CONSUMER PERSONALITY

PART-1

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020

 Definition of Personality
 Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those
psychological characteristics that both determine and reflect how a person
responds to his or her environment

 Individual characteristics
 Values
 Beliefs
 Motives
 Attitudes
 Traits
 Socio-culture element
 Cognitive element

 A consumer’s choice be it for a product, service or even the store where

the purchase will be made, is affected by his or her personality

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020

 Nature of Personality

 Personality reflects individual differences

 Personality is consistent and enduring

 Personality can change

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020

 Theories of Personality
1. Freudian Theory or Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality :
❑ Sigmund Freud proposed that the human personality consists of three
interacting systems -

 Id
 Superego
 Ego

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020

 Id
 According to the theory, Id is the source of an individual’s strong basic
drives such as hunger, thirst, self-preservation.

 The Id operates on what is called the ‘pleasure principle’ i.e. to seek

immediate pleasure and avoid pain.

 The Id is entirely unconscious and not fully capable of dealing with

objective reality.

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020

 Superego
 The superego constitutes an individual’s internal expression of society’s
moral and ethical codes of conduct.

 The superego’s role is to see that the individual satisfies needs in a socially
acceptable fashion.

 Thus, the superego is a kind of brake that restrains the impulsive forces of
Id .

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020

 Ego
 The ego is the individual’s conscious control.

 The ego is the individual’s self-concept.

 Self-concept is defined as “ the totality of individual's thoughts and

feelings having reference to himself/herself as an object “

 The ego is capable of postponing the gratification until that time when it
will be suitably and effectively directed at attaining the goals of the Id in a
socially acceptable manner.

 For example, rather than manifesting the need for aggression in an

antisocial manner, a consumer can partially satisfy this need by purchasing
a powerful motorcycle.

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020

Application of Freudian Theory in Consumer
Behavior
 Brand Personality :
 It is the description of a brand in terms of human traits
 The set of traits people attribute to a brand as if it was a person
 The assumptions behind brand personality is the belief that brands
can also have personalities like human beings
 Brand Personality provides an emotional identity for a brand, and
encourages consumers to respond with feelings and emotions toward
the brand
 Celebrity Endorsement :
 A Celebrity promotes a product or brand, it makes more impact and
becomes easier to consumers to recall
 A consumer associates the product with the image or personality of
the person endorsing it
Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020
 There are several themes based on this theory, which are
sometimes used by marketers in attempting to influence
consumers such as fantasy, wish fulfillment, aggression and
escape from life’s pressures ( perfume, hair dye, skincare
products, dresses, motorcycles are some examples of product
categories ).

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020

2. Self-concept (self-image) Theory :
 This theory is considered as most relevant and focuses on how the self-
image of individual consumers influences the purchase behaviour.
 Self-concept is defined as ‘the totality of the individual’s thoughts and
feelings with regard to himself/herself as an object.
 Each one of us has a self-concept.
 According to one popular model proposed by M. Joseph Sergy, there
are four specific types of self-images :-
i. Actual self
ii. Ideal self
iii. Social self
iv. Ideal social self

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020

 Actual self – what individuals think and believe who they are

 Ideal self – what they would like to be

 Social self – how they feel others see them

 Ideal social self – how they would like others to see them

 Expected self – how individuals expect to see themselves sometime in

future

Adarsh Gahlaut, Asst. Prof., SIMT Kashipur October 21, 2020