Question

Why do the marketers need to study on personality traits and personal values ?

Length: 900-1000 words. It includes references

Answer 1

Marketing, as a profession, rests on the notion that customers are always at the centre of a marketing process. Organizations constantly target specific groups of customers / target audiences / stakeholders and endeavour to understand their needs / wishes in order to satisfy them through their marketing activities. It is only once a suitable understanding (of the market place and the customers within it) is developed that a marketer can think of starting upon a target market strategy... A marketer always needs to know how his / her customers think, talk and behave and what makes them tick...

Since the end goal of marketing is to achieve maximum sales, getting into the heads and hearts of consumers is a serious matter. This is mainly because people aren't easy to comprehend and/or predict. The purchase of some service / product doesn't always elicit the same kind of decision-making behaviour on their part. Every consumer has a certain personality, i.e. a composite chemistry of diverse psychological characteristics like petite, sincere, loyal, compulsive, vulnerable, strong, sensitive etc., that makes them unique and influences their buying behaviour. These personality traits are researched thoroughly so that marketers are able to deeply analyse the choices people tend to make. The whole idea is that brands have personalities too... and consumers are likely to choose those that match their own. Appropriate assessment allows for better likening and association between the two.

If a frequently purchased brand fails to continue to please the consumer then he / she may simply switch to another by using either limited or extensive "decision processes". Psychological influences (including personality traits and personal values) are among the most prominent in swaying these decision processes.

Every consumer, as mentioned above, has a unique personality. This is both inherited as well as a result of personal experiences. What is interesting is the complex interplay between the various characteristics that shape it. For example, the type of clothing that people buy... or the food they choose to eat.... or the social activities in which they engage, may reflect one or more, interrelated personality traits. Studying these allows marketers to develop especially tailored products / services that suit their purpose ... as well as advertise them using positively valued personality characteristics strategically to achieve higher sales...

There are many many cases where marketing programs have been developed to factor in the "psychological" aspect of buying behaviour(s)...and examples literally abound in number. Food, drinks, personal care products, cars, cigarettes, clothing, computer accessories and software etc. are all developed and promoted based on personalities and personal values.

Take television adverts regarding shampoos for instance. Some boast of "strength" while others boast of "happy hair" or "medicinal/herbal properties" or "shine and glamour" etc. You pick what suits you (or describes you/your needs) best..