Values...

Values of potential consumers are very important to marketers when creating an advertising campaign.  Marketers need to identify, understand and respect the values of their target market.  Ideally they hope to share value with their customers so that they can create loyalty and create trust between the brand and the customer.  However there is a difficulty with this as values vary depending on each individual customer.

To understand a person's values, it is necessary to determine what values are exactly.  Below are some definitions:

• Solomon et al (2010) states that "a belief about some desirable end-state that transcends specific situations and guides selection of behaviour... they do not apply in specific situations only".
• Dictionary.com (2011) describes a value as being "a relative worth, merit, or importance."
• According to businessdictionary.com (2011) it says that values are important and enduring beliefs or ideals which are shared by people, about what is good or desirable and what is not.  Values are a major influence on a persons behaviour and are also commonly used as a broad guideline in some situations to achieve a persons ultimate goal.

Two of these definitions describe values leading to achieving an 'ultimate goal.'  An example of this is if someone, is kind, generous and has respect which are known as Values then they will be able to reach their end state which is their ultimate goal of having a peaceful life. 

There are many different theories that explain consumer buyer decisions based on values.  Ries and Trout in 1982 tried to explain the reason why marketers should use and concentrate on the consumers values as well as Product Specifications. 

Ries and Trout said: "If we believe our overall values drive our behaviour, then we should be concentrating on the important, underlying motives that drive consumers to make product or service choices rather than simply product attributes."

Below are a few theories based around values and marketing:

1) Maslow's Hierarchy of Need - Maslow first introduced this concept of a hierarchy of needs in 1943.  According to about.com (2011) the hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfil basic needs before moving onto other needs.  This hierarchy of needs is displayed as a pyramid.  The lower level of this pyramid are made of basic needs which are physical, such as water and food, whilst the more complex needs are found at the top of the pyramid which are more psychological and social and involve things such as; family and love.  At the top of the pyramid is personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment which Maslow emphasised the importance of, as it is the process of growing as a personal to help achieve individual potential.  To reach the top of this pyramid each level has to be achieved beforehand.  Therefore this is used within marketing as consumers can be targeted due to which stage they are at or trying to achieve.

Examples:

Moneysupermarket.com is an advert aimed for people within the safety level or working towards the safety level.  This advert offers different types of insurance to a person, ranging from house to car insurance.  This helps build security for the future.

This match.com advert is aimed for people who are entering the love/belonging level.  This advert is promoting a company who can help with finding an individual a partner.  This means that it is part of the love and belonging level as this is the step which based around, friendship, family and sexual intimacy.

2) Kahle's List of Values -  The list of values consists of nine traits that relate to differences in the way a person consumes.  These nine traits are as followed:

1. Self Respect
2. Excitement
3. Being Well Respected
4. Self- fulfillment
5. Sense of Accomplishment
6. Warm Relationship with Others
7. Security
8. Fun and Enjoyment
9. Sense of Belonging.

Many consumers will make buyer decisions based on what they want to portray themselves as being and what they may believe in.  Someone who is an animal rights activist would not buy goods that are tested on animals, whilst others would probably not mind.  A marketer will use the values of an individual to determine whether or not a product or service would be suited for them and if they could sell it to that person.  An adventure holiday package would attract a person who craved excitement, fun and enjoyment.  Whilst a childrens charity appeal on the television may attract a person who has values such as; self - respect, being well respected and also has values to have warm relationship with others.  This list of values can also lead to profiling of a target market.

3) Rokeach's Value Survey - This was developed in 1973 by Milton Rokeach, the value survey lists possible terminal and instrumental values.  Terminal values indicate life goals whilst the instrumental values indicate how the life goals can be achieved.  For example if a person has a terminal value of inner harmony then their instrumental values need to be; forgiving, helpful and honest.  If someone has a terminal value of freedom they will need to have instrumental values of; independent, courageous and capable.  Instrumental values are the way a consumer acts in order to achieve the life which they want.  This explains in depth the meaning of values and how they usually lead to an 'ultimate goal,' explained previously.

Marketers can use the aspects of terminal and instrumental when advertising their products.  Products may have instrumental values which lead to a terminal value (the end result).  For example if a products end result also known as terminal value is 'anti-wrinkle' then this helps attract consumers who have instrumental values such as; to look younger, to look more attractive, to hide impurities etc etc.  The list is endless.  The endless possibilities of terminal values is why many different industries such as; anti-wrinkle creams, make up etc is successful. This all leads to the laddering theory.

4) Laddering - According to Marketingpractice (2008) "Brand laddering involves progression from attributes to benefits to more abstract values of motivations.  Laddering involves repeatedly asking what the implication of an attribute or benefit is for the customer."  This basically means that laddering is a technique which helps identify the relationship between the functional product attributes and the desired end state of a consumer. There are 6 steps in laddering which are:

1. Concrete Attributes
2. Abstract Attributes
3. Functional Consequences
4. Psychological Consequences
5. Instrumental Value
6. Terminal Value

The laddering structure begins with attributes which then leads to benefits and finally to the values of a product.  The concept of laddering begins with the positioning of the product.  Firstly when a product is launched the main focus is on the attributes and benefits but once these basic functionality has been established for the consumer, the brand will begin to deepen the meanings and values of the brand.  A good example of laddering would be Dove.  Firstly they were known just simply for their good skincare range.  Once consumers realised this good functionally it then moved on presenting its actual values of "Real Beauty" to the audience.



The values in advertising is shown within the Advertisement construction, which is as follow:

• The Message Elements - This shows the Specific attributes or product features.
• The Consumer Benefit - This is when it shows the positive consequences of using the product this is where Instrumental Values are targetted.
• The Executional Framework - This is the overall style and tone of the advert.
• The Leverage Point - This is the way the message activates the Terminal Value by linking it with the product features.
• The Driving Force - This is the End Value.The Message Element - this is showing the specific attributes or product features.

