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Identity in consumerism
Identity in consumerism
Consumer behaviour theories
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The need for identity as a heart to understand consumer behaviour
Identity can be defined as an direct image of what a persons ' appearance, thinks, feels and behaviour (Americus Reed, Mark R. Forehand, 2012). It means how people see themselves and how others see them. According to Maslows hierarchy of needs, self-actualization needs at the top of the pyramid model which is the need of human hope to realize their potential and get self-satisfaction. Consequently, identity is the best embodiment of such indicators of this need. In addition to this, consumer behavior is the basic study of marketing decision and the developing marketing strategies. It is the consumer to obtain, use and disposal of the various actions taken by goods or services,
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Thirdly, sometimes it affected by reference groups. Then, in the premise of meeting consumer demand for real or potential, and companies also can influence consumption. Therefore, consumer behavior has these features likes diversity, complexity, behavior congruence and navigation that is difficult to understand. What is more, Michael R. Solomon and Gary Bamossy (2010) believed that gender, ethnicity, sexuality, location, nationality and class are the factors which shape a person’s identity. Based on this, according to postmodernism views that identity is far more complex and pay more attention to the individual level (Michael R. Solomon and Gary Bamossy, 2010), this essay will explains the relationship between the need for identity and consumer behaviour by individual level and group level, then discuss the limitations of it in the end. For individual level, gender identity is crucial to understand consumers subjective feelings. For example, females have rich feelings, mood change dramatically and like to fantasy, in the purchase process they are not only vulnerable by emotional factors, but also affected by the purchase atmosphere, salesperson attitude and consumer behaviour of others. On the other hand, males consumer …show more content…
It is about a personal experience of their own gender (Deana F. Morrow and Lori Messinger 2006). It not likes sexual identity that about persons biological gender, gender identity is not only connected to one’s physical anatomy. This is a complicated relationship between a person 's gender (biological sex) and the internal feeling of self-male, female, both or neither (gender identity), as well as a person 's perception of external presentation and related behaviour, including their gender roles, likes masculinity and femininity that means which sex is dominate. For instance, Land Rover drives are overwhelmingly male with 72% in 2010. Because most of men are born with the spiritual explorer, like to adventure and challenge and Land Rover as a famous British brand of sport utility vehicle is very suitable for this need of male identity. Land Rover has grown to have all models and highly respected global leader in the luxury SUV, its powerful easy to manage a variety of road conditions, overall performance and breath of capability, with sales repeatedly refresh the historical record. It attracts male consumer to buy one with an aggressive physical design in masculine marketing. What is more, it also meet the need of male consumer to shows the image of male strength and
American’s and people in general are an audience targeted for various commodities, advertising being a major contributor. The world of advertising has become a multiplex science, as mentioned in “What We Are to advertisers,” Twitchell divides consumers into 8 categories and Craig, in “Men’s Men and Women’s Women,” concludes there are specific times of day for advertisements to be displayed to reach specific audiences. “Mass production means mass marketing, and mass marketing means the creation of mass stereotypes,” claims Twitchell. These stereotypes of men, women, and humans in general are how advertiser’s reach their targeted audiences.
Before beginning the explanation of how an identity is formed, one must understand what an identity is. So, what is identity? To answer this, one might think of what gives him individuality; what makes him unique; what makes up his personality. Identity is who one is. Identity is a factor that tells what one wants out of life and how he is set to get it. It tells what kind of a person one is by the attitude and persona he has. And it depends upon the mixture of all parts of one’s life including personal choices and cultural and societal influences, but personal choices affect the identity of one more than the others.
While they differ in genre, both works address the relationship between personal identity and consumer culture. Kunzru and Chang complicate each other’s commentary on consumer society because they both believe to have this frame of being real and having a true sense of individuality but they have different viewpoints of how the world of consumerism is framing them otherwise.
The Social Identity theory (SIT) was proposed by Henry Tajfel. It was then later developed by Tajfel and Turner in 1971 to help them understand inter group relations. The Social Identity theory assumes that individuals strive to improve their self-image by trying to enhance their self-esteem, through social (in and out groups) and personal identities. There are 4 main concepts within the social identity theory all of which will be discussed in the essay.
Identity. What is identity? One will say that it is the distinct personality of an individual. Others will say that identity is the behavior of a person in response to their surrounding environment. At certain points of time, some people search for their identity in order to understand their existence in life. In regards, identity is shaped into an individual through the social trials of life that involve family and peers, the religious beliefs by the practice of certain faiths, and cultural awareness through family history and traditions. These are what shape the identity of an individual.
There has always been the cliché of gender roles in toddlers that girls play with dolls and boys play with tools and cars. Is that what is expected of children of each sex, or do adults not know any better? When my male cousin was born when I was sixteen, the baby was showered with gifts of plastic screwdrivers, wrenches, saws, Bob the Builder accessories, and of course--toy cars. Why do we have this preoccupation that little boys--who in turn become men—have the desire for model cars? Since Karl Benz designed a practical car with an internal combustion engine in 1885, cars have been deemed the toy for boys. In Benz’s time, automobiles were considered a gentleman’s luxury; they were to be driven only by men who could afford them. Women, considered to be incapable of driving in the early 1900s, were supposed to be passengers along for a ride. When advertising came around once cheap automobiles could be produced in the 1920s, it was no surprise that nearly every single advertisement was geared towards men. In Michele Ramsey’s article on automobile advertising and gender, the advertising that was geared towards women was used to support that buying an automobile would make one’s social status climb due to attractiveness. Also, no women ads featured them in the economic world, only in caring for others and that buying a car helped one “be a good mother”. The early ads focused on men were the subtle things such as the boasting of the sheer power a car had available, or the image of a man catching the eye of a woman in his new car. Into the 1950s, the standard advertising for the newly evolved sports car usually featured a young man in a Corvette for example, with women looki...
