environment. The qualities of personality are: personality is unique to the individual, personality can be conceptualized as a combination of specific traits, personality traits are relatively stable and interact with situations to influence behavior, although specific behaviors can vary across time. By definition, personality relates to the person. As such, it is a description of the individual. From the trait perspective, especially the nomothetic approach, consumers can share various traits. Still, personality is a very complex concept that is unique to each individual. 2. Discuss the ways in which motivational research can be used to understand consumer behavior. How does the motivational research method apply to the psychologist Sigmund Freud? In what ways can the approach be applied to the construction of marketing communications? Answer: Motivational research is often thought of as using techniques such as depth-interviews and probing questions to uncover the deep-seated motives behind actions. The book discusses how this research tradition is rooted in the works of Freud. The book also uses the example of uncovering the motives behind listening to classical music. Marketing communications can be constructed around the motives that are uncovered. As a simple example, wireless communications marketers regularly market their services around the concept of “freedom”. Using a laptop is one way to obtain “freedom” in the physical sense. Automobile marketers often market their products around “safety”. This is especially true for consumers who have families and regularly transport family members to daily activities. 3. *Describe the trait approach to studying consumer personality. What is meant by nomothetic and idiographic approaches? Answer: The trait approach focuses exclusively on specific traits, or distinguishable characteristics that describe tendencies to act in relatively consistent manners. This approach has gained considerable attention in consumer research over the most recent decades. It is not, however, without criticisms. The nomothetic approach focuses on specific traits that exist across numerous consumers while the idiographic approach focuses on the complexities of each individual personality with little regard for commonalities across individuals. 4. In what situations do you think the competitiveness trait emerges most visibly? What types of products are bought by competitive people? Think of examples of specific brands or products from various product categories that might be purchased by competitive people. Answer: Obviously, competitiveness will emerge most noticeably when some type of competition exists, such as when playing a game. However, students should notice that competitiveness emerges daily in consumer life. Highly selective products, or what are referred to as “exclusive” products, are almost always promoted with a competitive theme. Students may notice that publicly-visible products are often purchased by competitive people. Many exclusive brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Coach, and Rolex are marketed with exclusive and competitive themes. 5. Based on what you’ve read in this chapter, do you think that you possess a strong degree of self-monitoring? What types of advertisements would be most effective for people who do have a high degree of this trait? What would you suggest to advertisers who are trying to reach these consumers? Answer: If tend to care very much about what other people think about them and how they present themselves in social settings, then chances are good that they are high self-monitors. Numerous advertisements are based on the idea of image and self-maintenance. Clothing commercials that suggest that “clothes make the man” are a good example. These messages are carefully noted by high self-monitors. Personal hygiene products, such as deodorants and breath fresheners, also appeal to high self-monitors. Marketers who attempt to reach these consumers should ensure that the product is tied closely to image projection and self-expression. 6. Do you believe that impulsiveness can be considered to be a trait? Do you consider yourself to be impulsive when it comes to buying products? Do you know of anyone who you think is impulsive? Answer: Impulsiveness can be considered a trait as long as it is discussed in terms of tendencies and consistent behaviors. Nearly all consumers buy on impulse at some point. A truly impulsive consumer, however, does so consistently. This is the main difference between impulsiveness as a trait and the simple behavior of acting impulsively. Most students will know of impulsive consumers. 7. *What are the distinctions between lifestyles, psychographics, and demographics? How can consumer researchers use information based on these concepts? Answer: Lifestyles represent how one lives, spends their time and money. Psychographics represent the ways in which lifestyles are measured. These techniques are quantitative and are used in developing lifestyle profiles. Psychographic measures are used to segment consumer groups into various market segments. Demographics refer to observable, measurable characteristics of populations. This includes things like age, gender, and occupation or income. This chapter includes numerous examples of how these techniques have been used for segmentation purposes. Because segmentation is such an important part of every marketing program, psychographic and demographic analyses are valuable tools for consumer researchers and marketers alike. 