Personality

Jayesh Aagja
 Personality and
The Nature of Personality
• The inner psychological characteristics that
both determine and reflect how a person
responds to his or her environment
• The Nature of Personality:
– Personality reflects individual differences
– Personality is consistent and enduring
– Personality can change by life events

2
 Discussion Questions

• How would
you describe
your
personality?
• How does it
influence
products
that you
purchase?

3
• The self-concept strongly influences consumer
behavior.

5-4
 Self and Self-Image

• Consumers have a
variety of enduring
images of themselves
• These images are
associated with
personality in that
individuals’
consumption relates
to self-image
 Self-Concept
• Self-concept: the beliefs a person holds about
his/her own attributes, and how he/she
evaluates these qualities
• Attribute dimensions: content, positivity,
intensity, stability over time, and accuracy

5-6
 Real and Ideal Selves
• Ideal self: our conception of how we would
like to be
• Actual self: our more realistic appraisal of the
qualities we have
• Products can:
– Help us reach ideal self
– Be consistent with actual self
• Impression management means that we
work to “manage” what others think of us

5-7
 One or Multiple Selves

• A single consumer will act differently in

different situations or with different people
• We have a variety of social roles
– University, Market, parents, friends
• Marketers can target products to a particular
“self”

8
 Multiple Selves
• Marketers pitch products needed to facilitate
active role identities
Sister
Woman Friend

Wife
Spokesperson

Pro athlete
Mother
American citizen

5-9
 Makeup of the Self-Image

• Contains traits, skills, habits, possessions,

relationships, and way of behavior
• Developed through background, experience,
and interaction with others
• Consumers select products congruent with this
image
– Mahindra Duro.mp4

10
 Different Self-Images
Actual Self-Image • How consumers see themselves

• How consumer would like to see

Ideal Self-Image
themselves

Social Self-Image • How consumers feel others see them

Ideal Social • How consumers would like others to

Self-Image see them
Expected • How consumers expect to see
Self-Image themselves in the future
• Traits an individual believes are in her
Ought-to self
Ought-to-self duty to possess
Household products: actual self; conspicuous products: social self image;
goal: ideal self image
 For Reflection
• Advertising can utilize a consumer’s self-
esteem in promoting a product by offering
the product as a remedy to low self-esteem.
Self-esteem advertising: products provide
remedy to low self-esteem.
• How effective do you think this form of
advertising is?

5-12
 Symbolic Interactionism

If each person has many social selves, how does each develop?
How do we decide which self to “activate” at any point of time?

13
 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

14
 Freudian Theory
• Id
– Warehouse of primitive or
instinctual needs for which
individual seeks immediate
satisfaction (Primitive drives)
• Superego
– Individual’s internal
expression of society’s
moral and ethical codes of
conduct (beliefs)
• Ego
– Individual’s conscious control
that balances the demands of
the id and superego (Reality)

Tamsik, Sattvik and Rajsik

15
 Personality and Freudian Theory

Primitive Drive Reality Beliefs - Morals, Ethics

Freudian Systems
Id:
Immediate
Gratification
Ego: Superego:
Mediator
Pleasure System that
Principle: internalizes
To maximize society’s rules
pleasure and
avoid pain
How Does This Marketing Message
Apply the Notion of the Id?

17
 It Captures Some of the Mystery and The
Excitement Associated With the “Forces” of
Primitive Drives.

18
 Freudian Theory

• Market Researchers use Freud’s theories to understand

unconscious motives underlying purchases.

– Product symbolism and motivation where the ego relies on symbolism to

compromise desires with ethics.
 Neo-Freudian Personality Theory

• Social relationships are fundamental to personality

• Alfred Adler:
– Style of life (seek rational goals)
– Feelings of inferiority (striving for superiority)
• Harry Stack Sullivan
– We establish relationships with others to reduce tensions
• Karen Horney’s three personality groups
– Compliant: move toward others (desire to be loved,
appreciated) like name-brand products: Bayer aspirin
– Aggressive: move against others (desire to excel & win
admiration) prefer Old Spice
– Detached: move away from others (Desire independence,
self-sufficiency, freedom from obligation) less brand loyal
20
Why Is Appealing to an Aggressive Consumer a
Logical Position for This Product?

