Transcript Consumers Rule - National University of Kaohsiung

The Self
Chapter 5
Perspectives on the Self
• Does the Self Exist?
– 1980’s called the “Me Decade”
– March 7th designated “Self Day” by Self
magazine
– Western societies emphasize uniqueness of self.
– Collective self: Eastern culture’s belief that a
person’s identity is derived from his or her social
group.
– Mien-Tzu (face): Confucian belief that reputation
is achieved through success and ostentation
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Self-Concept
• The beliefs a person holds about his/her
own attributes, and how he/she evaluates
these qualities
– Very complex structure of attributes
• Attribute dimensions: content, positivity, intensity,
stability over time, and accuracy
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Self-Esteem
• Self-esteem:
– Refers to the positivity of a person’s selfconcept.
• Social Comparison:
– A process by which consumers evaluate
themselves by comparing themselves with
others (particularly comparisons with idealized
images of people in advertising)
• Self-esteem Advertising:
– Attempts to change product attitudes by
stimulating positive feelings about the self.
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Discussion
• Self-esteem advertising: products provide
remedy to low self-esteem
– Think about/locate examples of self-esteem
advertising.
– Evaluate the probable effectiveness of these
appeals. Is it true that “flattery gets you
everywhere?”
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Real and Idealized Selves
• Ideal Self:
– A person’s conception of how he or she would like to be
– Partially molded by elements of a consumer’s culture
• Actual Self:
– A person’s realistic appraisal of the qualities he or she
does and does not possess
• Fantasy: Bridging the Gap between the Selves:
– Fantasy: A self-induced shift in consciousness
– Fantasy appeals: Marketing communications aimed at
individuals with a large discrepancy between their real
and ideal selves
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Fantasy Appeals
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Multiple Selves
• Role Identities:
– Different components of the self
• Symbolic Interactionism:
– Stresses that relationships with other people play a
large part in forming the self
– Self-fulfilling prophecy: By acting the way we assume
others expect us to act, we wind up confirming these
perceptions
• The Looking-Glass Self:
– The process of imagining the reactions of others
toward us
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Self-Consciousness
• Self-Consciousness:
– A painful awareness of oneself magnified by the belief
that others are intently watching.
• Public Self-Consciousness:
– A heightened concern about the nature of one’s
public “image”
– Results in more concern about the appropriateness of
products and consumption activities
• Self Monitoring:
– Awareness of how one presents oneself in a social
environment
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The Extended Self
• Extended Self:
– External objects that consumers consider a part of
themselves
• Four Levels of the Extended Self:
– (1) Individual Level: Personal possessions
– (2) Family Level: Residence and furnishings
– (3) Community Level: Neighborhood or town one is
from
– (4) Group Level: Social groups
– A consumer may also feel that landmarks,
monuments, or sports teams are part of the extended
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self.
Advertisements Extending the Self
• This Italian ad
demonstrates that
our favorite products
are part of the
extended self.
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Sex Roles
• Sex Identity:
– An important component of a consumer’s self
concept
• Gender Differences in Socialization:
– Agentic goals (Males): Stress self assertion and
mastery
– Communal goals (Females): Stress affiliation
and fostering of harmonious relations
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Satirical Ad of Exploitation
• This French shoe ad
pokes fun at ads that
demean women by
proclaiming: “No
woman’s body was
exploited in the
making of this
advertisement.”
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Sex Roles (cont.)
• Gender Versus Sexual Identity:
– Sex-Typed Traits: Characteristics stereotypically
associated with gender
• Sex-Typed Products:
– Many products are sex-typed (i.e., they take on
masculine or feminine attributes and are associated with
gender)
• Androgyny:
– Refers to the possession of both masculine and
feminine traits
– Sex-typed people: Stereotypically masculine or feminine
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– Androgynous people: Mixed gender characteristics
Culturally Bound Sex Roles
• This ad for Bijan illustrates how sex-role identities
are culturally bound by contrasting the expectations
of how women should appear in two different
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countries.
Sex Roles (conc.)