8. How can marketers use information found in tools such as VALS and PRIZM? Answer: These tools can be very effective for identifying target markets and direct marketing campaigns. Psychographic profiles, when combined with geodemographic information, can be quite effective for business strategy. Direct mail campaigns, as well as internet advertising, can be based on physical location. 9. Of the various segments found in VALS, which segment do you believe represents you most appropriately? Why? Answer: VALS (Values, Attitudes, and Lifestyles) is a psychographic segmentation tool developed by SRI International to categorize consumers based on their values, motivations, and behavior. The VALS framework identifies eight distinct segments: 1. Innovators 2. Thinkers 3. Believers 4. Achievers 5. Strivers 6. Experiencers 7. Makers 8. Survivors Each segment represents a different combination of resources, self-expression, and motivations. For instance: • Innovators are successful, sophisticated, and have high self-esteem. They are among the wealthiest and most educated of all the segments. • Achievers are goal-oriented and favor products and services that demonstrate their success to their peers. • Experiencers are young, enthusiastic, and impulsive consumers who seek variety and excitement. Identifying with a particular VALS segment depends on various factors such as income, education, personality, and lifestyle choices. It's essential to recognize that individuals may exhibit traits from multiple segments or transition between segments over time, depending on life circumstances and personal growth. 10. Discuss the various types of “selves” that consumer researchers have identified? Of these, which one or two are you most aware of daily? How do they affect your behavior? Answer: Six different types of “selves” are discussed in the text. These include the actual, ideal, social, ideal social, possible, and extended selves. The actual self describes how a consumer perceives himself currently. The ideal self refers to how a consumer would like to be ideally. The social self refers to how a consumer believes he is seen socially, while the ideal social self refers to how one would like to be perceived socially. The possible self describes what the consumer could become, while the extended self describes the various possessions that are important part of self-expression. Answers will vary, but students will likely focus on their actual, social, ideal social, and possible selves daily. Again, this will vary. Each of the selves influence behavior. For example, students work daily to complete their studies, and (for most), to earn a degree. Being a college graduate is likely to be part of the “possible” self for many students. 11. *What is meant by the terms symbolic interactionism and semiotics? How do these concepts apply in the daily life of a consumer? Answer: According to symbolic interactionism, people agree on the meaning of symbols in daily life. The extent to which they agree will largely be determined by the various groups to which they belong. Semiotics is the study of symbols and their meanings. The astute student could argue strongly that semiotics and symbolic interactionism are both very important to the study of consumer behavior. We live in a symbolic world, and there is no better example than brands, brand marks, and logos. Students could give countless examples of the many symbols that exist in daily life. 12. What is the basic premise of self-congruency theory as it applies to consumer behavior? Do you believe that this is an important theory for consumer behavior research? Why or why not? Answer: Self-congruency theory proposes that consumers are influenced by the match between themselves and typical users of products. This is a very powerful theory in consumer behavior. Students should realize that part of “fitting in” with a crowd comes from self-congruency theory. That is, if they want to portray a certain image, they will buy the products of the people they are trying to emulate. 13. Describe the concept of “consumer identity.” Do products help you to express your identities? If so, which products do so? Answer: Consumer identity, as it pertains to consumer behavior, refers to the idea that products help consumers portray their identities daily. A good example for the traditional college-aged student can be found in fashion items, such as tee-shirts. The book uses the classic example of “I’m a Pepper.” Students are likely to come up with many other examples. 