Lifestyle is all things to all people, but this very fact that has made the concept appealing also impedes the development of further precision. 305-347. A while back I bought some fancy sunscreen in Rice Village and then went to the The paper (1) documents the internal inconsistency of contemporary definitions and operationalizations of lifestyle, (2) suggests an alternative definition, (3) provides a logical distinction between lifestyle and cognitive style, and (4) stresses the logical distinction between lifestyle and psychographic research. OPERATIONALIZATIONS OF LIFESTYLE IN MARKETING The diversity of attempts to operationalize lifestyle mirrors the conceptual confusion confounding and impeding lifestyle research (see Exhibit 1). Much lifestyle research could better be termed "idiosyncracy research", since it uses the computer to group people with similar idiosyncracies (p. 37). The most telling observation from Exhibit 1, however, is the paucity of published lifestyle literature addressing the three criteria qualifying the usefulness of any social science construct: (1) definitional consensus, (2) operational clarity, and (3) theoretical context. The emphasis in market segmentation is on consistencies in overt behavior, irrespective of contrasts in cognitive style, because the marketing practitioner is primarily interested in parallel patterns of search, shopping or consumption behavior. It suggests that consumer purchasing is an interrelated, patterned phenomenonproducts are bought as part of a "life style package" (p. 153). Loudon, David L. and Albert J. Della Bitta (1979), Consume Behavior: Concepts and Applications, New York: McGraw-Hill. It is rare in the social sciences to cop a plea for simplicity. The lifestyle concept, partly because of its intuitively appealing and rather obvious relationship to consumer behavior, has received a considerable amount of attention in the marketing literature. In his historical review of the lifestyle concept in the social science literature Ansbacher (1967) noted that the lifestyle concept has been applied in three different uses at three levels of aggregation. Restricting the definition of lifestyle to characteristic patterns of overt behavior underscores the intuitive, if imperfect, symmetrical reciprocity between cognitive style and lifestyle. William D. Wells, Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association, 317-363. 1, 21 (September), 6-12. 13, 82(December), 230-237. The emphasis Ansbacher ascribes to the unifying property mirrors his conviction that lifestyle bridges cognitive style and response style. Indeed, the search for such systematic links has been much of the motivation behind the intensifying interest in lifestyle and psychographic research in the past two decades. Loudon, David L. and Albert J. Della Bitta (1979), Consume Behavior: Concepts and Applications, New York: McGraw-Hill. The almost total absence of any theoretical anchorage for lifestyle research is evidence in Exhibit 1 and also in the superficial and flimsy development of theoretical linkages to lifestyle where a theoretical frame of reference is invoked. Analysts continue to conjugate the term lifestyle to fit their own research purposes. The practical problem of pitching patronage appeals to consumers varying in attitudes and opinions, albeit behaviorally congruent, poses a needless obstacle. 900-901). Yet, while the term lifestyle gained popular currency, it continued to defy conceptual and operational consensus (Ferber and Lee 1974). Thus, conceptually lifestyle is today generally defined to encompass both characteristic patterns of overt behavior and cognitive processes and properties, including such dimensions of personality as values, attitudes, opinions, and interests. (1963), "Symbolism and Life Style," in Toward Scientific Marketing, ed. about 90 percent of the amount in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX Metro Area: $86,530. Defining and operationalizing lifestyle to encompass both overt behavior and cognitive style needlessly confounds the task of lifestyle segmentation. Lifestyle formed the centerpiece of Adlerian psychology; indeed, Adler wrestled with the concept for forty years. Ultimately Adler came to see stole of life as: the organismic ideas of the individual as an actor rather than a re-actor; the purposiveness, goal-directedness, unity, self-consistency and uniqueness of the individual; andthe ultimately subjective determination of his actions (Ansbacher 1976, p. 191). WebProviding more than simple data reports of psychographic and Psychographic trends, The Retail Coach goes well beyond other retail consulting and market research firms When used in Weber's focus, like Veblen's, was upon collective lifestyles originated and perpetuated by status groups (Weber 1946, p. 187, 191, 300; Weber 1947, p. 429); however, lifestyle played only a minor role in Weber's writings. Mills, C. Wright (1953), "Introduction," The Theory of the Leisure Class, New York: New American Library, vi-xix. Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association. Ferber, Robert and L. C. Lee (1974), "The Role of Life Style in Studying Family Behavior," Faculty Working Paper no. Levy, Sidney J. Lifestyle research is reminiscent of the parable of the elephant and the blind men of Hindustan. The term "life style"suggests a patterned way of life into which [people] fit various products, events or resources. On the other hand, were all three consumer prospects included in the same lifestyle segment, targeting of marketing strategy would prove problematical because of contrast in cognitive style. Lifestyle may be defined as unified patterns of behavior that both determine and are determined by consumption. Still, the terms psychographics and lifestyle remain largely undefined and indistinguishable in the marketing literature. In the above case, although exhibiting parallel search, shopping, or consumption behavior, one consumer would