Lifestyles

My previous blog talked about gift giving and various effects that can occur within a relationship after gift exchange.  Recently, I was talking to my sister about what she wanted for Christmas, and then somehow our conversation ended in a heated brand argument about how Hunter boots are pointless and how they function like any regular type of rubber boot but with a name brand on it. After totally mocking me about my name-branded boots, I started mocking her about her name branded purses. Essentially, what our entire conversation narrowed down to is lifestyles. As mentioned in my consumer behaviour classes, personalities and lifestyles go hand-in-hand. A personality is a person's unique psychological makeup and how it consistently influences the way he or she responds to the environment (Solomon, 2013). Lifestyles are personal choices of leisure activities, tastes different types of outlooks/views.. etc.                                      

                                         

On the far left of this picture is my beautiful Hunter Boots and on the far right is my dads not-so-beautiful rubber boots. So maybe my sister is right, they basically perform the same function-- protect your feet from puddles and mud, however, they both target two different types of consumers. My hunter boots target people like me, who care about functionality and purpose but also seek to do so in a more fashionably way. My dad's rubber boots on the right are more for consumers who are strictly looking for purpose only boots and may not really care what they look like. Personally, I get nagged everyday by my sister and dad for spending a pretty penny on these boots when I could have simply bought a plain pair at the thrift store for a fraction of the price. After owning these for over 2 years and wearing them ritually, I still think they have been a great buy for me!

So maybe our argument about name brands and our views of functionality (why we like to have certain products name-branded and why others didn't really matter to us) resulted from our different lifestyles and personalities. It’s funny how name brands have become ‘so important’ to me and my sister ever since we started high school, even in our later years of elementary school. However, these name brands that we were so loyal and passionate about definitely has changed as we got older. For example, looking back at old pictures with my friends and family, I came across some ‘beauty’ pictures when I was in elementary school-- basically every single photo I was caught in some sort of Hollister or Abercrombie sweater. Today, all of those sweaters sit far back in my closet completely untouched. As I grew older, I started to grow out of those brands and my tastes towards what I wore and what name brands became important to my ‘image’ changed.  

On the far left is my 'LOVE PINK' sweater with cheetah print-- basically my favourite sweater 4 years ago. On the right is a small glimpse my current every-day wardrobe. What’s the difference with these pictures? Well my tastes have definitely changed and being 20 years old soon turning 21-- I have developed attraction towards a more sophisticated wardrobe, mostly because I am a business student with the need for blazers and dress pants but also because my tastes and style has changed towards social trends, what my friends wear, advertisements, magazines-- these have all influenced my style.

Okay, so I mentioned how name-brands have obviously been apart of my style throughout the years… but why!? Sometimes I wonder how and why I desire these name brands so much and what triggers me to want these particular brands? I guess some could say the environment you're around can trigger your wants and desires and can shape what the ‘norm’ becomes to you. Something I learnt in my classes called ‘core values’ are values/morals etc. that are often taught to us by ‘socialization agents’ such as parents, friends, teachers etc. These socialization agents/ core values can be somewhat accountable for our consumption habits and can explain why certain brands/products have gained or lost importance to individuals throughout the years (Solomon, 2013). In all, as our environment and influences change, so do our tastes and preferences. Recently, I was reading various articles online to gain a better understanding as a marketing student why individuals buy brands and why it seems so important to their image? When researching, I never really got one clear answer, however, there are many different rational reasons for individuals to deviate towards certain brand names. 

I came across 5 common reasons for buying branded products: quality, confidence in appearance, social acceptance, loyalty and personal image (Solomon, 2013). Many individuals may buy brand names in association with quality-- take my hunter boots as a prime example, I wanted to buy a good pair of boots for both rainy and cold days that look fashionable but will last me a long time, something of good quality. As mentioned, we also buy brand names to feel socially accepted-- we often look to our peers as to what is ‘cool’ or ‘socially acceptable’ before we purchase something. Typically, recognized brand names tend to show a consistency in product quality, which in hand, usually leads to customer loyalty. Loyalty often leads to emotional attachment with a particular brand, and starts to become ‘your personal brand’. An example of this is one of my best friends/ roommate-- whenever I think of her, I also think of Givenchy perfume (for our 2 years of friendship, I cannot remember a day she hasn't worn it). As for myself, many may associate me with Apple, as all of my electronic stuff such as my laptop, MP3/ IPod, earphones, cellphone etc. are all apple branded.

Essentially, what all of these consumer-branded buying trends narrow down to, is my mention about lifestyles and values. Your values are central to what makes a consumer (such as you and myself) distinct in their consumptions patterns within society. Additionally, values do tend to change over time and vary from culture-to-culture-- this ‘changing over time’ is seen with my Hollister and Abercrombie example. 

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Sources:

Neil Kokemuller, Demand Media. Why Do People Buy Brand Names? smallbusiness.chron.com/people-buy-brand-names-69654.html (accessed December 20, 2014).

Solomon, M. R., Zaichkowsky, J. L. and Polegato, R. (2013) Consumer Behaviour: Buying, Having, and Being, Sixth Canadian Edition. Toronto: Prentice Hall Canada.

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