Products are known to have more than
just the utilities that they provide a consumer with: they also provide a
platform for greater interaction between the person and their inner self,
between the person and the society and between groups within the society
(Kotler, 2010). This property of the product is very peculiar with the meaning
attached to the products being largely subjective. How one perceives products
is a function of their own perceptive abilities as well as a function of their
interaction with other members of the society. Indeed it is quite common to
find individuals using products just because it is associated with a certain
feeling even though none of the core utilities provided by the products have anything
to do with this image (Kotler, 2010). This is where the concept of branding and
the use of product intangible attributes come in. Companies take advantage of
emerging consumer culture to portray their products in a certain light with an
aim to establish a relationship between their brand and the market and in a
fashion that enables the market to view their products as projected (Elliot and
Wattanasuwan, 1998). For instance, a cosmetic company may want to associate
their products with a sense of superiority and personal confidence. Where this
imagery is adopted by the market, those who choose to consume the product may
actually use just to feel superior and confident; and not merely for the
product tangible features (Elliot and Wattanasuwan, 1998). This paper explores
the emerging consumer culture of seeking self expression through products by
providing an evaluation for the assertion “I shop therefore I am”.
Societal developments in relation to the
defragmentation of strict adherence to cultural norms are on a steady decrease
as today’s cultures seem to converge around a global ideology. The end result
has been a seeming sense of meaninglessness as cultural definitions are
relegated into insignificance. Individuals as well as groups within the society
have been on a struggle to maintain their individuality despite the apparent
pressure to have some level of standardisation (Solomon, et al, 2010). This has
been the dominant change in the society today with more and more people tending
to express their feelings through the products they buy.
A good example is a survey conducted
recently on the use of cosmetics in the United States. In this survey, it was
established that one the main determinant for the choice on which cosmetic
product to use had nothing to do with the product features (Arvidsson, 2005).
The consumers tended to hold the image of the product and what the brands stood
for more than the actual product features. This observation was not an isolated
incident. Some more studies conducted in many other parts in the world are
returning a similar verdict with the issue of identity and product features
taking centre stage. This brings to the fore the question of product
characteristics.
Product features can be classified as
either tangible or intangible attributes. Product tangible attributes are the
physical qualities of the products. These are characteristics that one can pick
by objectively examining the product (Kotler, 2006). For instance, where the
product is a car, one can pick out tangible attributes such as the ruggedness,
the physical appearance, the engine capacity, the presence of luxurious seats
and other attributes by just inspecting them. A focus on cosmetic products
would on the other hand reveal such attributes such as the smell of the
cosmetic, the appearance, its chemical composition and their ability to protect
the skin, and so on. In the case of a product such as a piece of cloth, the
attributes would probably have more to do with the colour of the clothes, the
textures, the general appearance, and so on. The physical attributes are
therefore verifiable product features whose characteristics are not dependent
on the observer. Subjectivity is not allowable when assessing these attributes
(Kotler, 2006).
Product intangible attributes on the
other hand are can be said to the feelings that the products can invoke in the
customers (Aaker, 1997). They are properties generally associated with the
product that are not verifiable. These are images that exist in the consumers’
minds about a product which they are then motivated to acquire due to what they
mean to them (Aaker, 1997). These feelings are largely subjective with different
customers tending to like the same products for different reasons. For
instance, a product can be used by one person in their quest to express
happiness while another person uses it to associate themselves with a certain
group of individuals that would normally be known to use such a product. This
is the reason why companies undertake massive marketing campaigns to get their
products associated with certain themes that can successfully get the products
popularised in the markets.
For instance, Coca Cola has been quite
successful in portraying their soft drinks as refreshing drinks which not only
rejuvenate the body but also help in getting rid of all the worries that a user
may be having (OneSource, 2011). This was a dominant theme conducted in one of
the recent campaigns during exam time in some of the schools and colleges in
the US. The Coca Cola drinks would be situated in a common area where students
would take drinks in order to release the tension while waiting to sit for a
paper or just after sitting for one (OneSource, 2011). Another example of a
similar initiative was one by MAC Cosmetics in their launch of new products for
the market where they sought to portray their products as capable of producing
a super woman (Harvery, 2011). This is a heroine who is depicted as fearless
and always ready and capable of taking on any challenges in the environment
without fear. By consuming a set of the associated products, a woman was
supposed to gain remarkable confidence. This is an image that was successfully
created with products tending to sell among persons who shared these sentiments
about their own abilities, or those who believed in their timidity and sought
to bridge the gap using the products (Harvery, 2011).
The question of image also dominates a
number of products such as clothes and cars. A certain dress code is associated
with serious businessmen who have a certain personality and can be trusted to
be reliable in whatever they do. The practice of wearing dark suits is rapidly
being adopted around the world with cultures that previously resisted such
dress codes appearing to cave in (Kotler, 2010). People intending to express
themselves differently may also tend to adopt clothes that suit their purposes.
Certain dress codes that are associated with certain age groups or subcultures
can also be worn to express solidarity with the group and its intentions. For
instance, where a certain movement has colour blue as its core colour, many of
the loyal members are likely to settle for a similar colour when filling up
their wardrobes (Connolly and Prothero, 2008).
As has been mentioned earlier, the image
or feeling that products invoke in individuals is largely subjective and is a
function of their own perception of what the products stand for and what they
mean for these individuals (Aaker, 1997). These perceptions are mainly a
function of the consumers’ experiences which may either be lived or mediated.
