PERSONALITY & CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Personality

An individuals response tendencies across situations and over time

People also have consumption-specific personalities

State approach to personality

Personality formed based on external influences Personality formed based on persons position on the general traits possessed by all people

Trait approach to personality

The Nature of Personality

Personality reflects individual differences.

Personality is consistent and enduring.

Personality can change

Personality Reflects Individual Differences

An individuals personality is a unique combination of factors; no two individuals are exactly alike. Personality is a useful concept because it enables us to categorize consumers into different groups on the basis of a single trait or a few traits.

Personality is Consistent and Enduring

Marketers learn which personality characteristics influence specific consumer responses and attempt to appeal to relevant traits inherent in their target group of consumers. Even though an individuals personality may be consistent, consumption behavior often varies considerably because of psychological, socio-cultural, and environmental factors that affect behavior.

Personality can Change

An individuals personality may be altered by major life events, such as the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a divorce, or a major career change. An individuals personality also changes as part of a gradual maturing process.

Specific Personality Traits and Consumer Behavior

The market maven consumer a consumer who has information about many kinds of products, places to shop, and other aspects of the marketplace.

Has early awareness of new products Exhibits high levels of specific information provision to others

Demonstrates a high level of general market information

Demonstrates a high level of market interest Tends to read much of direct mail advertising

Implications for the marketing of new products

Should be targeted early in the introduction of new products and services

Theories of Personality

Freudian theory Neo-Freudian personality theory Trait theory

Freudian theory

This theory was built on the premise that unconscious needs or drives, especially biological and sexual drives, are at the heart of human motivation and personality.

Id, Superego, and Ego

The Id is the warehouse of primitive and impulsive drives, such as: thirst, hunger, and sex, for which the individual seeks immediate satisfaction without concern for the specific means of that satisfaction. Superego is the individuals internal expression of societys moral and ethical codes of conduct. The superegos role is to see that the individual satisfies needs in a socially acceptable fashion. The superego is a kind of brake that restrains or inhibits the impulsive forces of the id.

Ego is the individuals conscious control which functions as an internal monitor that attempts to balance the impulsive demands of the id and the sociocultural constraints of the superego.

Freudian Theory and Product Personality

Those stressing Freuds theories see that human drives are largely unconscious, and that consumers are primarily unaware of their true reasons for buying what they buy. These researchers focus on consumer purchases and/or consumption situations, treating them as an extension of the consumers personality.

Neo-Freudian Personality Theory

Karen Horney focused on the impact of child-parent relationships, especially the individuals desire to conquer feelings of anxiety. She proposed three personality groups: compliant, aggressive, and detached. Compliant individuals are those who move toward othersthey desire to be loved, wanted, and appreciated. Aggressive individuals move against othersthey desire to excel and win admiration. Detached individuals move away from othersthey desire independence, self-sufficiency, and freedom from obligations.

Trait Theory

Trait theory is a significant departure from the earlier qualitative measures that are typical of Freudian and neo-Freudian theory. It is primarily quantitative or empirical, focusing on the measurement of personality in terms of specific psychological characteristics called traits. A trait is defined as any distinguishing, relatively enduring way in which one individual differs from another.

Selected single-trait personality tests increasingly are being developed specifically for use in consumer behavior studies. Types of traits measured include: Consumer innovativenesshow receptive a person is to new experiences.

Consumer materialismthe degree of the consumers attachment to worldly possessions.

Consumer ethnocentrismthe consumers likelihood to accept or reject foreign-made products.

Personality and Understanding Consumer Diversity

Marketers are interested in understanding how personality influences consumption behavior because such knowledge enables them to better understand consumers and to segment and target those consumers who are likely to respond positively to their product or service communications

Personality traits relevant to consumer behaviour

Consumer innovativeness

Dogmatism
Social character

Need for uniqueness

Optimum stimulation level

Variety-novelty seeking

Consumer Innovativeness

How receptive are consumers to new products, new services, or new practices?

Dogmatism

a personality trait that measures the degree of rigidity an individual displays toward the unfamiliar and toward information that is contrary to their established beliefs. Consumers low in dogmatism are more likely to prefer innovative products to established ones. Consumers high in dogmatism are more accepting of authority-based ads for new products.

Social Character

a personality trait that ranges on a continuum from inner-directed to other-directed. Inner-directed consumers tend to rely on their own inner values or standards in evaluating new products and are innovators. They also prefer ads stressing product features and personal benefits. Other-directed consumers tend to look to others for direction and are not innovators. They prefer ads that feature social environment and social acceptance.

Need for Uniqueness

These people avoid conformity are the ones who seek to be unique

Optimum Stimulation Level

Persons with optimum stimulation levels (OSLs) are:

willing to take risks to try new products to be innovative to seek purchase-related information

to accept new retail facilities.

Variety-Novelty Seeking

This is similar to OSL. Primary types are variety or novelty seeking. different types of variety seeking: exploratory purchase behavior (e.g., switching brands to experience new and possibly better alternatives), vicarious exploration (e.g., where the consumer secures information about a new or different alternative and then contemplates or even daydreams about the option), use innovativeness (e.g., where the consumer uses an already adopted product in a new or novel way).

Cognitive Personality Factors

Two cognitive personality traits have been useful in understanding selected aspects of consumer behavior. They are: Need for cognition. Visualizers versus verbalizers

Need for Cognition

This is the measurement of a persons craving for or enjoyment of thinking. Consumers who are high in NC are more likely to be responsive to the part of an advertisement that is rich in product-related information of description. They are also more responsive to cool colors. Consumers who are relatively low in NC are more likely to be attracted to the background or peripheral aspects of an ad. They spend more time on print content and have much stronger brand recall. seems to play a role in an individuals use of the Internet.

Visualizers versus Verbalizers

Visualizers are consumers who prefer visual information and products that stress the visual. Verbalizers are consumers who prefer written or verbal information and products that stress the verbal. helps marketers know whether to stress visual or written elements in their ads

Self-Image

Self-images, or perceptions of self, are very closely associated with personality in that individuals tend to buy products and services and patronize retailers with images or personalities that closely correspond to their own self-images.

Aspects of self-image

Actual self-imagehow consumers see themselves. Ideal self-imagehow consumers would like to see themselves. Social self-imagehow consumers feel others see them. Ideal social self-imagehow consumers would like others to see them. Expected self-imagehow consumers expect to see themselves at some specified future time. Ought-to selftraits or characteristics that an individual believes it is his or her duty or obligation to possess.