be excluded from the lifestyle characterizing the other two on the basis of contrasting cognitive style. Both cognitive style and lifestyle are influenced by enabling conditions, which lie in the context of environmental constraints and opportunities. At the same time the term lifestyle became part of our popular and professional idiom, its conceptual and operational imprecision was compounded by a semantic maze confusing lifestyle with psychographics, confounding and impeding lifestyle research, and compromising the usefulness of lifestyle as a segmentation variable. about 10 percent higher than the amount in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX Metro Area: $47,161. William D. Wells, Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association, 243-266. It is composed of sub-symbols; it utilizes a characteristic pattern of life space [or the proximity of perceived constraints in the surrounding environment]; and it acts systematically to process objects and events [including products, services, and consumption itself] in accordance with these values (p. 141) Levy's definition prompted Kelley (1963) to postulate an important marketing implication of the lifestyle concept. Analysts who have preferred the term "lifestyle", on the other hand, have tended to focus either on broad cultural trends or on needs and values thought to be closely associated with consumer behavior (p. 319). Exhibit 1 provides a comprehensive review of definitions, operationalizations, and theoretical anchorages of lifestyle appearing in the marketing literature, along with the major proponents of each. Exhibit 1 provides a comprehensive review of definitions, operationalizations, and theoretical anchorages of lifestyle appearing in the marketing literature, along with the major proponents of each. Udel, Jon G. (1965), "Can Attitude Measurement Predict Consumer Behavior? Kotler, Philip (1980), Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Ferber, Robert and L. C. Lee (1974), "The Role of Life Style in Studying Family Behavior," Faculty Working Paper no. Psychographic and lifestyle research should proceed hand-in-glove, but progress in both will be facilitated by conceptual and operational precision and distinction. 194-196). Application Closes Today. While Adler stressed the uniqueness of each individual, he nonetheless recognized similarities among individuals and their lifestyles (Ansbacher 1976. p. 192), suggesting the existence of lifestyle typologies (Ansbacher 1967, p. 203). work from home jobs no experience part time / pharmakeia in hebrew. 8, #1 (March), 3-17. Defining Lifestyle in terms of characteristic patterns of overt behavior also suggests an intuitive symmetry between the domains of lifestyle and of psychographic research paralleling Dorny's dichotomy (Dorny 1971, pp. providing more than simple data reports of psychographic and psychographic trends, the retail coach goes well beyond other retail consulting and market research firms offerings by combining current national and statewide psychographics and trend data with real-world, on-the-ground information gathered through extensive visits to our clients Rainwater, Lee, Richard P. Coleman, and Gerald Handel (1959), Workingman's Wife, New York: Oceana Publications. The result of sequential segmentation should be more accurate assessment of market potential and more efficient targeting of marketing strategy. By using psychographics and demographics together, you're able to better understand who your target consumer is. You can use the data to tailor your marketing campaign to them and boost your reach and sales opportunities. Here are some other examples of demographics and psychographics in marketing: Thus, in defining lifestyle, Ansbacher draws no distinction between cognitive processes--thinking, feeling, perceiving -Cand overt behavior. Hence, the lifestyle segment should be expanded to include all three consumers on the basis of behavioral parallelism. Instead, to paraphrase from Talarzyk (1972, p. 465), "If you laid all of the people doing [lifestyle] research end-to-end, they would: (a) never reach a conclusion and (b) all point different directions.". Market segments are definable in terms of individuals whose expected reactions are similar to similar marketing strategy (Kotler 1980, pp. WebThis study analyzes Texans attitudes and behavior toward littering and the slogan Dont mess with Texas.. Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association. On the contrary, while simplicity may facilitate clarity and possibly lead to greater consensus concerning the proper domain of lifestyle research, psychographic research remains a viable focus for market analysis insofar as examinations of cognitive processes or dimensions of personality further the cause of understanding, explaining, and predicting overt behavior, and refining market segmentation and marketing strategy formulation. Consequently, in interpreting lifestyle to include both characteristic patterns of overt behavior and cognitive processes and properties, contemporary definitions of lifestyle frequently lead to operationalizations that are internally inconsistent. (1963), "Discussion," in Toward Scientific Marketing, ed. 226, University of Illinois at Urbana. Engel, James F., Martin R. Warshaw, and Thomas C. Kinnear (1979), Promotional Strategy, Homewood, IL: Irwin. Consequently, in interpreting lifestyle to include both characteristic patterns of overt behavior and cognitive processes and properties, contemporary definitions of lifestyle frequently lead to operationalizations that are internally inconsistent. Veblen, Thorstein (1899), The Theory of the Leisure Class, New York: MacMillan. J. S. Wright and J. L. Goldstucker, Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association, 332-347. Elsewhere, Wells (1974, pp. Dichter, Ernest (1964), Handbook of Consumer Motivations, New York: McGraw-Hill. Hence, today, although ill-defined in the minds of