Here are some links to Brands explaining their values:
Orange: http://vimeo.com/3774697
Eileen Fisher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQJSbakviHM
Virgin Alantic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PbXaxXACos

Every Human Being Has Values.... What Are Yours??

Ohhh The Memories...

So before Christmas, a new term was introduced to us.. Nostalgia.  Yep your probably thinking the same thing as me, that's a funny word.  But after it was explained it's actually not a funny word at all, but more of a happy word, that fits into everyday life without even realising it.

There are a few terms for Nostalgia they include:

• Dictionary.com describes it as "a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time."
• "a mixed feeling of happiness, sadness and longing recalling a person, place or event from the past, or the past in general." (mediadictionary, 2011).
• "a bittersweet emotion where we view the past with both sadness and longing." (Solomon et al, 2010). 

So basically nostalgia means memories of the past that individuals have, they are usually happy but some can be of sadness and longing. Nostalgia is different to every individual as people will have unique and diverse memories.

Take for example my memories compared to my parents.  During the lecture we all created a Nostalgia mood board, mine included things such as: the power puff girls, Sabrina the Teenage witch, two of a kind, the Spice Girls, S Club 7, Magic Stars, tamogotchi and barbies.  These were all common within my childhood.  However I asked my parents the same question and what memories they have. Things they described included; big leather jackets, soldier soldier, etchasketch, The Jackson Five, the Brady bunch and sweet tobacco (yes that is a sweet). When asking about the past I saw how my parents seemed very happy about talking about it, they kept referring to each other and saying "do you remember...." whilst I was sitting there with no idea what they were talking about.  This was similar to what happened in the lecture, when we were asked to discuss a few things from childhood everyone started expressing different aspects and yes a huge majority of them we all remembered.  From someone born in the 90's, I look at the things my parents used to enjoy and think how different things have changed within just half a century.

Toys, games and technology have changed significantly throughout the years going from a simple amusement like a slinky to a more powerful gaming experience like the PlayStation 3. Here is a little game for you to see how many retro top selling toys you actually know:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/cwright/best_selling_toys. 

This link is also good for looking at how toys have changed through time.

Marketers and advertisers use people's nostalgia as an advantage for them.  They use nostalgic themes so that consumers can link the happiness and good feeling they had previously to a product which they are trying to sell.  This increases the chance of a consumer purchasing the product so that they can 're-live' that moment.  Using nostalgic adverts within marketing campaigns also means that a person already has a perception of the product, they know what it is and the chances are they like it.  This also leads to more purchases of the item.  I personally have done this with many items; a slinky, Pokemon cards, yo-yo's,  I've purchased these items, well for the fact that they were in my childhood and brought back fond memories, not necessarily because I need them.  This is what marketers hope will happen and lets be honest they do it very well.

Marketers will use the five senses to appeal to Nostalgia.  Music, images, smells, touch and taste can all act as a memory trigger.  A song that was well known in the 80's will provide memories for those born near that era, images of old iconic fashions will trigger individual memories for people who owned those items, smells of parent or grandparent perfumes will appeal to childhood memories, tastes in food, sweets and drink may also create references to the past for people who ate/drank the different things and maybe liked or disliked it.  Finally touch of a fabric or similar can provoke a memory for an individual due to them remembering it from their childhood.  Marketers use these sensory branding with nostalgic adverts as it creates a greater emotional tie between the consumer and the product.  It allows the consumer to gather an instinctive feeling about it as they already have had a past experience.

Examples of nostalgic adverts are:

http://www.popular-nostalgia.com/toys-r-us-magical-place-song-1168/ This is a link for the Toys R Us advert which was shown in the 1980's.  They have brought back the same theme tune "Magical Place" in the adverts which appear today.  This creates a musical nostalgic for many people who remember Toys R Us when they were young.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4tFzuFGUOI This is a link for the Hovis advert which has been shown within the last year.  The advert itself includes contents of all different time periods, such as; World War 2, when England one the World Cup and the millennium.  This is a very clever advert as it appeals to every generation, due to each individual remembering each time period.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydLs2miJP-c&feature=related  This is a link for the Milky Way advert this was first premiered in the 1980's but was re premiered recently.  This is a very good example of nostalgic advertising as it helps bring back memories for the older generation, but also younger children will also enjoy it.

Retro products are becoming increasingly popular nowadays whether it is a 'retro kettle' or a 'retro dress'  marketers and businesses have realised that nostalgic products are popular within society. They have discovered that people in fact do like triggers from their pasts and more likely to buy something that they remember in a happy era.  Retro sweet shops are becoming increasingly popular, even within The Eden Centre in High Wycombe they have opened up a retro sweet shop.  This type of shop does not just appeal to a young generation who frankly just like the shop because it has sweets in, but also appeals to the older generation who can identify each sweet from their childhood.  I  have discovered how fashion is also nostalgic, I have lost count the amount of times my mum has said to me, "I had a similar dress to that when I was your age" or "that came out when I was young."  This just shows how even after technology improvements and advances in all different aspects of life people still prefer the simple life, interests and tastes are similar and when something is good previously why not bring it back and try it again? All different types of businesses know and use this.  A good example of a business who does this is Sony who produces retro games for the PlayStation 3. They use similar and the same characters for different games as they know people are more likely to buy them because they remember them from when they were young.  Good examples of these are; Crash Bandicoot and Sonic the Hedgehog, the graphics and controls  may have changed but the characters and the game play will most likely be the same. 

So when grandparents or even parents say "it was better in my day," it is not necessarily true, it is just due to them having Nostalgia, good and very fond memories of the past.

So What Memories Of Childhood Do You Have?