14. Describe the concept of “organizational identification” and why it is important to consumer behavior researchers. Are there any organizations that you highly identify with? Which ones? Why is this? Answer: Organizational identification occurs when consumers feel a great sense of attachment to specific organizations. Many students can relate to the idea of identifying with a sports team, perhaps the local college team. Other students will feel very strongly about other organizations such as PETA, MADD, or perhaps political parties such as Campus Democrats or Campus Republicans. The proliferation of social media has opened the doors to many organizations that students might otherwise have never heard of. Student answers on this question. Group Activity *Have team members collect various lifestyle magazines that they subscribe to, or read regularly. Examples would be cooking magazines, paintball magazines, athletic magazines such as ESPN or Sports Illustrated. Bring the magazines back to the group but do not reveal who brought in each magazine. Have team members try to guess who brought in each magazine. Are they correct? How do magazines like these reflect our lifestyles? Answer: This is a fun exercise that can reveal a lot about how much we do—and don’t—know about each other. Students will find it entertaining to try and trick each other. Most of the time, however, fellow students will be able to guess the “owners” correctly. Engaging in a team activity like this can be both fun and insightful! Here's how you can execute it: 1. Collecting Magazines: Assign team members to bring in various lifestyle magazines that they subscribe to or read regularly. Encourage diversity in the selection, covering a range of interests such as cooking, paintball, athletics, fashion, travel, etc. 2. Anonymity: Instruct team members not to reveal which magazine they brought in. This adds an element of mystery to the activity and makes it more challenging for others to guess. 3. Guessing Game: Distribute the magazines randomly among the team members. Give everyone some time to browse through the magazines without revealing who brought which one. Then, facilitate a guessing game where team members try to guess who brought in each magazine. 4. Discussion: After the guessing game, facilitate a discussion about how the magazines reflect our lifestyles. Encourage team members to share their observations about the content, themes, and advertisements in the magazines they browsed. 5. Reflection: Prompt team members to reflect on how their magazine choices reflect their interests, hobbies, values, and lifestyles. Discuss how these magazines influence their consumption patterns, aspirations, and sense of identity. 6. Reveal and Comparison: Finally, reveal who brought in each magazine and compare the guesses with the actual owners. Reflect on any surprises or insights gained from the activity. Magazines serve as a reflection of our lifestyles by catering to our interests, passions, and aspirations. The content, themes, and advertisements found in these magazines offer insights into the preferences, values, and behaviors of their readers. Engaging in activities like this helps team members gain a deeper understanding of each other's lifestyles and fosters a sense of connection and camaraderie within the group. Assignments 14. Go to Facebook and look at the walls and profiles of some close friends. Do you think that their walls and profiles describe them accurately? Do you think that they post things that they shouldn’t? What do you learn about posting information from viewing their pages? Answer: Most college students will visit Facebook daily, so this should be an easy exercise. One would hope that the persona that is presented on friends’ walls and profiles are accurate. Realistically, many of them will not be. This is a good exercise to get students to think about what they are posting about themselves and to intervene—if they choose to do so—with friends who may be posting what may be considered to be inappropriate material online. 15. Visit the PRIZM webpage. Enter zip codes that you are familiar with, such as your hometown’s zip code. Do you agree with the description of the segments that you find? Why or why not? Answer: This is a great exercise for getting students involved with geodemographic analyses. It is the authors’ experience that the segments given on the site are very accurate. It is an interesting class assignment that is likely to get students thinking and talking! 16. When visiting your local shopping mall, take notes of the various ways in which sexual appeals are used to sell products. In what ways do these methods borrow concepts from the psychoanalytic approach? Do you believe that using sexual appeals is an effective way of selling products? Do you think it is appropriate? Why or why not? Answer: This is another exercise that pertains to everyday life. Most students will visit a shopping mall regularly. Although most people take advertisements, including sex appeals, for granted, this exercise gets students to open their eyes and realize just how frequently we are all exposed to these appeals. This is another good exercise that will get students talking in class. 