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B206 WEEK 16 IDENTITY AND CONSUMPTION - Coggle Diagram
B206 WEEK 16 IDENTITY AND CONSUMPTION
Activity 16.1 The self
Task 1 The self and consumption
"self has been defined as an individuals distinctive individuality, identity, essential nature or collection of personal characteristics" (Colman, 2015)
Goffman (1959) studied that people have an innate desire to express who they are
Consumers want to communicate who they are and do so through product purchases
Social comparison
= consumer are largely slightly insecure about themselves and compare themselves to others (
social comparison
), who we deem the "ideal". our consumption represents our actual self AND ideal self. social media allows an outlet for us to showcase our ideal self
some products hold symbolic meaning e.g. luxury items means you are luxurious/wealthy
Task 2 self-concept theory
self-concept = our beliefs about our personal attributes. includes both positive and negative beliefs e.g. I'm good at sports, bad at making friends
Chisnall (1995) "products and brands tend to be viewed as projections of the self-image of the buyer; their symbolic meanings may give deep satisfactions which superficial analysis will not reveal"
(Solomon et. al, 2014) "Attributes of self-concept can be described along such dimensions as their content (for example facial attractiveness vs mental aptitude), positivity or negativity (i.e. self-esteem), intensity, stability over time and accuracy (that is, the degree to which ones self assessment corresponds to reality)
Part 1: Self-esteem
self-esteem = how positive we feel about ourselves
self-esteem advertising = advertising which triggers a positive feeling towards their own self-esteem, demonstrating a positive relationship with that and the product
"change customers attitudes and behaviours towards products by stimulating positive feelings towards themselves (Durgee, 1986)
can also use self-esteem negatively with advertising by influencing social comparison. e.g. if you buy this product you can look like this beautiful model who uses it. the model has to be an appropriate benchmark for this to work
Part 2: Actual self Vs Ideal self
actual self = your self analysis of who you actually are
ideal self = who you aspire to be
consumers desire congruency between self concept and purchasing behaviour
positive self-concept can lead to self improvement (e.g. study) = marketers want to appeal to consumers goals, ambitions etc as well
Part 3: Self-consistency
impression management = trying to control what peoples perceptions of us are through our behaviour inc. purchase behaviour
"interesting to marketers as it is expressed through consistent taste and preferences leading to predictable consumer behaviour"
"consumer desire to achieve both self-esteem and self-consistency"
diagram on the left = little overlap between actual self and ideal self. could manifest as low self-esteem
diagram on the right = large overlap between actual self and ideal self.
customers more likely to purchase products which fit with actual self image, unless they have low self esteem = purchase products aligning with ideal self
Task 3 Extended self
somethings we purchase we become emotionally attached to and consider an extension of ourselves/personality
e.g. purchasing luxury items because we think we are luxurious and wealthy
e.g. a literal extension of us like the diary on our smart phones
self-concept affects what products we purchase. but some products are symbolic expressions of self-concept. thus they can affect our self-concept in return. e.g. tattoos, hairstyles
Belk (1988) defined 4 levels of extended self
Individual = personal possessions e.g. clothes, jewellery. you are what you wear
family = e.g. your home and furnishings
Group = attachment to a certain group, landmark, sports team etc
community = e.g. neighbourhood or town where youre from
Task 4 Embodied cognition
the idea that our bodies can influence how we feel
"states of the body modify states of the mind" (Solomon 2017)
body language is non-verbal communication, we observe it in others but also in ourselves. we can influence how we feel by adapting our body language e.g. power stance makes us feel more powerful
TED talk video : Cuddy (social psychologist)
how marketers can use embodied cognition? by using adverts which appeal to bodily senses e.g. the sound of a beer bottle opening
purchase behaviour - aesthetic features appealing to our physical senses can influence purchases....Audi claims that product design determines up to 60% of a customers decision to purchase a specific car (Kreuzbauer and Malter, 2005)
16.2 Technology and self
Task 1 Digital self
our online activity creates an online version of ourselves. this includes our comments or photos etc on social media where we may present our ideal self rather than actual self. Our digital profile is also made up of all our online activity including search engine searches, websites visited etc this information is then sold to marketers/advertisers for market research.
