Chapter 5

Symbolic Consumption, Self-

Image and Personality
Chapter Spotlights
 Symbolic consumption – how
symbols influence consumer
behavior
 Brand-user image and brand
personality
 Self-image in the marketplace
 Personality and personality traits
Symbolic 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
Semiotics
 Semiotics is the study of signs and
their meanings. Key questions are:
 How do consumers use signs to
interpret the world
 How are signs chosen and given
meaning
 How do these signs provide insights
into the lives of consumers
Signs and their Influence
 Icons – visual representations of objects,
persons, or events
 Clear, unambiguous; e.g. “ Pizza’s”
 Indexes – easily recognizable property (ies) of
the idea that they represent
 E.g., the “click” of a well-struck golf shot
 Symbols – learned associations between a
signifier and a signified that are used to
communicate ideas.
 Sun in sunfeast biscuits, The crown in Louis
Philippe range
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, and value-expressive.
Types of Consumer Needs
 Utilitarian or Functional
 Products that help consumers remove or avoid
problems – e.g., a driver’s seat belt
 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
Needs (continued)
 Value-Expressive or Symbolic Needs
 Products that help consumers express their
self-image – e.g., buying a sports car versus
buying a compact car, because the former is
“you”
 Brand image/”personality” is tied to the brand-
user image based on value-expressive
attributes that characterize the brand.
 Brand image versus self image – congruence
concerns
Forms of Self-Image
 Self-image is the configuration of
beliefs related to the self
 Actual 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
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
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.
Self-Congruity
 Self-image congruity: when a consumer’s
self-image matches brand-user image
 Actual self-congruity: brand user image matches
consumer’s actual self-image
 Ideal self-congruity: brand user image matches
consumer’s ideal self-image
 Social self-congruity: brand user image matches
consumer’s social self-mage
 Ideal social self-congruity: brand user image
matches consumer’s ideal social self-image
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
 Androgyny – both masculine and feminine
characteristics
Body Image
 Body image is how people view their bodies,
physical selves, and appearance.
 “Body cathexis” – tendency to be satisfied with
a particular feature or body part
 Image is central to personal identity
 Body image - actual vs. ideal
Personality
 An individual’s response tendencies across
situations and over time
 People also have consumption-specific
personalities
 State approach to personality
 Personality formed based on external influences
 Trait approach to personality
 Personality formed based on person’s position on the
general traits possessed by all people
How General Personality Traits
Influence Consumer Behavior
 Compliance – moving consistently toward the
stressor (the person or object generating the
stress) and becoming dependent on that person or
object.
 Products designed to enhance social relationships are in
favor
 Aggressiveness – moving consistently against the
stressor
 Products associated with high status and success images
are in favor
 Detachment – moving consistently away from the
stressor
 Products that appeal to independence are in favor
Traits (continued)
 Generalized self-confidence – being comfortable
making decisions
 choosing brands from lesser-known companies
 being the first to adopt new products
 Self-consciousness – the tendency of being keenly
aware of oneself in many situations
 Being sensitive to the image people communicate to
others; reflected in product/service choices
Traits (continued)
 Self-monitoring – the ease with which people adapt
to different situations and so manage the
impressions they make on others
 High self monitors are more influenced by image
advertising than informational advertising.
 Acquisition self-presentation: self-monitoring in situation
where there is a chance for social gain, or if social risk is
high; affects product choices
 Protective self-presentation: self-monitoring out of fear of
socially adverse effects; affects product choices
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
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)
Traits (continued)
 Attention to social comparison information
(ASCI)
 Those who score high on ASCI are likely to
change their beliefs, attitudes and behavior
toward products and brands to conform to
group norms
 Optimum stimulation level (OSL) –refers to
the greater desire that some people have
to explore the environment and to seek
stimulation from others.
 State versus action orientation
 Separateness-connectedness
 Traits (continued)
 Impulsiveness
 It is measured using 12 adjectives*:
impulsive, careless, self-controlled
(RC**), extravagant, farsighted (RC),
responsible (RC), restrained (RC),
easily tempted, rational (RC),
methodical (RC), enjoy spending, and
planner (RC).
* Measured on a scale varying from “usually would describe me” to “seldo
would describe me”
** RC = Reverse coded
Traits (continued)
 Extroversion – refers to the extent
to which people seek stimulation
from the environment
 extroversion-introversion
 Neuroticism –the tendency to
experience negative affect
Traits (continued)
 Need for cognition – 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
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
Traits (continued)
 Affect intensity – experiencing
emotions with greater strength
when exposed to emotionally
charged situations (both positive
and negative)
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
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
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)
 Market maven versus
opinion leader
 Implications for the
marketing
technological
innovations
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
Product-Specific Self-
Efficacy
 This is the level of the consumer’s belief in
his or her own performance capability or
competence in relation to a product
category (e.g. ease in working with PDA’s)
 Implications for the resistance to and adoption
of technological innovations
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.
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”
Other traits (continued)
 Product-specific involvement –
being emotionally involved in a
particular product class or
category