Influence on Consumer Behavior

Personality
 Personality may be defined as those inner
psychological characteristics that both determine
and reflect how a person responds to his or her
environment.

 Personality has three distinct properties namely:

 It reflects individual differences
 It is consistent and enduring
 It can change
Discussion Questions
 How would you describe your personality?
 How does it influence products that you purchase?

Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

Theories of Personality
 Freudian theory
 Unconscious needs or drives are at the heart of human
motivation
 Neo-Freudian personality theory
 Social relationships are fundamental to the formation
and development of personality
 Trait theory
 Quantitative approach to personality as a set of
psychological traits

Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

Freud’s Theory of Personality
Three Mental States of Awareness
Conscious mind
 The conscious mind is where we are paying attention at the
moment. It includes only our current thinking processes and
objects of attention, and hence constitutes a very large part of our
current awareness.
Preconscious mind
 The preconscious includes those things of which we are aware,
but where we are not paying attention. We can choose to pay
attention to these and deliberately bring them into the conscious
mind.
Unconscious mind
 At the subconscious level, the process and content are out of
direct reach of the conscious mind. The subconscious thus thinks
and acts independently. One of Freud's key findings was that
much behaviour is driven directly from the subconscious mind.
Freudian Components of Personality
Id
 Warehouse of primitive or instinctual needs for which
individual seeks immediate satisfaction. Acts on the
pleasure principle
Superego
 Individual’s internal expression of society’s moral and
ethical codes of conduct. Acts on the moral principle
Ego
 The Ego controls higher mental processes such as reasoning
and problem-solving, which it uses to solve the Id-Super ego
dilemma, creatively finding ways to safely satisfy the Id's
basic urges within the constraints of the Super ego. Acts on
the reality principle
Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall
 Figure 5.2 A Representation of the
Interrelationships Among
the Id, Ego, and Superego

Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

Defense Mechanisms
 Freud describes how the Ego uses a range of defense
mechanisms to handle the conflict between the Id, the
Ego and the Super ego. Conflict results in:
 Reality Anxiety: This is the most basic form of anxiety and is
typically based on fears of real and possible events, such as being
bitten by a dog or falling from a ladder
 Neurotic Anxiety: This is a form of anxiety which comes from an
unconscious fear that the basic impulses of the ID (the primitive part
of our personality) will take control of the person, leading to eventual
punishment (this is thus a form of Moral Anxiety)
 Moral Anxiety: This form of anxiety comes from the Superego in the
form of a fear of violating values and moral codes, and appears as
feelings of guilt or shame.
Defense Mechanisms
 Denial: claiming/believing that what is true to be actually false.
 Displacement: redirecting emotions to a substitute target.
 Intellectualization: taking an objective viewpoint.
 Projection: attributing uncomfortable feelings to others.
 Rationalization: creating false but credible justifications.
 Reaction Formation: over-reacting in the opposite way to the fear.
 Regression: going back to acting as a child.
 Repression: pushing uncomfortable thoughts into the subconscious.
 Sublimation: redirecting 'wrong' urges into socially acceptable
actions.
 Two psychoanalytic techniques used by Freud to to bring repressed
memories, fears and thoughts back to the conscious level of awareness:
 Free Association and Dream Analysis
 Freudian Theory and “Product Personality”
 Consumer researchers using Freud’s personality theory see consumer
purchases as a reflection and extension of the consumer’s own personality

Potato Chips:
Ambitious, successful, high achiever, impatient

Tortilla Chips:
Perfectionist, high expectations, punctual, conservational

Pretzels:
Lively, easily bored, flirtatious, intuitive

Snack Crackers:
Rational, logical, contemplative, shy, prefers time alone
Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall
 Brand Personality
 Personality-like traits
associated with brands
 Examples
 Nike and athlete
 BMW is performance driven
 Levi’s 501 jeans are
dependable and rugged
 Brand personality which is
strong and favorable will
strengthen a brand but not
necessarily demand a price
premium
Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall
Discussion Questions
 Pick three of your favorite brands.
 Describe their personality. Do they have a gender?
What personality traits do they have?

Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

Dimensions of Brand Personality

Example: IBM is seen as “older,” while Apple is perceived as “younger.” Indeed,

Apple is almost known entirely for its brand personality attributes — innovative,
stylish, intuitive, cool, casual, easy-going and friendly.
Product Personality Issues
 Gender
 Often used for brand personalities
 Some product perceived as masculine (coffee and toothpaste) while
others as feminine (bath soap and shampoo)
 Geography
 Actual locations like Philadelphia cream cheese and Arizona iced
tea
 Fictitious names also used such as Hidden Valley and Bear Creek
 Color
 Color combinations in packaging and products denotes personality

Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

Marketers
often use a
fictitious
location to
help with
personality.

Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

 Table 5.10 The Personality-like Associations of Colors
• America’s favored color
• IBM holds the title to blue
• Associated with club soda
• Men seek products packaged in blue
BLUE Commands • Houses painted blue are avoided
• Low-calorie, skim milk
respect, authority • Coffee in a blue can perceived as “mild”

Caution, novelty, • Eyes register it faster

• Coffee in yellow can perceived as “weak”
temporary, • Stops traffic
YELLOW
warmth • Sells a house

Secure, natural, • Good work environment

• Associated with vegetables and chewing gum
relaxed or easy- • Canada Dry ginger ale sales increased when it
GREEN going, living changed sugar-free package from red to green and
things white
 Human, exciting, •Makes food “smell” better
hot, passionate, •Coffee in a red can perceived as “rich”
RED strong •Women have a preference for bluish red
•Men have a preference for yellowish red
•Coca-Cola “owns” red

ORANGE
Powerful, •Draws attention quickly
affordable, informal
Informal and •Coffee in a dark-brown can was “too
BROWN
relaxed, masculine, strong”
nature
Goodness, purity, •Men seekreduced
•Suggests productscalories
packaged in brown
chastity, cleanliness, •Pure and wholesome food
WHITE
delicacy, •Clean, bath products, feminine
refinement,
formality
Sophistication, •Powerful clothing
BLACK power, authority, •High-tech electronics
mystery
SILVER, Regal, wealthy, •Suggests premium price
GOLD stately
Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall
Dabur Chyawanprash Ad Changes
Neo-Freudian Personality Theory
 We seek goals to overcome feelings of inferiority
 We continually attempt to establish relationships
with others to reduce tensions
 Karen Horney was interested in child-parent
relationships and desires to conquer feelings of
anxiety. Proposed three personality groups
 Compliant move toward others, they desire to be loved,
wanted, and appreciated
 Aggressive move against others
 Detached move away from others

Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

Carl Jung’s ‘Attitude Types’
Jung divided psychic energy into two basic 'general attitude
types': Introverted and Extraverted.
extraverted introverted
psychic energy is directed out of the person to the
the person's psychic energy is internally directed
world outside them

objective - outward subjective - inward

"... maintains a positive relation to the object. To

".... attitude to the object is an abstracting one.... he
such an extent does he affirm its importance that
is always facing the problem of how libido can be
his subjective attitude is continually being
withdrawn from the object...." (Jung)
orientated by, and related to the object...." (Jung)

"an extravert attitude is motivated from the outside

"an introvert is motivated from within and directed
and is directed by external, objective factors and
by inner, subjective matters" (Hyde)
relationships" (Hyde)

"behaviour directed externally, to influence outside "behaviour directed inwardly to understand and
factors and events" (Benziger) manage self and experience" (Benziger)
 Carl Jung’s Theory of Personality
Personality type The Characteristics

Extraverted Thinking analytical, strategic, plans, implements, organises others

Introverted Thinking contemplative, discovering, theoretical, seeks self-knowledge

Extraverted Feeling sociable, sentimental, seeks personal and social success

Introverted Feeling inaccessible, enigmatic, self-contained, seeks inner intensity

