Consumer Behavior #2

Personality

the totality of thoughts, emotions, intentions, and behaviors that a person exhibits consistently as he or she adapts to his or her environment. 

Personality qualities

• Unique to an individual (twins) 

• Can be conceptualized as a combination of specific traits or characteristics

• Traits are relatively stable and interact with situations to influence behavior 

• Specific behaviors can vary across time. 

Psychoanalytic approach

suggests personality results from struggle between inner motives and societal pressures to follow rules and expectations.

• Applicable to motivations and personality inquiry 

• Highlights the importance of unconscious mental processes in influencing behavior 

• Components of human personality include id, ego, supere

Id

it 

• The most basic and unorganized part of our personality 

Ego

I 

• This part of the personality seeks to express the Id’s demands in an acceptable way. Tries to mediate between Id and reality. 

Super ego

Super-I 

• Your conscience and internalization of cultural rules.

Trait

a distinguishable characteristic that describes one's tendency to act in a relatively consistent manner

Trait approach

focuses on specific consumer traits as motivators of various consumer behaviors 

Nomothetic perspective

• focuses on particular traits that exist across a number of people 

  • Aims to find common personality traits that can be studied across people 

Idiographic perspective

focuses on understanding the complexity of each individual consumer.

Major Traits examined in consumer research

Value consciousness,  Materialism, Innovativeness, Need for cognition, Competitiveness, Productivity orientation, Frugality,Trait superstition, Trait Impulsivity 

Value consciousness 

Extent to which consumers tend to maximise what they receive from a transaction as compared to what they give

Materialism

Extent to which material goods have importance in a consumer's life

Innovativeness 

Degree to which an individual is open to new ideas and tends to adopt new products, services or experiences. 

Need for cognition 

Degree to which consumers enjoy engaging in effortful cognitive information processing 

Competitiveness 

Enduring tendency to strive to be better than others

Productivity orientation .

Tendency of consumers to focus on being productive, making progress, and accomplishing more in less time

Frugality

The tendency of a consumer to exhibit restraint when facing purchases and using resources 

Trait superstition 

A tendency to follow superstitions and superstitious beliefs 

Trait Impulsivity

A tendency to buy products and engage in experiences on impulse. 

Five Factor Model 

• Extraversion- talkative and outgoing 

• Agreeableness - kindhearted and sympathetic 

• Openness to experience- creative, imaginative 

• Stability (neuroticism) - even- keeled, not prone to mood swings 

• Conscientiousness - precise, efficient, and organized. 

Criticism for traits

• Personality traits traditionally have not been shown to be strong predictors of consumer behavior 

• Researchers often select traits for study without any logical theoretical basis. 

• Personality traits are sometimes hard to measure and researchers often use measures with questionable validity 

• Personality inventories used to measure traits are often meant for use on specific populations but they are frequently applied to practically any consumer group 

• Researchers often measure and use traits in ways not originally intended 

• Consumer traits generally do not predict specific brand selections.

Hierarchical approaches 

• Begin with the assumption that personality traits exist at varying levels of abstraction 

  • Specific traits- tendencies to behave in very well-defined situations (complaint propensity) 

  • Broad traits- behaviors that are performed across many different situations (extraversion) 

Personology approach

combines information on traits, goals, and consumer life stories to gain a better understanding of personality. 

Lifestyles

the way consumers live and spend their time and money 

• Referred to as context-specific personality traits 

• Influence purchase patterns of consumers 

• Useful in identifying viable market segments 

Psychographics

The way consumers' lifestyles are measured 

• Quantitative investigation of consumer lifestyles 

• Involves surveying consumers using AIO statements 

  • AIO statements: Activity, interest, and opinion statements used in lifestyle 

Demographics

observable, statistical aspects of populations such as age, gender, or income 

• Used in conjunction with psychographic analysis 

• Helps locate and understand lifestyle segments.

Self Concept

totality of thoughts and feelings that an individual has about himself or herself. 

