The purpose of this tutorial is to determine the relationship between values and consumer behavior. In order to fully understand the effects that values have on consumer behavior, it is first important to understand the concept of a value. Values play a key role when marketing to consumers. It is critical to be aware of the effects that values have on consumers in order to be successful within a given target market. My goal is to give you a better understanding of what a value actually is and why it is relevant to consumer behavior.

To say a person "has a value" is to say that he or she has an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally and socially preferable to alternative modes of conduct or end-states to existence (Rokeach, 1960). In simpler terms, a value is a belief that is held very centrally and shapes a person’s attitudes and behaviors. In fact, a value is a standard to guide actions, attitudes, comparisons, evaluations, and justifications to self and others.

When we say a person has a value, we may have in mind either his or her beliefs concerning desirable modes of conduct or desirable end-states of existence (Rokeach, 1973). We refer to these two types of values as instrumental and terminal values.

Explanation of the Topic

A terminal value is a long-term goal or end-state, something one strives for (Rokeach, Rokeach, & Grube, 1984). Some examples of a terminal value would be for an individual to strive for a comfortable life, exciting life, and/or a sense of accomplishment. It is reasonable to anticipate that a person may vary reliably from one another in the priorities they place on such social and personal values.

An instrumental value is a goal that can be decided on a daily basis (Rokeach, Rokeach, & Grube, 1984). It is a short-term goal and is transitional. Some examples of an instrumental value may be a person’s choice to be ambiguous or broad-minded. These two examples can be applied to certain situations and therefore they are not impacting a permanent change, but rather a short-term change. There is thus no reason to doubt that there is any simple one-to-one connection between terminal or instrumental values (Jolibert & Baumgartner, 1997). According to Milton Rokeach, there is nevertheless a conceptual advantage to defining all terminal values as referring only to idealized end-states of existence and to defining all instrumental values as referring only to idealized modes of behavior (Rokeach, 1984). In other words, terminal values are responsible for long-term acts and goals, whereas instrumental values are responsible for short-term behaviors.

Understanding values are extremely significant in the field of consumer behavior. By recognizing values as a serious concept in consumer behavior it allows us to do a better job of meeting consumers needs. Since values are the core of attitudes and behaviors it is extremely relevant to comprehend values of individuals and/or cultures before attempting to change their attitude and/or behavior.

Throughout my research process on understanding values, I learned that researchers closely compare the concepts of attitudes and beliefs when studying values. The idea of studying attitudes and beliefs when learning about values is important because the three concepts closely relate to one another.

An attitude is a relatively enduring organization of beliefs around an object or situation predisposing one to respond in some preferential manner (Rokeach, 1968). An attitude is thus a package of beliefs consisting of interconnected assertions to the effect that certain things about a specific situation are true or false, and other things about it are desirable or undesirable (Morris, 1956).

A belief is any simple proportion, conscious or unconscious, inferred from what a person says or does (Weiner, 1998). According to a study done by Weiner, all beliefs are predisposition to action, and an attitude is thus a set of interrelated predisposition to action organized around an object. Each belief within an attitude organization is conceived to have three components: a cognitive component, an affective component, and a behavioral component (Jolibert & Baumgartner, 1997). A cognitive component represents a person’s knowledge. An affective component represents a person’s emotions, feeling states, and moods. A behavioral component represents what consumers actually do, not what they intend to do.

Values differ from both attitudes and beliefs in the sense that values have to do with modes of conduct and end-states of existence. Values differ from both attitudes and beliefs in several important respects. First, it is important to understand that an attitude represents several beliefs focused on specific object or situation while a value is a single belief that transcendentally guides actions and judgments. Secondly, a value, unlike an attitude or belief, is an imperative to an action. Finally, a value is a standard to guide actions, attitudes, comparisons, evaluations, and justifications, of self and others.

Values are organized into hierarchies, and we can readily observe individual differences in value hierarchies. Such individual differences arise as a result of differences in culture, differential influences of society’s several institutions, the person’s structural position in society, and differences in sex role, age role, group membership, occupation, lifestyle, and personal experience. Values are also intuitively appealing sociological and psychological considerations that we distinguish between terminal and instrumental value hierarchies (Morris, 1956).

According to a study done by Jolibert and Baumgartner, values are standards that throughout the life course and because of ongoing changes in society are differentially reinforced by society, society’s institutions, and significant reference persons and groups; thus values are wholly capable of being continually arranged and rearranged as they are applied to self and others. In other words, many aspects throughout a lifetime affect values. It is important to also recognize that values greatly differ between every individual. Since individual values are embedded within value hierarchies, rather than existing in isolation, a person is forced continually to compare the relative importance of the values in his or her value hierarchy. What this means is that individuals are constantly comparing their values to the values of others to see where they fit on the value hierarchy. It is such continuing comparisons about their relative importance that make human values so vulnerable to change.