Extraverted Sensation practical, hands-on, pleasure-seeking, hard-headed

Introverted Sensation intense, obsessive, detached, connaisseur, expert

Extraverted Intuition adventurous, innovative, seeks novelty, proposes change

Introverted Intuition idealistic, visionary, esoteric, mystical, aloof

 do we focus on outside world (E) or inner self (I) -
E) Extraversion or Introversion (I) do we find people energising (E) or somewhat
draining (I)?

the way we inform ourselves - how we prefer to

form a view and receive information - observed
(S) Sensing or Intuition (N)
facts and specifics (S) or what we imagine things
can mean (N)?

our way of deciding - how we prefer to make

T) Thinking or Feeling (F) decisions - objective and tough-minded (T) or
friendly and sensitive to others and ourselves (F)?

our method for handling the outside world and

particularly for making decisions - do quite soon
(J) Judging or Perceiving (P)
evaluate and decide (J) or continue gathering data
and keep options open (P)?
Myers Briggs 16 Personality Types
 Trait Theory
Trait theory is an approach for analyzing the structure
of personality by measuring, identifying, and
classifying similarities and differences in personality
characteristics or traits.

Trait is a relatively stable and enduring tendency to

behave in a particular way.

Gordon Allport - found 18,000 terms; out of these 4,500

were considered to fit definition of personality traits
Trait Theory Assumptions
 All individuals
have internal
characteristics or
traits

 Consistent and
measurable
differences exist
between Based on John Holland's six personality
individuals traits for choosing careers
The Five-Factor Model of Personality
Big ‘Five’ Factor model organizes personality traits and describes differences in
personality using five categories:
The Five-Factor Scale
Minnesota Multiphase Personality
Inventory (MMPI) test profile
Hypochondriasis Clinically
(concern with body symptoms) 1 significant
Depression range
(pessimism, hopelessness) 2
After
Hysteria
(uses symptoms to solve problems) 3 treatment
(no scores
Before
Psychopathic deviancy 4 in the clinically
treatment
(disregard for social standards) significant range)
(anxious,
Masculinity/femininity 5 depressed,
(interests like those of other sex) and
Paranoia 6 displaying
(delusions, suspiciousness) deviant
Psychasthenia 7 behaviors)
(anxious, guilt feelings)
Schizophrenia 8
(withdrawn, bizarre thoughts)
Hypomania
(overactive, excited, impulsive) 9
Social introversion 10
(shy, inhibited)
0 30 40 50 60 70 80

T-score
Personality Traits & Consumption
Behavior
 Marketers try to understand consumers and their
behavior by describing it using specific personality trait
categories which are:
1. Consumer Innovativeness & related traits
2. Consumer Susceptibility to Interpersonal Influence
3. Cognitive Personality Factors
4. Consumer Materialism to Compulsive Consumption
Consumer Innovativeness & Related Traits
i. Consumer
Innovativeness

ii. Dogmatism

iii. Social Character

iv. Optimum Stimulation

Level (OSL)
v. Need for Uniqueness
Consumer Innovation & Adoption categories
vi. Variety-Novelty Seeking
 A Sample Items from a Consumers’ Need for
Uniqueness Scale

1. I collect unusual products as a way of telling people I’m

different
2. When dressing, I have sometimes dared to be different
in ways that others are likely to disapprove
3. When products or brands I like become extremely
popular, I lose interest in them
4. As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to the products I
buy and the situations in which I use them, custom and
rules are made to be broken
5. I have sometimes purchased unusual products or brands
as a way to create a more distinctive personal image

Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

Consumer Susceptibility to Interpersonal
Influence
 A twelve item SUSCEP scale has been designed to
measure consumer susceptibility based on three types
of interpersonal influences:

SUSCEP interpersonal
influences

Value-
Information Utilitarian
expressive
Influence Influence
Influence
Cognitive Personality Factors
 Visualizers vs. Verbalizers
This advertisement’s main idea is to persuade
Indians to adopt orphans. (Ogilvy & Mather)