• Consumers are motivated to act in accordance with their self- concepts 

Self- esteem

refers to the positivity of an individual's self-concept

The many self concepts

Actual self , Ideal self, Social Self, Ideal social self, Possible self,Extended self

Actual self

how I see myself actually in this moment (tell me about yourself) 

Ideal self

work a little bit harder (this is who I really want to be); achievable now 

Social Self

who I see myself as in a social setting and how it involves (core friendship) 

Ideal social self

enhanced social self (socially awkward penguin → life of the party) 

Possible self

more forward-looking ideal social self (where do you want to be in 10 years)  

Extended self

pulls in other elements of why who we are (school pride is who you are) (brand loyalty and important to identity)

Symbolic interactionism

the perspective that proposes that consumers live in a symbolic environment and interpret the myriad of symbols around them and that members of a society agree on the meanings of symbols 

Semiotics

the study of symbols and their meanings (the meanings can change) 

The self-congruence theory

consumer behavior can be explained by congruence of a consumer's self-concept with the image of typical user of a focal product 

• Segmentation of self- congruency 

  • Consumers identity and product ownership 

    • Researchers suggest that brands are used to express and validate consumer identity 

  • Organizational identification 

    • Exists when consumers feel close to organizations

Attitudes

Relatively enduring overall evaluations of objects, products, services, issues, or people

ABC approach

• Affect - Feelings about an object

•  Behavior - Overt behavior that consumers exhibit as well as their intentions to behave

• Cognitions - Beliefs that the consumer has about the object

utilitarian

• Attitudes are used as a method to obtain rewards and to minimize punishment.

High school students wear cool brands so they fit in.

Knowledge

•  The knowledge function of attitudes allows consumers to simplify their decision-making processes.

• A consumer is very loyal to Apple products and believes that they are best, thereby simplifying their search effort

Value-expressive

• This function of attitudes enables consumers to express their core values, self-concept, and beliefs to others.

  • A consumer supports ASPCA because they place much value on animal rights.

Ego-defensive

• The ego-defensive function of attitudes works as a defense mechanism for consumers to avoid facts or to defend themselves from their own low self-concept.

  • Smokers discount information that suggests that smoking is bad for their health.

Hierarchy of effects

the attitude approach that suggests that affect, behavior, and cognitions form in a sequential order

•  According to this approach, affect, behavior, and cognitions (beliefs) form by following one of four hierarchies

High-Involvement Hierarchy

(or “standard learning”) hierarchy (Cognition—affect—behavior)

High-involvement, or standard learning, occurs when a consumer faces a high-involvement decision or addresses a significant problem. High-involvement decisions are important to a consumer and often contain significant risk.

In high-involvement

In this hierarchy:

1. Beliefs about products are formed first.

2. Feelings or evaluations about the product are formed.

3. The consumer decides to act in some way toward the product.

Low-Involvement Hierarchy

(Cognition—behavior—affect)

Many consumer purchases and problems are not very risky or even significant; instead, they are

routine and boring. When low-involvement purchases are made, consumers often have some basic beliefs about products without necessarily having strong feelings toward them.

Experiential Hierarchy

(Affect—behavior—cognition)

• Many purchases are based on feelings, and consumers often purchase products or try experiences simply because they “feel good” or “feel right.”

•  Impulse purchases can be explained from the experiential perspective. 

  • These are often motivated by feelings.

  • Consumers buy a product spontaneously and with little concern for consequences.

Behavioral Influence Hierarchy 

(Behavior—cognition—affect)

Some behaviors occur without either beliefs or affect being strongly formed beforehand. Behavior is influenced by environmental cues.

Persuasion

Refers to specific attempts to change attitudes

Multi-attribute attitude model

Combines various pieces of information about beliefs and evaluations of attributes of an object

Attitude-toward-the-object (ATO) model

• Otherwise known as Fishbein model

• Considers three key elements:

  • Salient beliefs consumers have about product attributes

    • The factors to consider 

  • Strength of the belief that an object possesses the attribute

    • How important that factor is to u (1-3 or -1 to -3) 

  • Evaluation of the particular attribute

    • Highest is the most favorible 

NO ZERO ON SCALE

Attitude-toward-the-object (ATO) model formula

Behavioral Intentions Model

• Otherwise referred as the Theory of Reasoned Action

•  Focuses on-

  •  Behavioral intentions

  •  Subjective norms

  • Attitude toward a particular behavior

• Ex: force a new habit for 2 weeks (drinking more water) 

What, how and how u perceive each = formula

Behavioral Intentions Model formula

Attitude-toward-the-object approach

• Presents marketers with various alternatives for changing consumer attitudes by attempting to:

  •  Change beliefs and evaluations of product attributes

  •  Create new beliefs about product features

Behavioral influence approach

Proposes that behavior precedes cognition and affect

Schema-based affect approach 

Attitude toward a brand or product changes if the affect found in a schema can be changed 

Elaboration Liklihood model(ELM) .

Shows that attitudes are changed based on differing levels of consumer involvement through either central or peripheral processing

Balance theory

States that consumers are motivated to maintain perceived consistency in the relations found in a system.

Based on the consistency principle

Consistency principle

states that human beings prefer consistency among their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.