21
 Because its Consumer Seeks
to Excel and Achieve Recognition

22
 Neo Freudian Theories (Cont..)
• Carl Jung
• Analytical psychology
• Cumulative experience of past generations
shape who we are today
• Collective consciousness: a collective
storehouse of memories which we inherit
from our ancestors
• Shared memories create archetypes used by
Ad agencies (Young & Rubican); ego, soul &
self 23
 Neo Freudian Theories (Cont..)

• The Ego Types

– Innocent: get to paradise
– Orphan/regular guy or girl: connecting with others
– The Hero: prove one’s worth- courageous acts
– The Caregiver: protect and care others
• The Soul Types
– The Explorer: freedom to find out who you are
– The Rebel: revenge or revolution
– The Lover: Intimacy and experience
24
 Neo Freudian Theories (Cont..)

• The Self Types

– The Jester: Live in the moment with full
enjoyment
– The Sage: To find the truth
– The Magician: Understand fund. laws of universe
– The Ruler: Control

25
 Trait Theory

• Focus on measurement of personality in terms

of traits
• Trait - any distinguishing, relatively enduring
way in which one individual differs from
another
• Personality is linked to broad product
categories and NOT specific brands

26
 Soup and Soup Lover’s Traits
• Chicken Noodle Soup Lovers
– Watch a lot of TV
– Are family oriented
– Have a great sense of humor
– Are outgoing and loyal
– Like daytime talk shows
– Most likely to go to church
• Tomato Soup Lovers
– Passionate about reading
– Love pets
– Like meeting people for coffee
– Aren’t usually the life of the
party
• Vegetable/Minestrone Soup
Lovers
– Enjoy the outdoors
– Usually game for trying new
things
– Spend more money than any
other group dining in fancy
restaurants
– Likely to be physically fit
– Gardening is often a favorite
hobby
27
 Personality and Understanding
Consumer Behavior

Consumer Social
Dogmatism
innovativeness character

Optimum
Need for Sensation
stimulation
uniqueness seeking
level

Variety-
novelty
Personality Traits seeking
Innovators & Non-innovators
28
 The Big Five

• Openness to experience
• Conscientiousness (level of org and structure a
person needs/ am always prepared)
• Extroversion
• Agreeableness
• Neuroticism (how well a person copes with
stress)

29
 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

• Focus of attention
– Introversion
– Extraversion
• Information processing
– Sensing
– Intuition
• Decision Making
– Thinking
– Feeling
30
 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Cont..)

• Dealing with the outer world

– Judging (Systematic approach to meeting
deadlines)
– Perceiving (Spontaneous approach to meeting
deadlines)
– http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-
type/mbti-basics/home.htm?bhcp=1

31
How Does This Ad Target the Inner-
Directed Outdoors Person?

32
A Sole Person is Experiencing the Joys
and Adventure of the Wilderness

33
 Consumer Innovativeness

• Willingness to innovate
– Need for stimulation
– Novelty seeking
– Need for uniqueness
• Further broken down for hi-tech products
– Global innovativeness
– Domain-specific innovativeness
– Innovative behavior

34
 Consumer Motivation Scales

A “GENERAL” CONSUMER INNOVATIVENESS SCALE

1. I would rather stick to a brand I usually buy than try
something I am not very sure of.
2. When I go to a restaurant, I feel it is safer to order dishes I am
familiar with.
A DOMAIN-SPECIFIC CONSUMER INNOVATIVENESS SCALE
1. Compared to my friends, I own few rock albums.
2. In general, I am the last in my circle of friends to know the
titles of the latest rock albums.

Imp for brand extensions & new products

35
 Dogmatism

• A personality trait that reflects the degree of

rigidity a person displays toward the
unfamiliar and toward information that is
contrary to his or her own established beliefs

• HOW DO WE DEAL WITH DOGMATISM?

