BUS630: Consumer Behavior

3a. Identify how the self-concept strongly influences consumer behavior

• What is self-concept as it relates to the consumer?
• From a marketing perspective, why is it important to understand self-concept?
• What are the four types of self-concept?

Have you ever purchased a product for the person you want to be? This sounds a little strange, but maybe you bought clothes that don't fit you now, but one day you want that clothing to fit. Or maybe you want to be more active and decide to buy snowshoes, but you have never been snowshoeing. You purchased that product because that is who you want to be in the future, and this is an example of your self-concept.

Self-concept has four types, which include actual, ideal, private, and social. The four self-concept types include who you are now, who you would like to be, how you see yourself, and how others see you. Depending on the self-concept and purchasing decisions, you may buy a different product for each self-concept.

Your actual self is the person you are today. Perhaps you are a good employee, a good husband, have quite a bit of stuff to fix around the house but don't want to do it, are 20 pounds overweight, and watch a lot of TV. You may be less likely to enjoy commercials about home improvement.

Your ideal self is who you would like to be. Maybe you see yourself as 20 pounds lighter, more active, socializing more with friends, or becoming a better employee. Because you need to lose some weight, you may be more open to ideas or advertising that will make you more active or help you to lose weight.

Your private self is how you see yourself. You may still believe you are the version of yourself from twenty years ago and get shocked each time you look in the mirror. Or you may see yourself realistically and know that you need some improvements in your life.

Your social self is how others perceive you, which can differ from how you see yourself. Perhaps you believe you are very friendly and outgoing with people, but they see you as quiet and that you tend to keep to yourself. Sometimes, asking others how they perceive you can be shocking, but also may help you to better understand how you are being perceived. The idea of self-concept may interest the individual, but from a marketing perspective, it can be complicated.

To review, see Self Concept and The Relationship between Self-Concept and Brand Personality.

 

3b. Explain why products often play a pivotal role in defining the self-concept

• Can a product define who you are? Why or why not?
• How can understanding the idea of self-concept help in marketing today?
• Give an example of how a product might help to define an individual.

Do you have your favorite brands? Have you ever stopped to consider why they are your favorite brands? Do you like them because your parents or friends do? Is there something about the company you find interesting, or do you just like the products they produce? If your parents liked the brand and you are just now determining that, does that influence your decision or opinion about that brand in any way?

What products we like leads us back to our self-concept. When it comes to advertising, it is important to understand self-concept because we may be marketing to the person people want to become and not who they are now. Can a product change your life? Every day, we hear examples of people saying a product changed their lives and they are passionate about the idea. Perhaps it is a diet plan, a new car, a new job, or a new house in a better neighborhood. Marketers capitalize on this idea of a life-changing product, and if we buy that product, it comes down to our self-concept at the time of the sale.

It is also important to understand that demographics play a part in our favorite brands, and these will change over time. The stores we shop at in our twenties may not be the same when we reach our thirties. We will change over time, and our favorite brands will change with that.

To review, see Self Concept and The Relationship between Self-Concept and Brand Personality.

 

3c. Explain how consumers' lifestyles are key to developing marketing strategies

• What demographic areas are considered when we think about a lifestyle?
• Why should personality traits be considered when discussing lifestyles?
• How would you define lifestyle, and what might it include?

Everyone has a different lifestyle based on their values, beliefs, and tastes. You might hear one person say that a healthy lifestyle is important, another person wants a rich lifestyle, or perhaps another friend wants to cultivate friendships. That lifestyle is most important to them. Consumer behavior, lifestyle, and personal traits must also be considered. Social interactions may also play a part in our desired lifestyle. Maybe we have a friend or acquaintance who has a lifestyle we desire.

It is also fun to imagine different lifestyles. Numerous television shows will give us a peek into lifestyles very different from the lifestyles we experience today. These may be fun to watch or imagine how our own lives might change if we win the lottery, and sometimes marketing might appeal to us because of this feeling of change.

Some demographics to consider might be where the person (or target market) might be in their life stage, their personality, or what is most important to them at this age. Consumer lifestyles may change over time and may be influenced by things we have not considered. For example, perhaps in your thirties, you desired a big house and a nice car. But in your fifties, you want to scale back and downsize because that is the current trend for those in your life stage. Developing marketing strategies for people with a certain lifestyle requires research into that consumer lifestyle and the potential personality traits of the people who desire that lifestyle.

To review, see Personal Factors.

 

3d. Assess how psychographics augment demographics, enabling marketers to understand and reach different consumer segments

• What is psychographics, and how can it be used in marketing?
• How might psychographics relate to demographics?
• What is an example of psychographics?

Understanding psychographics is important to marketers because it allows a glimpse into a consumer's personality, lifestyle, traits, or values. This information may be important because it plays a larger role in consumer behavior and why the consumer might make specific choices when it comes to purchasing. Understanding psychographics and demographics will allow the marketer to narrow down the marketing. Using consumer segments to consider which group of people the marketer needs to reach will assist in narrowing down that search.

For example, a retired couple may have developed a consumer lifestyle more suitable to their needs at the time. They may buy an RV, travel around the country, and decide to spend their retirement money on travel-related costs. Because their needs have changed, marketing towards these consumers will also change. They no longer wish to see home improvement ads or how to clean out their gutters. Now, the psychographics in these couples' lives have changed, and the focus of their purchasing has changed along with it.

Psychographics may also be narrowed down to a consumer's passions, interests, values, and how they might obtain information. It covers how they live and how that might affect their buying choices. By narrowing down this understanding, a marketer can better understand and use this information to specifically target the population for their product(s). Psychographics and demographics (age, sex, race, etc.) can be used together to find consumers who may purchase certain products.

To review, see Lifestyle and Psychographics.

 

Unit 3 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms you will need to know to successfully complete the final exam.

• actual self
• consumer lifestyle
• consumer segments
• demographics
• ideal self
• private self
• psychographics
• social self