• Female Sex Roles:
– Female sex roles are still evolving
• Male Sex Roles:
– Masculinism: The study of the male image and the
cultural meanings of masculinity
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT)
Consumers:
– GLBT population is an attractive segment to marketers
– The 1990’s saw big corporations actively court this
market segment
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Male Sex Roles
• Masculinism
– Three models of masculinity:
• Breadwinner
• Rebel
• Man-of-action hero
• Misandry
STANDYOURGROUND.COM
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Male Sex Roles (Cont’d)
• Grooming products for men
– Metrosexual
• David Beckham
• Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
– Prosumers/urban influentials
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Reinforcing Gender Stereotypes
• This ad rebels
somewhat against
“political correctness”
by reinforcing gender
stereotypes.
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Discussion
• The “metrosexual” is a
big buzzword in
marketing, but is it real
or just media hype?
• Do you see men in your
age group changing
their ideas about
acceptable interests for
males (e.g., home
design, cooking, etc.)?
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GLBT Consumers
• ~4%-8% of U.S.
population
– Equivalent to Asian
American market
– Spends $250-$350 billion a
year
– Simmons study: compared
to heterosexual markets,
readers of gay publications
are more likely to…
• Hold professional jobs
• Own a vacation home
• Own a notebook computer
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Body Image
• Body Image:
– Refers to a consumer’s subjective evaluation of
his or her physical self
• Body Cathexis:
– A person’s feelings about his or her body
• Ideal of Beauty:
– A particular model, or exemplar, of appearance
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The Western Ideal
• Skin color & eye shape = status, sophistication, and
social desirability
• Less powerful cultures adopt standards of beauty in
dominant cultures
• Plastic surgery to obtain…
– …big round eyes, tiny waists, large breasts, blond hair, and blue
eyes
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Discussion
• How prevalent is the
Western ideal of
beauty among your
peers?
• How do you see this
ideal evolving now (if
at all)?
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Ideals of Beauty Over Time
• Specific “looks”/ideals of beauty
– Early 1800s: delicate/”looking ill” appearance,
18-inch waistline (use of corsets)
– 1890s: voluptuous, lusty woman
– Bad economy: mature features vs. good
economy: babyish features
– 1990s: “waif” look
– Modern women: high heels, body waxing,
eyelifts, liposuction
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Beauty Ideals in the 1950’s
• This 1951 bathing beauty exemplified an ideal of
American femininity at that time.
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Ideals of Beauty Over Time (Cont’d)
• Media & marketing
communicate
standards of beauty
– Barbie dolls: unnatural
ideal of thinness
• Plus-sized apparel
market
• Strongly masculine,
muscled body for men
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Working on the Body
• Fattism:
– Our society is obsessed with weight
• Body Image Distortions:
– Women’s ideal figure is much thinner than their
actual figure
– Anorexia: Starving oneself in a quest for
thinness
– Bulimia: Binge eating followed by purging
(vomiting, laxatives, fasting, or over-exercising)
– Body dysmorphic disorder: An obsession with
perceived flaws in appearance
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Unrealistic Body Shape Expectations
• This ad for an online
weight-loss site drives
home the idea that the
media often
communicate
unrealistic
expectations about
body shape.
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Body Image Distortions
• To some, body quality reflects
self-worth (particularly among
women)
• Distorted body image is linked
to eating disorders among
females
• Body dysmorphic disorder &
males
– Steroid scandals
– GI Joe/Batman action figures
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Distorted Body Image
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Discussion Question
• In this advertisement, it
is insinuated that this
model’s physique was
achieved partially
through drinking milk.
(Notice that the model is
so thin you can see her
ribs.)
• Is her physique really
ideal? What kind of
distorted message is
this sending to young
girls about body image?
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Working on the Body (cont.)
• Cosmetic Surgery:
– Consumers are increasing electing to have
cosmetic surgery to change a poor body image or
enhance appearance.
– Men are increasingly having cosmetic surgery
too.
• Breast Augmentation:
– Our culture tends to equate breast size with sex
appeal.
– Some women have breast augmentation
procedures because they feel larger breasts will
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increase their allure.
Body Decoration & Mutilation
• Decorating the self…
– Separates group members
from nonmembers
– Places the individual in the
social organization
– Provides a sense of security
• Tattoos & body piercing
– Historically associated with
social outcasts
– Now a fashion statement
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