marketers/advertisers can use this information to target advertise this can be problematic for things like an election as it can manipulate/control a population
Task 2 Customers and digital innovations
Wearable computing
e.g. apple watch fitness tracker
items which provide feedback, e.g. health feedback, but the info can still be sold on and give marketers even more detailed insights
These devices are complex as they tend to be items which could fall into different categories. e.g. is an apple watch a watch, a phone or a fitness tracker? this requires new marketing strategies and careful consideration in terms of design, segmentation, targeting and positioning
Virtual makeovers
e.g. l'oreal website can upload a photo and try different hair colours to find which of their products you want to purchase
increases pressure on women to conform to expectations of perfection (Elias and Gill, 2017)
provides companies with useful info re which products are most popular
unlikely to over take physical shopping as physical sense appeal is important e.g. the way a product feels or smells
potentially a negative effect on self-concept as allows for ultimate choice creating confusion
could be positive for things such as doctors planning reconstructive surgery
16.3 Consumers gender identity
Task 1 Gender differences and consumption
"gender identity important component of self-concept. A customers sex is used by marketers as a fundamental segmentation variable, as well as a tool to develop implicit interpretations and meanings through factoring gender-related cues into a brand" (Ye and Robertson, 2012)
"Sex roles" = consumers conform to their cultures gender stereotypes including dressing, speaking, behaviour
Gender differences evidenced in purchasing behaviour
e.g. women have more healthy diets than men
marketers can use this to help market their products. if they have a product which is gender focused e.g. a lipstick for women, marketers can choose the most appropriate
media channel
to advertise in typically female area for example womens magazines or during ad breaks in soap operas
adverts reveal a countries cultural norms. men and women play roles in adverts typical to the culture
masculine/feminine appeal most effective in gender specific products
Task 2 Gender roles and expectations
Gender role = Behaviour one type of gender is more likely to exhibit than the other
adverts reflected accepted gender roles within that culture. roles vary per culture and are generally learnt as children
through segmentation strategy marketers exploit the ideal of gender roles and what people
should
do
Sex-typed products
gender-dominant products = products typically used by one sex
"sex-typed products respond to needs related to the biological sex of the user" (Stern et al., 1993)
marketers reflect (and exacerbate) cultural stereotypes of masculine and feminine attributes.
cultural sex roles infer what products are appropriate for each sex. and products are developed to appeal to specific sexes
e.g. a womens razor should be pink and advertising should talk about soft skin
even previously gender neutral products (such as lego) now include gender specific products. Seems a backwards step but consumer demand is apparent
Task 3 Female and male sex roles
roles = culturally traditional roles for men and women e.g. women clean the house, men do diy
womens roles in particular are changing now more women are working and in positions of power/earning potential
old marketing techniques and product positioning esp for women need to be updated
Task 4 Gender roles in advertising: what do you think?
advertising uses cultural sex role norms
advertising is updating to be congruent with changing social norms but male dominance is still observed, as is stereotyping sex roles
UK advertising agency (ASA) is trying to prevent stereotyping in advertising
Task 5 Androgynous consumers
rise in androgynous fashion indicates a growing demand though still a minority, so unlikely to become the norm
there are already lots of gender neutral products which do not rely on sex-role stereotypes for advertising (e.g. cars) so gender may become a less significant segmentation variable
LGBT+ Marketing
large market segment
gay relationships now shown in advertising as culture is more accepting
article = 37% consumers are positive about organisations who promote/support LGBT. 14% consumers are more likely to purchase from a diversity supporting organisation compared to 10% who are put off. Popular with "younger consumers who have more liberal attitudes"
Activity 16.4 Practitioner Insight
Task 1 Attitude change
Adelphoi music video notes
advertising including music used affects consumer brand perception
Organisations with strong CSR = positive consumer reception
An organisation must strive to be "the" trusted authority e.g. the best place to purchase that product so it is on consumers radars, even if they dont personally use it, they would recommend to someone else
"
"
"Activist brands"
whose marketing communications seek to gain traction with social issues through campaigns"
"Decision-making unit" concept, commonly used for B2B also relevant as often product use does not stop at end user. Business should "CONSIDER BEYOND THE POINT OF PURCAHSE"
e.g. for the assignment - coffee drinking is social therefore beyond point of purchase, likely user of reusable cup will be using it with others and recommending
Task 2 Persuading customers
music can influence brand image
good example of hierarchy of effects model application
good example of Kelmans three processes of attitude change (1958)
Task 3 Customers behavioural intentions
music can affect intentions and desire to identify with a brand however attitude and behaviour relationship is influenced by many factors such as product design, ideal self etc.
