Personality development:

Personality represents inner psychological characteristics that both determine and reflect
how we think and act. Personality characteristics associated with consumer behaviour has
been highly effective in the development of market segmentation and promotional
strategies. Generally, researchers agree that Personality reflects individual differences, is
generally consistent and enduring and although it is enduring, personality can change.
Three theories of personality are prominent in the study of consumer behaviour:
1. Freud’s psychoanalytic theory : human drives are largely unconscious in nature
2. Neo-Freudian theory: emphasize the fundamental role of social relationships.
3. Trait theory : Empirical measures of personality in terms of specific psychological
characteristics.
Personality traits :
Several personality traits are strongly correlated with innovativeness: dogmatism, inner-
versus other directedness, and the need for uniqueness. These personality traits, as well as
others greatly impact consumption behaviour and marketers must understand and use
them to develop effective persuasive strategies.
Brand personification:
Brand personification takes place when consumers assign human-like qualities to products
and brands. Marketers can use them to shape consumers’ responses to promotional
messages and enhance their emotional connections to products and brands. Many
consumers who are heavy internet users become emotionally attached to certain websites.
Impact of self-image on consumer behaviour:
Consumers frequently attempt to preserve, enhance, alter, or extend their self-images by
purchasing brands that appeal to their self-image and also by shopping at stores that they
perceive as consistent with their relevant self-image. Consumer behaviour researchers
identified four components of self-image: (1) actual self-image, (2) ideal self-image, (3)
social self-image, and (4) ideal social self-image. Understanding this dimension enables
marketers to design effective promotional messages to target better.