Examples

It is obvious that this information is not only complex, but also it is extremely relevant when relating to consumer behavior. Since values are centrally held beliefs, it is important to understand which values are important to which consumers. In today’s society, a marketer could turn to the Core American Values for a better understanding of what most consumers recognize as values. The Core American Values is a list of different values that are considered to be recognized by most Americans as important and relevant. Some of the values on the list include individualism, youthfulness, and progress. The following examples will provide you with a better understanding of how values are portrayed in consumer behavior. Each example is from a current magazine advertisement.

Example 1: Nike (source: Cosmopolitan, August 1998)

Example 1 is an ad for Nike. This ad features a young attractive girl in good physical shape. In today’s society appearance, beauty, and physical well being are recognized highly by most consumers. The goal of Nike is to connect their product to a consumer by focusing on a centrally held value. The Core American Value that Nike is demonstrating in this advertisement is activity and youthfulness. First, the ad demonstrates high activity. According to the Core American Value, activity is defined to most Americans, as keeping busy through physical or mental activity. Activity is believed to be an important value. Secondly, the ad demonstrates youthfulness. Americans focus on youth. We value being young as well as being young at heart. This ad demonstrates that Nike understands and values youthfulness. The ad does this by sending a message to the consumer that states it is possible to remain youthful through physical activity and, of course, Nike products.

Example 2: The Sierra Club (source: Online Investor, May/June 1999)

The second ad is for the Sierra Club. This ad displays a man who looks very peaceful and invigorated by exploring a national park. This ad is focusing on two values that are important to most Americans freedom and mastery and control. The advertisement makes the world look like a beautiful place. It sends a message stating that consumers should respect their freedom by enjoying the world around them. They are trying to get consumers to join the Sierra Club by recognizing the importance of freedom. The ad also focuses on mastery and control through the environment. It not only incorporates beautiful scenery to stress the importance of freedom, but the ad is also using the environment to display the value of mastery and control.

Example 3: Avery (source: Teen People, May 1998)

The third and final example is an Avery ad. The Avery ad focuses on a value that most Americans define as very important. This advertisement ties in with the Core American Values through achievement and success. Achievement and success are values that individuals have recognized as highly important both historically and presently. Americans strive for success. Although this value has different meanings to different individuals it is often used in consumer behavior. This advertisement features a middle age businessman. However, to many Americans these characteristics represent a successful individual.

There are many sources on the Internet that recognizes the importance of values to consumer behavior. The Internet does not only contain educational information on values, but it also contains further examples that explain how values are represented in consumer behavior. The following web sites are extremely relevant in understanding the relationship between values and consumer behavior.

How is consensus possible?   http://hss.fullerton.edu/sociology/osborn4.htm

Terminal and instrumental values.  http://home.vbalt.edu/ntsbmilb/oblob4.sid005.htm

The nature of human values.  www.contactpoint.com

Rokeach value survey.  www.researchpaper.com

Values and attitudes.  www.home.vablt.edu.com

Sierra Club  www.sierraclub.org

Avery  www.avery.com

Nike  www.thefinishline.com

In conclusion, values play a key role in consumer behavior. It is critical to understand the relationship between values and consumer behavior in order to be successful in any target market. It is crucial that the concept of a value be understood as a basis for influencing a person’s attitude and/or behavior. It is also important to recognize that a value is a standard to guide actions, attitudes, comparisons, evaluations, and justification to self and others. If the concept of a value is well understood, than it is possible to be a successful marketer.

QUESTIONS

1. A value is a single belief that transcendentally guides actions and judgments
2. A value is imperative to an action
3. A value is a standard to guide actions, attitudes, comparisons, evaluations and justifications.
4. All of the above
5. None of the above

1. A goal that can be decided on a daily basis
2. Short-term change
3. A long-term goal or end-state
4. None of the above
5. All of the above

1. A goal that can be decided on a daily basis
2. A goal that is long-term and one strives for
3. To have a comfortable life and/or exciting life
4. An enduring belief
5. None of the above

1. An enduring belief
2. Instrumental or Terminal
3. Held very centrally, changing a person’s attitudes or behaviors
4. All of the above are true

1. Structural, Behavioral, Affective
2. Cognitive, Affective, Behavioral
3. Cognitive, Effective, Behavioral
4. Attitudinal, Behavioral, Cognitive

  (scroll down for the answers)

Bibliography

 Jolibert, A. & Baumgartner, G. (1997), "Values, Motivations, and Personal Goals," Psychology & Marketing, 14 (7), 675-688.

Morris, C. (1956). Varieties of Human Value. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Rokeach, M. (1960). The Open and Closed Mind. New York: Basic Books Inc.

Rokeach, M. (1973). The Nature of Human Values. New York: The Free Press.

Rokeach, S., Rokeach, M., & Grube, J. (1984). The Great American Values Test. New York: The Free Press.

Weiner, J. (1998), "Nice attitude," Marketing News, 32 (1), 13.

QUIZ ANSWERS

1. D
2. C
3. A
4. D
5. B