17. While watching television, take note of advertisements that appear to be using a “competitive” theme. What kinds of products are promoted using these themes? Do you think the advertisements are effective? Why or why not? Answer: Once again, this is a relatively easy exercise. Like the shopping mall assignment, we don’t usually take note of advertisements that we see. The competitive theme is included on many television advertisements. This is especially true for automobile commercials and financial services commercials. Chances are that students will think that the techniques are effective. However, it can spark some interesting classroom discussion. 18. *Browse various websites of popular products such as Coca-Cola, Honda Motor Company, Dell, or any other website that comes to mind. Take note of websites that include messages that suggest that a consumer’s identity is expressed through using the products. Do you use products to express your identity? Which ones? In what ways? Answer: Many websites contain themes that attempt to convey the idea that the products being promoted are a part of the consumer’s life, if not identity. In the book, we discuss “I’m a Pepper”. Another popular example is “I’m a Mac”, or “I’m a P.C.” The Dell computer website allows consumers to match their Dell computers exactly to their lifestyles and attitudes by including numerous customization tools. The computer becomes a means of expressing the self. This is another exercise that can spark some interesting discussion. Chapter Video Summary To view the video case Wheelworks, go to the CB companion website login.cengage.com to select this video.[1] Wheelworks Since 1977, Wheelworks has been a hub of the East Coast cycling community. The Boston-based bicycle shop has earned both national and consumer’s choice awards for its selection and service. Because cycling is a lifestyle pursuit that generates excitement among recreational enthusiasts and professional competitors alike, sales personnel at Wheelworks bypass hard selling and focus instead on educating consumers, promoting bicycle clubs, and sharing their passion for riding. Ask your students: 1. What is the key to Wheelworks’ success? Answer: The key to Wheelworks’ success is the enthusiasm and passion for the sport of cycling among the employees. The employees want to educate the consumers and help them find the right bike, rather than simply make a sale. 2. How does Wheelworks motivate the sales force to provide excellent customer service? Answer: Wheelworks doesn’t need to do a lot of motivating of their sales force. Most of the employees come to Wheelworks because of their passion for the product and the sport. They tend to be self-motivated people that take pride in making someone else happy and teaching them about cycling. Wheelworks also pays wages, rather than commission. This eliminates the pressure on the sales force to make a sale no matter what. CB Scenario Video A group of girls display basic models of cell phones that offer little functionality beyond making phone calls. Newer cell phone models have an array of functions and capabilities. Touchscreen phones and smartphones allow users to perform a variety of tasks in addition to phone calls—scheduling appointments, online shopping, and entertainment. Ask your students: 1. Identify at least three consumer behavior traits that are demonstrated in the scenario shown below. Carl loves gadgets and owns all the latest electronic gadgets introduced in the market. He recently bought a new smartphone which was introduced in the market. Even though he owns many phones, he is very possessive about each one of them and does not like to share them. Soon after he purchased the new smartphone, he showed it off to all his friends. He does this to display his social class to the others. Answer: A few consumer behavior traits are given below: a) High materialism b) Consumer innovativeness c) High need for cognition d) Competitiveness e) Conspicuous consumption f) High self-monitoring 2. If you had to buy a phone, would you consider a simple one or a smartphone? How does your lifestyle shape your purchase decision? Answer: Lifestyles refer to the ways consumers live, spend their time and money. Purchase patterns are often influenced by consumer lifestyles. Since they emerge from the influence of culture, groups, and individual processes, including personality; students will take into account all these factors in their purchase decision. 3. Does owning a smartphone or a touchscreen phone have an effect on an individual’s self-concept? Explain using the self-congruency theory. Answer: The ideal social self represents the image that a consumer would like others to have about him or her. By owning a smartphone, an individual will want others to think of him as being tech-savvy. This is the kind of self-concept that individual will want to portray about himself. Self-congruency theory proposes that much of consumer behavior can be explained by the congruence (match) between a consumer’s self-concept and the image of typical users of a focal product. Thus, if the consumer thinks that owning a smartphone is the latest trend, he will be motivated to buy it. In this way, the smartphone brand will become a vehicle for self-expression. Solution Manual for CB Consumer Behaviour Barry J. Babin, Eric G. Harris 9781305403222, 9781305577244