36
 Dogmatism

• A personality trait that reflects the degree of

rigidity a person displays toward the
unfamiliar and toward information that is
contrary to his or her own established beliefs
DEALING WITH DOGMATISM
Researching dogmatic beliefs
Getting involvement of customers
Demonstration, Research results, Credibility models Customizing communication
Reducing dogmatism & changing
beliefs
Triggering WOM
McDonald’s “Be open to new possibilities”
High on dogma listen Authoritative figures
Low on dogma factual differences
37
 Social Character

• Ranges on a continuum for inner-directedness

to other-directedness
• Inner-directedness
– rely on own values when evaluating products
– Innovators Peter England “honest shirt” Product features

• Other-directedness
Corolla Altis car “The only known cure for envy”
– look to others Approving social environment;
Neighbours envy, owners pride
– less likely to be innovators

38
 Need for Uniqueness

• Consumers who avoid conforming to

expectations or standards of others

39
 Optimum Stimulation Level

• A personality trait that measures the level or

amount of novelty or complexity that
individuals seek in their personal experiences
• High OSL consumers tend to accept risky and
novel products more readily than low OSL
consumers.

Vacation: Adventurous to offering tranquility & peace

Offering product variants in FMCG category

40
 Sensation Seeking

• The need for varied, novel, and complex

sensations and experience. And the willingness to
take social and physical risks for the sensations.

Engage in heavy metal music listening and dangerous activity

41
 Variety-Novelty Seeking

• Measures a consumer’s degree of variety

seeking
• Examples include:
– Exploratory Purchase Behavior
– Use Innovativeness
– Vicarious Exploration
FMCG product variants
Using washing machines for making lassi; Paints/dyes to paint cows; High
Definition Tv with more features // simple tv

High variety seeking scores: prefer HD TV more features; follower brand

Low scores: seek leader brands 42
 Cognitive Personality Factors

• Need for cognition (NFC)

– A person’s craving for enjoyment of thinking
– Individual with high NFC more likely to respond to
ads rich in product information
.
Indica
Santro comparative advt

43
 Cognitive Personality Factors

• Visualizers
• Verbalizers

Dalda light vanaspathi, Dalda Activ; Visual advertisement

Object visualisers: visualise single integrated unit
Spatial visualisers: piece by piece

44
Why Is This Ad Particularly Appealing
to Visualizers?

45
The Ad Stresses Strong
Visual Dimensions

46
Why Is This Ad Particularly
Appealing to Verbalizers?
It Features a Detailed Description

48
 Discussion Question

• What advertising media (print, television,

Internet, salesperson, POP display, newspaper,
radio) is good for a person with a high NFC?
• A Verbalizer
• Products play a key role in defining the self-
concept.

5-50
 You Are What You Consume

• Social identity as individual consumption

behaviors
– Question: Who am I now?
– Answer: To some extent, your possessions!
• Inference of personality based on
consumption patterns
• People who have an incomplete self-definition
complete the identity by acquisition

5-51
 Self/Product Congruence
• Consumers demonstrate their values through
their purchase behavior
• Self-image congruence models: we choose
products when attributes matches the self

Product Usage = Self-Image

5-52
 Extended Self

• Many of the props and settings consumers use to

define their social roles becomes parts of their
selves
• These external objects that we consider a part of
us constitute the extended self
• Four levels
– Individual level (personal possessions : cars, clothing)
– Family (residence and furnishings)
– Community (neighborhood or town where you live)
– Group level eg sub culture
 Extended Self

• Branded apparels Levi jeans

• Possessions can extend self in a number of ways:
– Actually (computer; problem solving)
– Symbolically (feeling better; employee award
excellence)
– Conferring status or rank (of rare items)
– Bestowing feelings of immortality (leaving valued
possessions to young ones)
– Endowing with magical powers (objects related to
worship given by grand parents)
 Altering the Self-Image

