Giving Consumers Props to Play Their Roles: the Implication for Marketers from the Symbolic Consumption in Consumer's Behavior

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Giving Consumers Props to Play Their Roles: the Implication for Marketers from the Symbolic Consumption in Consumer’s Behavior

Introduction

There are two basic premises to make good films. Firstly, there must be good director. Secondly, there must be good players. A good director knows how to choose players and provide them with good scenarios. A good player knows how to play its role in specific scene. To some extent, the relationship between the director and player is quite similar to that between marketers and customers. A good marketer knows how to set a marketing strategy according to the different customers.  Customers would choose different products and services under the influences of marketers.

Customers also have something in common with players. Players may wear specific costumes and use other props to play the specific role according to the scenarios whist customers may “buy some products for their symbolic value in enhancing their self-concept” (Assael, 1992, p292). In both situations, the objects are not used for their original function. Players and customers all give some specific meanings to them. Furthermore, the meaning that players attach to the props is in accordance to the player’s identity and scenarios’ requirement. The meaning that consumers attach to the products is in accordance to the consumer’s social identity, life style and self-concept (the author would clarify that later).  

In author’s opinion, marketers’ task is simply giving customers a proper prop. Whether the customer accepts the prop depends the meaning attached to it. If meaning that attached to the products match better with the customer’ self-concept, the products would stand out from others. But it’s more difficult to become a good marketer than a director. Marketers are facing different consumers, who might be in different culture. Different consumers would interpret the products differently. Therefore, how to educate consumers effectively and attach meanings, which match with the consumers’ social identity and life style, won’t be an easy task. This must be based on the fully understanding of why and how meaning is attached.

To fully explain that, the author will start with the explanation of the meaning of consumption, the process that people consume products and the types of the meanings people attach to the products and services during that process. Then based on the premise, how marketers use this process to market effectively.

The meaning of consumption  

Alan Warde (1996) defined that consumption is a process concerned with the acquisition and use of goods and services. In modern society we could say that it is a process that transfer of the money in exchange of the ownership of, or access to the products or services (Warde. A, 1996). Fuat (1999) points out that during the study of consumption meaning, the economic condition should be consider. Thus, assuming that survival is assured, the means of physical and social reproduction guaranteed, the practices of consumption have become more diverse in their purpose, more expressive in intent (Warde. A, 1996).

What’s more, as a member of society, we learn to agree on shared meanings. Annamma (2001) points out that individual’s consumption pattern are strongly affected by its culture and each individual abides to the same rules to consume. Because each consumer might have many social selves, they are tending to buy groups of products because of their symbolic association. It’s just like that the player may need different props and wear different costumes to play different roles in different scenario

This could be easily understood that under that premise we wouldn’t simply buy the products only for what they do. We buy the products with more purposes. For example, a Rolls Royce would be perceived as a symbol of owner’s social class rather than simply a transportation tool. Therefore products are not used for their own sake, they are seen as part of complex processes of prosthesis additions or subtractions which go with producing and reproducing ‘distinction’: class, status, Membership and other social realities of an adding culture (Munro, 1996).

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In attempt to explore the different ways that products and experiences can provide meaning to people, some consumer researcher developed a classification scheme. Based on an analysis of spectators at Wrigley Field who were attending the Chicago Cubs baseball games, a consumption typology were derived (Holts, 1997). This perspective regards consumption as a type of action, in which people make use of consumption objects in a variety of ways. Solomon (2002) identifies four types of consumption activities based on that.

The types of consumption

  • “Consuming as experience—an emotional or aesthetic reaction to consumption objects”

As Douglas ...

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