Another term that is commonly used in the Communication Studies is the “identity” which defines an individual. According to Simon (2004), identity is a position in a society. Persons can have several identities of belonging in larger groups (nationality, social class, profession, political beliefs, religion etc.) or in more exclusive groups (e.g. members in a club). In the social science (Ntampoudi, 2014), there are two different theories, the Social Identity Theory (SIT) and the Social Representations Theory (SRT). The first examines how the psychology affects the sense of having an identity, while the second theory focuses on the way that people imply this sense in a societal level.
Identity is a person’s socially and historically constructed concept. We learn and determine our own identity through the interactions of family, peers, media and also other connections that we have encounter in our life. Gender, social class, age and experience of the world are the key concepts which plays a substantial role in shaping how we are by facing obstacles in our lives. According to Mead (1934) as cited in Thulin, Miller, Secher, and Colson (2009), identity theory determines
Many theorists suggest that consumption is correlated to the identity of an individual, that by purchasing goods from the mass market, it enables us to visibly establish our position within society. This differs from previous times in which a range of factors such as family histories, character and personal achievements played a significant role (Gabriel and Lang, 2006). Instead, there is the idea that the consumer has the ability to gain pleasure over objects, not just solely by the manipulation of objects, but through the degree of control over their meaning. The degree of control is developed and achieved through imagination and provides greater possibilities of pleasure experiences. This suggests that modern consumption can be seen as device that enables individuals to ‘dream’ about the desires they wish to fulfill. (Campbell, 1989: 79) (Cited in Gabirel & Lang, 2006)
Welcome to the automotive world, the last holdout in the battle against political correctness. This is one of the few places left where one can make a statement about women and men and not be assaulted with court cases or be accused of being a bigot. In the automotive media, it is still acceptable to represent men in business suits driving luxury vehicles, and to show mothers driving their kids in a minivan. There is one simple reason that the automotive media has remained unadulterated by political correctness—money. As a private industry, both car manufacturers and aftermarket companies have one goal, to sell cars and car related products, and to make money while doing so. As such, these companies use marketing techniques that will most effective reach their target market, which is the true populace, not the world envisioned by political correctness(hereafter to be referred to as PC). For this reason, the marketing techniques used by the automotive industry give us a more realistic view of society and how men and women view themselves.
Marketing professionals create, manage and/or enhance brands in order to create or bolster demand for the product. A successful marketing plan will help assure that consumers look beyond just the price or function of a product when making a purchasing decision, in part, a well planned marketing effort will create a “feel good” association about the product the consumer is about to purchase (Petty) A key part of a career in marketing is to understand the needs, preferences, and constraints that define the target group of consumers or the market niche corresponding to the brand. This is done by market research. This is accomplished through market research, essentially using survey techniques, statistics, psychology and social understanding to help gather information on what consumers want and/or need, and then designing products, or services, to hopefully meet ...
Nevertheless, one of the most important constants among all of us, regardless of our differences, is that, above all, we are buyers. We use or consume on a regular basis food, clothing, shelter, transportation, education, equipment, vacations, necessities, luxuries, services, and even ideas. As consumers, we play an essential role in the health of the economy; local, national and international. The purchase decision we make affect the requirement for basic raw materials, for transportation, for production, for banking; they affect the employment of employees and the growth of resources, the successfulness of some industries and the failure of others. In order to be successful in any business and specifically in today’s dynamic and rapidly evolving marketplace, marketers need to know everything they can about consumers; what they are want, what they are think, how they are work, how they are spend their leisure time. They have to find out the personal and group influences that affect consumer decisions and how these decisions are made. In these days of ever-widening media choices, they need to not only identify their target audiences, but they have to know where and how to reach
Consumerism is defined as “the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable” (“Consumerism”). Its primary motivation is the idea that if one does not have all that money can buy, then he or she cannot be happy. This school of thought has become an integral part of modern society not only in the United States, but internationally as well. While the exact source of this term and ideology are debatable, it is certain now that consumerism is here to stay, intertwining with all aspects of American culture.
identity as a mother, identity as a worker, identity as a student, etc.). All the currently valid cognitive, social, emotional, and product‐oriented norms are included in these identity parts (Keupp et al., 1999). The idea let us discuss a plurality in identity, which is essential in multifaceted world. Other important aspect of Keupp’s theory are the central biographical narratives (Kernnarrationen).
“People recognise themselves in their commodities; they find their soul in their automobiles, hi-fi sets, split level homes………social control is anchored in the new needs which the consumer society has produced." (Marcuse,1968:24)To what extent are we controlled by the consumer society we live in?