most market analysts, lifestyle has come to be operationalized almost exclusively in terms of AIO by default. Ultimately Adler came to see stole of life as: the organismic ideas of the individual as an actor rather than a re-actor; the purposiveness, goal-directedness, unity, self-consistency and uniqueness of the individual; andthe ultimately subjective determination of his actions (Ansbacher 1976, p. 191). The distinction has apparently been lost on most consumer analysts, as the terms continue to be used interchangeably, indeed by Wells himself (Wells, 1975b). Kotler, Philip (1980), Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, and Control, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. The population density in Austin is 2404% higher than Texas. Advances in Consumer Research Volume 11, 1984 Pages 405-411 LIFESTYLE AND PSYCHOGRAPHICS: A CRITICAL REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION W. Thomas Anderson, Jr., University of Texas at Austin Linda L. Golden, University of Texas at Austin [W. Thomas Anderson, Jr. and Linda L. Golden are Associate Professors in the Department of Marketing at The University of Texas at Austin. One final note: It would be erroneous to construe a plea for simplicity in the interpretation of lifestyle as an indictment of the legitimacy of psychographic research. The suggested relationships are depicted in Figure l. Lifestyle is positioned as behavioral, and cognitive style is positioned as psychological and a subset of psychographic research. Talarzyk, W. Wayne (1972), "A Reply to the Response to Bass, Talarzyk, Sheth," Journal of Marketing Research, vol. The term "unified patterns of behavior" refers to behavior in its broadest sense. Implicit in the foregoing definitional distinctions is the realization that while cognitive style and lifestyle perhaps operate in imperfect symmetry, the domains of psychographic and lifestyle research are logically symmetrical and complementary (Dorny 1971; Loudon and Della Bitta 1979, p. 98). Psychographics refers to peoples qualitative characteristics. Rather, Adler's interpretation is relegated to the realm of psychographics or cognitive style. J. Arndt, New York: Allyn and Bacon, 85-100. Beverlee B. Anderson, Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Consumer Research. 1, 21 (September), 6-12. Rik Pieters, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. Thus, conceptually lifestyle is today generally defined to encompass both characteristic patterns of overt behavior and cognitive processes and properties, including such dimensions of personality as values, attitudes, opinions, and interests. The term psychographic (psycho = mental; graphic = profile) connotes the profiling of psychological processes or properties. Enquire: +1 512-212-4186. Katona, George (1960), The Powerful Consumer, New York: McGraw-Hill. Hawkins, Del J., Kenneth A. Coney, and Roger J. They came together because "life style" seemed to be such an appropriate shorthand expression for what the activity, interest and opinion research was attempting to portray. Psychographic Consumer Profiling. 345-355). 78712 (512) 471-1128.]. Felson, Marcus (1975), "A Modern Sociological Approach to the Stratification of Material Life Styles," in Advances in Consumer Research, ed. Substantial evidence points to a consistent positive relationship between cognitive processes and properties (cognitive style) and overt behavior (Lair 1965; Fencrich 1967; Udel 1965; Katona 1960, part II; Axelrod 1968). Unique and creative aspects: Lifestyle implies anoriginal and idiographic property (1967, p. 205). Equally importantly, the proposed distinctions should lead to greater definitional consensus, operational clarity, and more defensible linkages to existing research and theory in the social sciences. The most telling observation from Exhibit 1, however, is the paucity of published lifestyle literature addressing the three criteria qualifying the usefulness of any social science construct: (1) definitional consensus, (2) operational clarity, and (3) theoretical context. While knowledge of cognitive processes and properties may improve, understanding and predictions of overt behavior, and facilitate formulation of marketing strategy, the relationship is equivocal and imperfect, as recent research has demonstrated. $230. New York: Oxford University Press. The paper (1) documents the internal inconsistency of contemporary definitions and operationalizations of lifestyle, (2) suggests an alternative definition, (3) provides a logical distinction between lifestyle and cognitive style, and (4) stresses the logical distinction between lifestyle and psychographic research. REFERENCES Andreasen, Alan R. (1967), "Leisure, Mobility, and LifeStyle Patterns," in Changing 'Marketing Systems, ed. Of particular relevance to the present analysis is Ansbacher's observation that: The concept of style may vary in range from a relatively limited segment to the totality of behavior when it becomes lifestyle. Accordingly either psychographic or lifestyle research may focus upon individuals, groups, or society as the unit of analysis depending upon the researcher's purposes. , Jon G. ( 1965 ), Consume behavior: Concepts and Applications, New:... Experience part time / pharmakeia in hebrew the blind men of Hindustan ( ). And Lee 1974 ) market segments are definable in terms of individuals whose expected reactions similar! George ( 1960 ), the Powerful Consumer, New York: McGraw-Hill Consume behavior: and! J. lifestyle research should proceed hand-in-glove, but progress in both will facilitated! Kotler, Philip ( 1980 ), Consume behavior: Concepts and Applications, New York McGraw-Hill...: Prentice-Hall 1965 ), `` Symbolism and life style '' austin texas psychographics a patterned of! Facilitated by conceptual and operational consensus ( Ferber and Lee 1974 ) your Marketing campaign to them and boost reach... 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