What Is in My Shopping Basket - Essay Example

Introduction Numerous products in the market that are purchased for their functionality, hedonistic pleasure or psychosocial advantage tend to be done away with sooner or later. This occurs even when the product is durable and has suffered no defects or breakdown. (DeBell & Dardis, 1979; van Nes, 2003). The indication is that motivation and partiality for any particular brand is prejudiced by the self-congruency in advertising (Hong, et al, 1995). Self- concept can be defined as ‘the complex of concepts, emotion and attitudes that shapes the individual’s self-identity; their self-esteem, capabilities and shortcomings. This self-identity may be at odds with the collective perception of others towards the individual; but it will influence the individual’s world view. Self-concept is further defined by three precepts; self-image, which encompasses one’s role in society, body picture and character qualities; ideal self which is the ultimate personality the individual strives for, and self-esteem. The gap between self-image and ideal self determines the magnitude of self-esteem an individual can muster. In the bourse, the idea of self-concept, that is, the image of the self that the customer holds in their mind has proved to be more useful than personality as a predictor of purchase. Brand products are positioned to indicate congruence with the ideal self consequently attracting those consumers aspiring for that particular ideal. This strategy is more useful however, with consumers exhibiting low self esteem. (Phil, 2010). Furthermore, there are brand personalities as demonstrated by Jennifer Aaker (1997), who in her framework illustrates the following brand personality types; authentic (unpretentious, candid, decent, positive) animated (bold, feisty, creative, current) ability (dependable, intellectual, flourishing) erudition (superior rank, charismatic) roughness (rugged, sturdy) The investigation of categories of existing consumers is known as segmentation. It categorises the consumer according to their needs thus assisting brand specialists with targeting. Indeed, owing to the impossibility of serving every type of consumer with the same product, companies which specialise in attending to the requirements of a particular demographic do tend to be more profitable ultimately. What Is In My Shopping Basket? My shopping basket contains Rosie Juices which is a cranberry juice; not drink. It helps keep me regular, and tastes much better than the cranberry drinks. As a person who holds good health in high esteem and eating healthy foods that are beneficial to my body, this is a natural choice for me. I also value the good quality of the brand and the fact that it is unsweetened and contains Vitamin C. This is in line with my ideal self of being a health-conscious, environmentally friendly person who values what they put in their bodies. Also, since it is owned by Australians, it boosts my sense of patriotism to be supporting local brands and growing local businesses. I also buy Bertolli Olive Oil Spread. The new look of the margarine is attractive, its very smooth and delicious-tasting, and very healthy. As a person who is watching my weight, the fact that it is cholesterol free is an added advantage; it is also endorsed by the National Heart Foundation and is known to contain Cholecalciferol. The provision of variety in types of spread, that is, Classico, Light and Extra Virgin means there’s one for every mood and occasion. It also makes me feel like the brand is speaking to me personally by catering to my needs. Another brand in my basket is the 15-can Value Pack that contains such products as Nestea Iced Tea and PowerAde. Both of which are immensely useful in the hot summer months and convenient when one is on the move. An added advantage is that although they are canned, they have no fizz thus healthier than your average canned good. To cap it off, they are convenient for all occasions, and at any time of day. To clean up after myself, I use the Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid. It has a huge number of advantages including being antibacterial, which satisfies my health-consciousness; highly effective against stubborn stains and grease while leaving the dishes sparkling with a lovely lemon scent. Furthermore, it works fast, with a dissolvable wrapper that ensures you don’t have to touch the soap, while protecting the glass. For a person with my busy schedule, it is a time-saver, while doing the thorough job that I expect from a product. For all my cheese dishes I only buy Dodoni Feta. I choose it for its quality, and the fact that it’s made in the traditional way. It’s great on toast for breakfast or sprinkled on my spaghetti and meatballs for a fast yet delicious meal. An essential item from my basket is Quilton Eco Ply, an environmentally friendly lavatory paper that also manages to be soft. It is additionally, made in Australia and despite its premium qualities, is no more expensive than other tissues of its class. The only toothpaste I use is Macleans@ Advanced with Enamelock. It protects the enamel from decay and has helped me avoid cavities for my entire life. Relationship between the products in my shopping basket and types of self-concept My personality is as relevant an indicator to predict my product choices as it is for anyone when linked to the type of self concept I hold in my head because of it. Sigmund Freud (1923) incepted the idea that the unconscious mind is divided into ID, Ego and Superego. The ID deals with the pleasure principle and the Superego with matters spiritual. The Ego is the median between these two extremes. An individual more concerned with the needs of his ID, with an underdeveloped Ego and a domineering Superego tends to be irrational. They make purchase decisions based on what they want, and can buy without taking their budget or consequences of purchase into account. A brand will tend to target one of the personalities above. According to the Myers Briggs Personality Test, my personality is INTP; I for introverted, N for intuition, T for thinking and P for perceiving. This personality type is known for extracting truth from chaos and using it to build logical structures that assist in strategy. Their ability to evaluate situations is well-honed from which they excavate root causes and forecast projected