 Need for Cognition

Consumer Materialism to
Compulsive Consumption
I. Characteristics of Materialistic II. Characteristics of Fixated
consumers: consumers:
 They especially value acquiring and  A deep (possibly ‘passionate’)
showing-off possessions. interest in a particular object
or product category.
 They are particularly self-centered
& selfish. A willingness to go to
considerable lengths to secure
 They seek lifestyles full of
additional object or product
possessions.
category of interest.
 Their possessions do not give them
 The dedication of a
greater personal satisfaction &
considerable amount of
happiness.
discretionary time and money
on that product
III. Compulsive Consumption Behavior:
It is an addictive or an obsessive behavior.
 Table 5.6 Sample Items to Measure
Compulsive Buying
1. When I have money, I cannot help but spend
part or the whole of it.
2. I am often impulsive in my buying behavior.
3. As soon as I enter a shopping center, I have an
irresistible urge to go into a shop to buy
something.
4. I am one of those people who often responds to
direct mail offers.
5. I have often bought a product that I did not
need, while knowing I had very little money
left.
Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall
Consumer Ethnocentrism
 It determines the degree of acceptance by consumers
of foreign-made products.
 The researchers use the consumer ethnocentrism scale
(CETSCALE) to identify consumers with a
predisposition to accept or reject foreign products.

 Examples of ethnocentric orientation: Hamara Bajaj,

Desh ki Dhadkan, buying only ‘Made in India’
products
 This ad is
designed to
appeal to
consumer
ethno-
centrism.

Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

Self-Concept
 Defined as the totality of the individual’s thoughts and
feelings keeping reference to himself/herself as an
object. It is our perception of ourselves and our feelings
towards ourselves.
 A person’s self-concept is the mental image or picture
about oneself that he or she carries around
 Actual self-concept
 Other’s self-concept
 Ideal self-concept
 Therefore an individual consumer will act differently in
different situations or with different people
Extended Self Image
 The Extended Self is
comprised of one’s self and
one’s possessions. Thus, our
self-concept is defined in part
by what we possess. (integral
part of our identity)
 Possessions can extend self in a
number of ways:
 Actually
 Symbolically
 Conferring status or rank
 Bestowing feelings of
immortality
 Endowing with magical powers
Dimensions of Self-Concept
Dimensions Actual self-concept Ideal self-concept

Private self How I actually How I would like to

see myself see myself

Social self How others actually How I would like

see me others to see me
The role of self-concept for positioning products is explained by the following logical
sequence:

1. Every individual has a self-concept. The self-concept is formed through interactions

with parents, peers, teachers and significant others.

2. One’s self-concept is of value to the individual.

3. Because the self-concept is valued, individuals strive to maintain or enhance their

self-concept.

4. Certain products serve as social symbols and communicate social meaning about
those who own or use such products.

5. The use of products as symbols communicates meaning to oneself and to others,

causing an impact on the individual’s private and social self-concepts.

6. As a result, individuals often purchase or consume products, services and media to

maintain or enhance a desired self-concept.
Measurement Scales for Self-Concepts, Person Concepts, and
Product Concepts

1. Rugged ----------------------------------------- Delicate

2. Excitable ----------------------------------------- Calm
3. Uncomfortable ----------------------------------------- Comfortable
4. Dominating ----------------------------------------- Submissive
5. Thrifty ----------------------------------------- Indulgent
6. Pleasant ----------------------------------------- Unpleasant
7. Contemporary ----------------------------------------- Non-contemporary
8. Organized ----------------------------------------- Unorganized
9. Rational ----------------------------------------- Emotional
10. Youthful ----------------------------------------- Mature
11. Formal ----------------------------------------- Informal
12. Orthodox ----------------------------------------- Liberal
13. Complex ----------------------------------------- Simple
14. Colorless ----------------------------------------- Colorful
15. Modest ----------------------------------------- Vain

Source: N. K. Malhotra, “A Scale to Measure Self-Concepts, Person-Concepts, and Product

Concepts.” Journal of Marketing Research, November 1981, p.462.
Relationship between Self-Concept & Brand Image

Product
Brand image

Relationship Behavior Satisfaction

Seek products and Purchase
Between self-
concept and brands that contributes to
brand image improve/maintain desired self-
self-concept concept

Consumer
Self-concept
Simple Message Self-Referencing