Lived experience is a collection of events that a person has actually gone
through that have been able to inform their perceptions on different issues
(Elliot and Wattanasuwan, 1998). Mediated experience on the other hand is a
form of creation strategically designed to place an individual in a given
context and seek to produce certain sentiments in relation to a product or
service (Elliot and Wattanasuwan, 1998). Advertisements thrive on the concept
of using mediated experiences to create the desired perceptions about their
products. One of the common examples of how this strategy could be used is the
McDonald’s come back strategy. McDonald’s were in their quest to fight off the
image crisis they had suffered as a result of the health based campaigns fast
foods and their product ranges when they introduced campaigns that depicted
their customers as healthy individuals whose main preoccupation was keeping
healthy through physical exercise (Kotler, 2006). This is an example of a
mediated experience and it yielded the desired results helping McDonald’s to
shake off the image of killers of the population through the provision of
unhealthy foods.
The portrayal of certain cars as high
class vehicles is also a function of mediated experiences which have been
advertised so consistently that a general sense of consensus is slowly
engulfing the market in relation to them. For instance, the Mercedes S-Class is
a luxury car associated with people who have actualised in life (Annurit,
Newman and Chansarkar, 2010). Other brands such as Range Rover Sport are more associated
with flamboyant wealthy individuals (Annurit, Newman and Chansarkar, 2010).
Whereas these perceptions may appear to be universal, they are in fact
subjective interpretations of individual customers concerning the
products.
The postmodern consumer no longer views
a product objectively: they view products as a function of their personal
interpretations of what the products are and what they mean to them. The choice
of products to consume is normally a function of the desire for the consumer to
exercise free will over the image they wish to portray of themselves (Elliot
and Wattanasuwan, 1998). This is in consistency with the self/social identity
theory which states that individuals and societies will always be able to find
a way of expressing their personalities through the choice of products
consumed. The image created can also be varied depending on the situation.
According to this theory, individuals are not confined to projecting only one
personality: the image can always be changed depending on the situation (Cho,
Holcombe and Murphy, 2004). For instance, a top executive would want to present
the image of a professional and disciplined individual while at work and one of
a lively and carefree individual when in a recreation centre with his peers.
Another aspect of consumer behaviour is
the concentration of forming the image of self in accordance with the narrative
identity theory. This theory indicates that individuals know themselves better
by creating narratives where they situate themselves in a given time and space
(Vaisto, 2009). This may sound complex, but it is actually quite simple: it is
a process through which individuals get to understand themselves better by
using their own narratives to understand their own personalities.
The postmodern consumer behaviour
increases the prospects for survival for companies operating in the new era
where competition is stiff and with little chance of meaningful product
differentiation strategies (Kotler, 2010). The fact that individuals tend to
see products beyond their physical or tangible attributes is good for the brand
manager. Every organisation has a brand image that it seeks to portray to the
market regarding their products. Brand is mostly associated with product
intangible attributes where the aim to make the market feel in a certain way
towards the products in question (Oyserman, 2004). Brands are designed to
create deeper relationships between the organisation and the consumers with the
brand having a complete personality which the market can identify with. The use
of product intangible attributes to refer to products have in many cases been
hailed as very effective especially when it comes to boosting the
competitiveness of a product against substitutes with similar product
characteristics (Kotler, 2010). This emerging consumer behaviour is a source of
hope to businesses which have a new avenue to remain competitive despite the
fact that differentiation is increasingly hard to achieve in light of the high
technological developments in today’s world.
My
consumption behaviour is generally in conformity with the observations made
above. I use products that help me to create the image I want to project at any
particular time. When I am involved in an official function or at work, I tend
to have a conservative and official dress code and this helps to project myself
as an objective and a calculating individual. I hold these as my most
distinguishing attributes. On the other hand, this dress code changes when I am
out having fun with friends where I tend to settle for casual wear designed
using outgoing styles and colours.
Other
consumption habits may relate to the use of soft drinks such as Coca Cola and
in this, I must admit to have adopted the brand image projected. Despite the
fact that I know very clearly that nothing in a soft drink can make me happy, I
just get the feeling upon consuming a Coca Cola product. This presents a
potential conflict between my conscious knowledge of the facts and the
associated feeling derived from the products. Another conflict comes from my
choice of cosmetics. I am greatly influenced by my peers when it comes to the
choice of perfumes to use even though I do not really like how it smells. I
only do this to fit into my social grouping because I consider that as very
important to my social life and that it is easier for me to conform to their
ways than the other way around.
These
are just a few examples of how I view products and the reasons why I consume
them. To me, products carry a higher significance than just the physical
attributes and they are effective tools for self expression and display of
personality.
The
aim of this study was to observe the goings on in the society and evaluate the
assertion “I shop therefore I am”. The implication of this assertion is that
consumers’ personalities can effectively be projected by their choice of
products to consume. The concluding evaluation is that the assertion holds true
based on the facts highlighted in this paper. Postmodern consumers have one
peculiar characteristic: they view products as more than just a collection of
the physical attributes contained therein (Solomon, et al, 2010). Consumers
tend to have a certain unique relationship between them and the products based
on their perception of the products and how these products can help in
portraying their personalities to the society and to themselves. The products
chosen help consumers identify with themselves and with the groups around them.
This view opens a new window for success among advertisers and brand managers.
The fact that the market is predisposed to adopting product intangible
attributes of products given them a good chance to realise great results by
engaging in strategic brand management exercises. This implies that
organisations continue to have a good chance of surviving the stiff competition
in the market despite the fact that their products may be very similar to other
competing products in the same market. “I shop therefore I am” holds true in
the postmodern era.
For more theory and case studies on: http://expertresearchers.blogspot.com/
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