• Clothes, grooming aids/cosmetics, accessories

line sun glasses jewelry, contact lenses
• Consumers use self-altering products to
express individualism by:
– Creating new self
– Maintaining the existing self
– Extending the self Personal vanity
– Conforming Achievement Vanity
Tattoo
Hair restyling
Eyeglass to contact lenses
Cosmetic surgery
Lawyer, doctor, professor, business executive 55
 Digital Self

 Virtual self
 You can be anyone…
 Gender swapping
 Age differences
 Mild-mannered to aggressive
 Avatars on second life

56
 For Reflection

• Construct a “consumption biography” of a

friend, family member, or classmate.
• Make a list of his/her most favorite
possessions, and see if you or others can
describe this person’s personality just from
the information provided by this catalogue.

5-57
From Consumer Materialism to
Compulsive Consumption

Acquire and show Self centered and

off possessions selfish

Materialistic
People

Do not get greater

Seek lifestyle full of
personal satisfaction
possessions
from possessions

58
 From Consumer Materialism to
Compulsive Consumption
• Consumer materialism scale (success, centrality
and happiness) Spendthrift-Tightwad scale
• Fixated consumption behavior
– Consumers fixated on certain products or categories
of products Barbie dolls, antique teddy bears, stamps
– Characteristics
• Passionate interest in a product category
• Willingness to go to great lengths to secure objects
• Dedication of time and money to collecting

59
 From Consumer Materialism to
Compulsive Consumption
• Compulsive consumption behavior
– “Addicted” or “out-of-control” consumers
– Chocoholics and Oniomania (shopping)
– Trait ‘Impulsivity’
– Pre-requisite
– Proximity of stimulus
– Lack of evaluation and disregard for consequences
– Strong emotional surge towards stimulus

60
 Consumer Ethnocentrism and
Cosmopolitanism
• Ethnocentric consumers feel it is wrong to
purchase foreign-made products because of the
impact on the economy (CETSCALE scale)
• They can be targeted by stressing nationalistic
themes
• A cosmopolitan orientation would consider the
worid to be their marketplace and would be
attracted to products from other cultures and
countries. Made In India prom appeal
Emphasize made in
Premium price
Hamara Bajaj
Exclusive locations
Buland Bharat ki Buland Tasveer
Nation sponsored/ country image 61
 Brand Personality

• Personality-like traits associated with brands

• Examples
– Limca and freshness
.mp4

– BMW is performance driven

– Raymond .mp4
• Brand personality which is strong and favorable will
strengthen a brand but not necessarily demand a
price premium
• Any other examples that comes to your mind?

62
 In What Ways Do Max and Other Brand
Personifications Help Create VW’s Brand Image?

63
 Speaks English, is “interviewed”
about VW products, and is a friend

64
 Discussion Questions

• Pick three of your favorite food brands.

• Describe their personality. Do they have a
gender? What personality traits do they
have?
 Product Anthropomorphism and
Brand Personification
• Product Anthropomorphism
– Attributing human characteristics to objects
– Zoozoos Vodafone.mp4
• Brand Personification
– Consumer’s perception of brand’s attributes for a
human-like character
– Mr. Coffee is seen as dependable, friendly,
efficient, intelligent and smart.
– Harley Davidson owners; Bullet
– Mac v/s PC 66
 A Brand Personality Framework

Attachment anxiety: concerned whether they are worthy of love

Avoidance anxiety: One’s view of others in context of attachment
People preoccupied with self worth and –ve view of people, prefer exciting brand
67
High anxiety and favorable view of people, prefer sincere brand
 Product Personality Issues

• Gender
– Some products perceived as masculine (coffee and toothpaste)
while others as feminine (bath soap and shampoo)
• Geography
– Actual locations, like Kesar mangoes from Talala (Junagadh);
Spices (India)
– Fictitious names also used, such as Hidden Valley and Bear
Creek; Basmati Rice
• Color
– Color combinations in packaging and products denotes
personality
– Coke (red)

68