Role of Individual Self-Concept and Brand Personality Congruence in Determining Brand Choice - Essay Example

Article Analysis: “Role of individual self-concept and brand personality congruence in determining brand choice” Introduction The term “self-concept” refers to the way a person perceives oneself. This self-perception is influenced by attitudes toward oneself(Belch 320). There are four that can give an understanding of the self. These are content, positivity, intensity and accuracy. Content refers to the way a person views oneself based on their facial attractiveness or unattractiveness. Positivity refers to self-esteem and is heavily influenced by advertising. Intensity refers to the consistency in the way a person views oneself. Accuracy means the extent to which the way a person perceives oneself corresponds with who they really are. How a person sees oneself along these lines helps marketers to speculate the kind of products that may appeal to the person. However, the way a person perceives oneself is often far from reality(Gration, Raciti and Arcodia 650). This paper reviews the article by the title above. Background on Article Brands confer value to consumers in multiple ways(Khare and Handa 63). One way is by enhancing the personality of their user. Besides functional attributes, the non-functional features of the product may determine the consumers decision to buy or not to buy. The article under review reports the findings of the research that explored the degree to which self-concept and brand personality interact to influence how a consumer evaluates brands and arrives at purchase decisions. The research involved a number of secondary school students whose individual self-concept was measured using a scale developed by Malhotra in 1981. The respondents were then made to evaluate one out of three imaginary brands of mobile phones, rate the brand on the basis of the general quality then indicate whether or not they would buy the phone. Having set the stage, the authors proceed to define key concepts in their paper. These are self-concept, personality and Indian youth. They contend that self-concept studies have understood the concept as being multi-dimensional(Khare and Handa 64). The concept enables the consumer to evaluate oneself under different circumstances. Most self-concept studies, they report, have focused on explaining why a consumer buys one brand of a product and not the other. It is crucial that marketers comprehend and appreciate the impact of self-concept, both individual and social, on purchase decisions. Self-concept studies have been based on the hypothesis that the way a consumer sees oneself influences the types of brands they buy. Brand personality entails giving brands human characteristics. For example, a car manufacturer may describe a model of their car as having a bold look. Naturally, only human can be bold. The purpose of personifying a brand is to make the consumer associate with and consequently buy it(Khare and Handa 64). Where the personalities of the brand and the consumer coincide, the consumer is likely to buy the product. For example, a consumer who believes they are bold is likely to buy the car whose manufacturer presents as being bold. The creation of a distinctive personality for a product differentiates it from competing products in the market. Indian consumers associate western products with success and status. Traditionally, in India, purchase decisions have been made collectively within the family setting. However, the authors of the article felt that the Indian youth were becoming more aware of the individual needs. Even though they may still observe family values, they are aware of their personal identities(Khare and Handa 64). The effect of this shift is that marketers must repackage their communications such that the Indian youth can resonate with them. However, repackaging marketing communications alone is not enough. Manufacturers of youth products must develop brand personalities that will resonate with those of contemporary Indian youth. Overall, the authors have given their subject matter a fair treatment under literature review. Arguments/Hypotheses The authors of the article pose three hypotheses. First, they argue that in the cell phone industry, there exists a relationship between self-concept congruency with a phone brand and how that brand is rated(Khare and Handa 66). Consumers of mobile phones are motivated to buy brands whose personalities relate closely to those of the consumers. The resolution whether or not to buy a brand is highly influenced by the desire to have the brand conform to the self-concept of the consumer. Thus, a product that matches the self-concept of a consumer is more likely to be accepted and bought. However, because self-concept is multidimensional, the authors argue that the consumer will not always buy the same brand under all circumstances. Thus, the mobile phone user may go for one brand of phone and another at a different time. On their first argument, Khare and Handa rightly recognize that the consumer will not always buy the same brand. However, they fail to illustrate circumstances under which a consumer may switch between brands even though their personality has not changed(Hung and Wyer 383). The mobile industry, especially, is very dynamic. In order to outdo the competition, mobile phone manufacturers are always improving their brands, taking care to include all the latest mobile technologies. Under these circumstances, the manufacturer who does not innovate fast enough is likely to lose their customers to their rivals. Besides, consumer needs, tastes and preferences are ever-changing. This may change in favour of or against a particular brand. Under both circumstances, the phone consumers may switch brands even though their personality has remained the same. The second argument Khare and Handa put forward stipulates that there exists a correlation between the match or mismatch between individual and brand personalities and a willingness to buy a phone(Khare and Handa 66). They argue that consumers will almost always tend to buy products whose personality they can identify with. Thus, a female consumer who considers oneself to be fashionable will more likely go a smartphone named “Idol” or “Diva”. If, on the contrary, there is very little in common between the two personalities, the probability that the consumer will buy the product is low. In the first instance, the consumer is likely to develop loyalty toward the brand. Again, this argument fails to recognize that several factors, other than individual and brand personalities, come into play in determining purchase decisions. The argument also fails to recognize not all consumers are aware of their personalities, even the most educated. Thirdly, Khare and Handa posit that the consumer whose self-image is in tandem with a brand is likely to recommend the brand to another person(Khare and Handa 66). While this may be true, the referral need not necessarily lead to a purchase. The self-image of the referred consumer may not agree with the product. Otherwise, where successful, such referrals should be a marketers delight. Significance of the Article This article has successfully demonstrated the notion of self-concept in practice, its shortcomings notwithstanding. Indeed, the essence of scientific research, such as the one whose findings are reported in this article, is to contribute to knowledge. The researcher accomplishes this by identifying a knowledge gap through review of existing literature then designing and undertaking research with a view of filling this gap. Khare and Handa observed that whereas much literature existed on the concept of self-concept and how it relates to marketing, there were very few empirical studies that tested self-concept theories. In addition, the authors have recommended a number of areas for further research. Other scholars could take up these and further contribute to the empirical knowledge in this area. Conclusion The way consumers perceive themselves plays a major role in determining how they behave towards given products. A key element of a consumer’s self-concept is their personality. Besides the personality of the consumer, brands too have personalities. Marketers need to understand the personalities of their target consumers as these have effects on their behaviour in the way they relate to the product. Where individual and brand personalities coincide, the probability that the consumers will buy the product and remain loyal to it is high. On the contrary, consumers will tend to avoid products whose personalities contradict theirs. Both scenarios assume that the consumers are conscious of their traits. Works cited Belch, George. "Belief Systems and the Differential Role of the Self-Concept." Advances in Consumer Research5 (1978): 320-325. print Gration, David, Maria Raciti and Charles Arcodia. "The Role of Consumer Self-Concept in Marketing Festivals." Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing28.6 (2011): 644-655. print. Hung, Iris and Robert Wyer. "Shaping Consumer Imaginations: The Role of Self-Focused Attention in Product Evaluations." Journal of Marketing research30.8 (2011): 381-392. print. Khare, Arpita and Meenakshi Handa. "Role of individual self-concept and brand personality congruence in determining brand choice." Innovative Marketing5.4 (2009): 63-71. print. Link to Reviewed Article http://businessperspectives.org/journals_free/im/2009/im_en_2009_4_Khare.pdf Read More