outcomes. They are uncomfortable with arbitrary actions, taken without regard to consequences. They are described as equable, objective, aloof yet deeply concerned with crisis resolution. Other personality traits include resolutely self-sufficient, inquisitive and able to discourse at length on complex political, fiscal or technical issues. They tend to spend a lot of time living in their own heads and may neglect superficial social relationships (Poirier, 2011). When related to the brands in my shopping basket, there is a correlation with my self-concept but not an exact one. The tendency towards products that are healthy or beneficial to me in a physical way is commensurate with the tendency to plan ahead. It also gels with the ability to appreciate the consequences of present consumption to future health. The tendency to be particular about brands purchased without regard to outside influences is due to my objectivity uninfluenced by popularity of trends. The purchase of environmentally friendly products also points to a regard for future consequences as well as problem solving tendencies. Conversely, INTP are mostly concerned with being ‘armchair philosophers’ according to Poirier (2011) and more concerned with internal musings than external relationships. This does not really correlate with the purchase of 15-can Value packs which is aimed at social activities like picnics and parties; or with the Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid that is targeted at expediency and speed; for those with a fast life. It can however be argued that dishwashers, when well used, can be environmentally friendly and the rinse that the detergent gives the dishes saves one from pre-rinsing, hence helping to conserve water; environmental issues being an area of concern for my ideal self as outlined in the paragraph above. The patriotism behind purchase of local brands cannot easily be explained by the INTP personality, who has a reputation for neglecting social prerequisites and obligations. Therefore a tendency to buy ‘local’ is incongruent, although it might be explained by the desire to grow the local economy with an eye to future consequences. History of Brand Relationship With the Maclean’s toothpaste, my mother, who is in her sixties, has used it for most of her life and still has all her own teeth. She’s tried other brands over the years but ultimately returns to Maclean’s. She says its virtues are flavour and efficacy. I myself have used it for fifteen years and found the cost to benefit analysis extremely advantageous. In addition I concur with my mother on the flavour and the benefit to strong teeth and healthy gums. It has been a year of using the Bertolli olive oil spread, and the results have been a lowered cholesterol – according to the annual check up, it’s much healthier than other margarine options and has assisted in some weight loss. In addition to that, it is pure, non-greasy and very pleasant tasting. I had noticed the Rosie Juice on the supermarket shelves but disregarded it on the assumption that it was just like a cordial. However, on reading the information that it was unsweetened except with a natural apple taste, as well as its vitamin content, I added it to my shopping basket. The 15-can Value pack caught my eye because bulk-buying is very prudent, and the iced tea and PowerAde are great thirst-quenchers on these hot summer days. Furthermore, cans are easier to recycle which is beneficial to the environment. Last but certainly not least, they definitely taste good. Using the Morning Fresh Dishwashing Liquid provides a choice brand in an easier to handle variety. It eliminates waste, is easy, hygienic and efficient. The Dodoni Feta is great with any meal requiring cheeses, it can be used on toast for a delicious breakfast to spanakopita. Woolworths also sells it in loose packs therefore enabling me to choose how little or much I require. The Dodoni Feta is the genuine thing and extremely tasty. The Quilton toilet paper is a brand that I have used for a long while, hence when the EcoPly was launched I decided to try it. I was surprised at the softness that compares favourably with other Quilton products. A friend that came over actually inquired where I buy my loo paper, so it is proven to be a good all round bargain that is environmentally friendly. Conclusion From the examples given above, it is possible to conclude that we actually are what we buy, or rather, we would like to be. This is because the self-concept as well as personal values are tools harnessed by marketers in the practice of psychographic segmentation Lengler et al (2010). Consumers form their self-concepts through psychological development and social interaction and the products and brands they use are imbued with this personality in order to further his image of himself. Thus the consumer is motivated to prefer those brands that reinforce his/her self-perception (Rao, 2010). References Aaker, J.L. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. JMR, Journal of Marketing Research; Aug; 34, 3; ABI/INFORM Global DeBell, M., & Dardis, R. (1979). Extending product life: Technology isn’t the only issue. Advances in Consumer Research, 6(1), 381-385. Hong, J. W. and Zinkhan, G. M. (1995), Self-concept and advertising effectiveness: The influence of congruency, conspicuousness, and response mode. Psychology and Marketing, 12: 53–77. doi: 10.1002/mar.4220120105 Lengler, J., Moyano, C.M., Callegaro, C. (2010). Analyzing the relationship among personal values, self-concept and female consumption behavior: perspectives from the Brazilian retail experience. Retrieved from: http://www.imur.com.uy/Articulos/self%20valores.pdf Phil, T. (2010). Personality and Self Concept. Wednesday 21st April. Available from: http://perceptionofthecustomer.blogspot.com/2010/04/personality-and-self-concept.html Poirier, D. (2011). Dominant Introverted Thinking. Learning More about the 16 MBTI personality types. Retrieved from: http://www.personalitypathways.com/dom-ti.html Rao, V.S.R, (2010) Consumer behavior and self concept / product image Congruence. Sales/Marketing Management. Retrieved from: http://www.citeman.com/9806-consumer-behavior-and-self-concept-product-image-congruence/ van Nes, N. (2003). Replacement of durables: Influencing product life time through product design. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Read More