Social judgment theory

• Consumers compare information to existing attitudes about an object or issue 

• Attitudes change depending on how consistent the information is with the initial attitude. 

Message effects

how the appeal of a message and its construction affect persuasiveness 

Message appeal

• Conceptualizing how a message may impact the persuasiveness of an advertisement can be done in several ways 

• Message construction 

  • Impact persuasiveness 

Fear appeals

• Commonly used 

• Evokes fear in their target audience as a means of changing attitudes and behaviors 

• Ads rely on the relationship between a threat and fear. The product is often promoted as a solution to remove a threat 

Violent appeals (video games) 

• Women are less receptive to violence iin ads regardless of level of severity of the violence; younger consumers are generally more receptive to violence in advertising 

• Many violent ads use elements of humor to lessen the degree to which ad is disturbing. 

Sex appeals 

• Sex sells 

• Consumers find sexually appealing ads to be persuasive even when they consider them to be exploitative or offensive, but reactions to the ad depend on various factors such as gender, level of nudity, and romantic themes 

Humor appeals 

• Humorous ads can attract attention, create a positive mood, and enhance both attitude toward a brand and purchase attention 

• Humor appeals can also decrease the credibility of a message source.

types of message appeals

humor, sex, fear, violent

Message Construction

The way that the message is constructed also impacts its persuasiveness.

Primacy effect

an effect that occurs when the information placed early in a message has the most impact

Recency effect

an effect that occurs when the information placed late in a message has the most impact

Source effects

• Characteristics of a source that influence the persuasiveness of a message

•  Includes the following issues:

  • Credibility

  • Attractiveness

  • Likeability

  • Meaningfulness

Factors that weaken the attitude-behavior model 

• Time 

• Specificity of attitude measured 

• Environment 

• Impulse

Consumer culture

Commonly held societal beliefs that define what is socially gratifying

Culture, meaning, and value

•  Functions performed by culture that shape the value of consumer activities

• Giving meaning to objects and activities

• Facilitating communication

Culture is hierarchical 

• National culture 

• Ethnic culture 

• Regional culture

• Generational culture

Cultural norm

Specifies appropriate consumer behavior in a situation within a specific culture

Cultural sanction

Penalty associated with performing non-gratifying or culturally inconsistent behavior

Core Society Value Dimensions

Individualism, masculinity, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation, indulgence

individualism

• High Score: Society expects one to take responsibility for self and family

• Low Score: Life intertwined with large cohesive group

Masculinity 

• High Score: Society values assertiveness and control

• Low Score: Values caring, conciliation, and community

Power Distance

• High Score: Society values the division of authority and privilege

• Low Score: Society blurs distinction among classes

Uncertainty Avoidance 

• High Score: Society values novelty, risk taking

• Low Score: Society values clarity and familiarity and avoids risk

Long-Term Orientation 

• High Score: Society values future rewards over short-term rewards

• Low Score: Society oriented in the present

Indulgence

• High Score: Values happiness and extraversion

• Low Score: Values restraint and a reserved personality

CSV scoreboard

Explained using historical CSV dimension scores found in many resources

• CSV scores for a country can be essential information for marketers appealing to consumers in another country

• Similarity in CSV scores indicate that consumers find value in the same products and experiences

• Lower score greater similarities 

CSV scoreboard formula

CD = Cultural Distance

TCSV = Target Country Value Score on Dimension i

BCSV = Baseline Country Value Score on Dimension 

Enculturation

the way people learn their native culture 

Acculturation

the process by which consumers learn a culture other than their native culture.

Shaping

consumers' behaviors slowly adapt to a culture through a series of rewards and sanctions 

Modeling

A process of imitating others’ behavior

Verbal communication

transfer of information through either spoken or written word 

• Difficult within a single language 

• Translation alone is insufficient to guarantee effective communication 

Translation equivalence

two phrases share the same precise meaning in two different cultures. 

Metric equivalence

Statistical tests used to validate the way people use numbers to represent qualities across cultures 

• Necessary to draw comparisons about consumers from different countries 

• Comparing average attitude scores across cultures requires scalar equivalence.

Nonverbal communication

information passed through some unspoken acts.

• elements 

  • Time 

  • mannerisms/ body language 

  • Space 

  • etiquette/manners 

  • Relationships 

  • Agreement 

  • Symbols 

BRICS markets

Stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa 

Consumers in BRIC nations have rising standards of living and have become attractive markets for many goods and services. 

Chindia

combined market and business potential of china and india 

• Similar to the baby boomer generation in the United States, responsible for tremendous economic growth domestically and abroad. 

Glocalization

idea that marketing strategy may be global but implementation at the marketing tactics level should be local.