• Personality refers to “a person’s unique psychological makeup

and how it consistently influences the way a person responds to

his or her environment”.

• Personality consist of the inner psychological characteristics that

both determine and reflect how we think and act.

• Inner characteristics – those specific qualities , attributes, traits,

factors and mannerisms that distinguish one individual from
other individuals.
• The characteristics affect the way consumers respond to
marketers’ promotional efforts, and when, where, and how they
consume many products or services.

• The identification of specific personality characteristics

associated with consumer behavior has been highly effective in
the development of market segmentation and promotional
strategies.
 Nature of personality

• Personality reflects individual differences.

• Personality is consistent and Enduring.

• Personality may change.

 Personality reflects individual
differences.

• The inner characteristics that constitute an individual’s

personality are a unique combination of factors , no two
individuals are exactly alike.

• Nevertheless, many individuals may possess a single or even

a few personality characteristics, but not others.
 Personality reflects individual
differences.

• For instance, some people can be described as “high” in

consumer ethnocentrism (unwillingness to accept foreign
made products), whereas others can be described as “ low” in
ethnocentrism (not reluctant to accept foreign made products).

• Personality enables marketers to categorize consumers into

different groups on the basis of one or several traits, because
consumers who belongs to a given segment are often “high”
on a particular personality characteristics, whereas consumers
from another segment score “low” on that same characteristics.
 Personality is consistent and enduring
• Generally, an individual’s personality tends to be both consistent and
generally enduring.

• Both qualities are essential if marketers are to explain or predict

consumer behavior in terms of personality.
• Marketers cannot change consumers’ personalities to conform their
products .
• However, if they know which personality characteristics influences
specific consumers’ response, they can appeal to the relevant traits
inherent in their target consumers.

• For instance, if a marketer knows that one of the firm’s products

attracts consumer innovators, it can create marketing messages that
appeal to innovative consumers.
 Personality may change

• Personality is generally enduring, under certain circumstances, personality

change.

• For instance, major life events, such as

1. Marriage
2. The birth of a child
3. The death of a parent
4. A change of job and/or profession strongly affect personality .

• One’s personality changes not only in response to abrupt events, but also as
part of a gradual maturing process.
• Optimum stimulation level sensation seeking

Amount of complexity that consumers are ready to

individuals seek in their take Personal and social
personal experiences. risk for the sake of such
experience.
• Consumer innovativeness variety seeking
• This theory was given by Sigmund Freud.
• The premise of theory is that unconscious needs or drives,
especially biological drives, are at the heart of human
motivation and personality.
• Freud’s psychoanalytical theory stresses the unconscious
nature of personality as a result of childhood conflicts.
• Freud viewed personality as “an iceberg”.
• According to this theory, the human personality system
consists of the id, ego, and superego and conflicts are derived
from these three components.
Id
• In other words, id is conceptualized as a warehouse of primitive and
impulsive drives for which individual seeks immediate satisfaction
(biological and instinctual needs like hunger, and self preservation.) with-
out concern for the specific means of satisfaction.

• The id is entirely unconscious with no objective reality.

• It operates on the pleasure principle, with the objective of seeking pleasure

and avoidance of pain, and doing what one wants to do.
Id
Cocacola – ‘ killing a
thirst’
Ego
• Ego is the individuals conscious control and it functions as an internal
monitor that attempts to balance the impulsive demands of the id and the
socio-cultural constraints of the super ego.
• The Ego is aware of reality and operates via the reality principle .
• It recognizes what is real and understands that behavior has consequences.
• It also includes the impact that socialization has to play in the life of an
individual; it recognizes the existence of social rules that are necessary in
order to live and socialize with other people, and thus, plans to satisfy ones’
needs within the social values and rules.
Superego
• The Super ego comprises the value system and the morals, which emanate
from what an individual learns in childhood from his parents.
• Superego is the individual’s internal expression of society’s moral and
ethical codes of conduct.
Ego

Love forever
KFC – SO GOOD..

Superego

Surf excel
• New product managers may try to create brands that
fulfills needs of the ID, Ego, Super Ego.

• Advertising managers can use Freud’s concept to

inspire people, promotional themes can be used to
appeal to consumer’s unconscious motivations.
• Many psychologists, scientists, and philosophers have made meaningful
additions to the psychoanalytic study of personality.

• Four particularly notable Neo-Freudians are

 Alfred Adler
 Erik Erikson
 Carl Jung, and
 Karen Horney.

• Because Sigmund had always been very stubborn and rigid about his ideas
and theories, hence his members and followers began to break from the
Freudian camp.

• Here, they disagreed with their contemporary, Freud who believed that
personality was
i) biological and rooted in genetics, and
ii) was groomed as a result of early childhood experiences.
• Neo-Freudians believed that social relationships are
fundamental to the formation and development of personality
 Jungian theory
The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an introspective self-report questionnaire
claiming to indicate psychological preferences in how people perceive the world around
them and make decisions
• Marketers could draw in heavily in
the impact that opinion leaders,
interpersonal communication and
word of mouth
could have on consumer decision processes and
consumption processes.

• This would also include the impact that family, friends, social
class, culture and sub-culture.

• Use Neo-Freudian theories while segmenting markets and

positioning their products,
Eg. Personality types have been used to segment markets
and position products as per the segment.
• Trait theory suggests that personality is made up of a set of quantitative
measurable characteristics or units known as traits.
• The information is converted into quantitative figures and then analysis is
completed.
• The information should be the different traits of the individual’s related to
the product.

• The trait theories can be of two broad categories, viz., simple trait theories and
general trait theories. While

i) Simple trait theories: A limited number of traits are identified, and people are
identified and classified on the basis of these traits.

ii) General trait theories: A large variety of traits are identified.

• The test may be on:
1. Consumer materialism
2. Consumer innovativeness
3. Consumer ethnocentrism
Trait theorists use personality
tests that pinpoint individual
differences in terms of “high”
versus “low” scores on
specific traits.
• The test may be on:

: The degree of the consumer’s is preoccupied

and showing off physical possessions that are mostly non essential and
often conspicuous luxury goods.

: Innovativeness as a personality trait reflects

how well a person reacts to something that is “new”; this “new” could be a
new product or a brand or even a change in the marketing mix.
A marketer needs to assess in its target segment, the degree of receptivity
towards new products and services/brands

: To accept or reject foreign made products.

• Personality traits have been found to have an influence on
consumer decision making and consumption patterns.

• The traits that consumers possess, influences their decision

making processes and subsequent consumption patterns .

• Consumer behaviorists have identified General and

Consumption specific traits; On the basis of these,

they have been able to usefully formulate and implement

marketing strategies,
through first segmenting the market, target it, positioning their
product/service offering, and
designing the marketing mix accordingly.