Self-Image and Personality

1. Self-Image and Personality

2. Consumption • It is the process through which consumers buy, consume, and dispose of products and services on the basis of their meaning to themselves and others. • Consumers buy and use goods and services for the utility/psychological benefits delivered and the things that they represent. • Therefore part of consumption is symbolic

3. How Consumers Perceive Brands • Brand Image: the overall vision or position of a brand in the mind of the consumer. • It is a combination of both tangible and intangible attributes • Attributes are classified by the type of consumer benefits they deliver: utilitarian or functional, experiential or aesthetic (beauty, art, taste) and value-expressive.

4. Types of Consumer Needs • Utilitarian or Functional • Products that help consumers remove or avoid problems – e.g., a driver’s side air bag • Experiential or aesthetic (psychological) • Products that satisfy sensory expectations --- e.g., the unique atmosphere of a fine restaurant, the way you feel in a new business suit

5. Forms of Self-Image • Self-image is the configuration of beliefs related to the self >self-image (or private self): it involves those images that one has of oneself about which one feels protective –how consumers see themselves • The self-consistency motive: doing things that are consistent with one’s own self-image

6. Forms of Self-Image (continued) • Ideal self-image: how consumer would like to be • By acquiring products consistent with their ideal self-image, consumers may boost their self-esteem. Self-esteem motive is at work here. • Social self-image: how we believe other people see us • The social consistency motive is present some examples are the modern, caring, practical, caring, energetic, self controlled, sensitive, carefree, reckless, etc..

7. Forms of Self-Image (continued) • Ideal social self-image: how consumers would like others to see them • The social approval motive is working here: doing things that would cause others to think highly of them.

8. Gender Roles and Self-Image • In the marketplace some products are viewed as “men’s” or “women’s” • Gender-typed product image targeted to match consumers’ gender-role orientation: • Masculinity – independence, toughness, aggressiveness, competitiveness, achievement, rebelliousness • Femininity – tenderness, sensitivity, dependence, compliance, cooperation

9. Body Image • Body image is how people view their bodies, physical selves, and appearance. • Image is central to personal identity • Body image - actual vs. ideal

10. Personality • An individual’s response tendencies across situations and over time • People also have consumption-specific personalities • Trait approach to personality • Personality formed based on person’s position on the general traits possessed by all people

11. Traits (continued) • Self-esteem – how one feels about him/herself, the level of regard for oneself • High self-esteem  feeling good about oneself and expecting more • Dogmatism – the tendency of being closed-minded, seeing life in terms of black and white • Less receptive to new or unfamiliar stimuli

12. Traits (continued) • Rigidity – being less flexible than others in tastes and preferences • Rigidity correlates negatively with risk-taking behavior • Tolerance of ambiguity • Willingness to deal with ambiguous (unclear best choice) purchase decisions • Tolerant people gather information by shopping around (exploratory behavior)

13. Traits (continued) • Optimum stimulation level (OSL) –refers to the greater desire that some people have to explore the environment and to seek stimulation from others e.g. physically stimulating, emotionally energizing, exciting or novel, having potential to induce arousal.

14. Traits (continued) • Impulsiveness • It is measured using 12 adjectives*: impulsive,self-controlled, extravagant, farsighted, responsible, restrained, easily tempted, rational , methodical , enjoy spending, and planner

15. Traits (continued) • Extroversion – refers to the extent to which people seek stimulation from the environment • extroversion-introversion • Neuroticism –the tendency to experience negative affect anxiety, anger, envy, guilt, and depressed mood.

16. Traits (continued) • Need for cognition(the process of thought) – the tendency to think through purchase decisions more thoroughly than others • Individuals high in need for cognition tend to process advertising arguments more extensively • Need for power – the motivation to impact, control, or influence others

17. Traits (continued) • Need for affiliation – the motivation to act , establish, restore, or maintain a close, warm, friendly relationship with others • Need for achievement – the motivation to perform on tasks to achieve excellence or to outperform others

18. Consumer Innovativeness • The tendency of some consumers to be among the first to purchase new products within specific categories • Diffusion of innovations • Implications for the marketing of new products

19. Opinion Leadership • An opinion leader is a person who is well versed in a product or service category • Motivated to “spread the word” (positive or negative) • Implications for the marketing technological innovations

20. Product-specific Self-Confidence • This is the extent to which certain consumers feel confident about making decisions about products in a specific category (e.g., computers, automobiles) • Implications for specialty products and specialty stores

21. Product-Specific Self-Efficacy (desired result) • This is the level of the consumer’s belief in his or her own performance capability or competence in relation to a product category • Implications for the resistance to and adoption of technological innovations

22. Product-specific Subjective Knowledge • It refers to what consumers perceive they know about the product in question. • It is measured by various statements designed to capture what the consumers perceive they know. • Subjective knowledge may correlate significantly and positively with measures of objective knowledge.

23. Other Consumption-specific Personality Traits • Coupon proneness – the tendency to redeem coupons by purchasing the advertised product or service • Value consciousness – the amount of concern the consumer has for need-satisfying properties of the product or service in relation to the price of that product or service • Deal proneness – the tendency to look for “deals”

24. Other traits (continued) • Product-specific involvement – being emotionally involved in a particular product class or category • SOME EXAMPLES; • The ad of sandal soap encourages fantasizing “dream girl, me” >The ad Aqua-guard of a “caring mother” >Image oriented ads like the “OMEGA” endorsed by the Cindy Crawford/RaniMukherjee for the BATA- “UNTAMED” >Emotional ad of the Ponds the visual communicates a feeling of joy