Page 249 - Marketing Management

226 PART 3 CONNECTING WITH CUSTOMERS

|Fig. 8.1|

TM
The VALS VALS Framework
Innovators
Segmentation System: High Resources
An Eight-Part Primary High Innovation
Motivation
Typology
Ideals Achievement Self-Expression
Source: VALS™ © Strategic Business Insights (SBI),
www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/VALS. Used with
permission.

Thinkers Achievers Experiencers

Believers Strivers Makers

Low Resources
Low Innovation
Survivors

psychological/personality traits, lifestyle, or values. People within the same demographic group
can exhibit very different psychographic profiles.
One of the most popular commercially available classification systems based on psychographic
measurements is Strategic Business Insight’s (SBI) VALS™ framework. VALS, signifying values and
lifestyles, classifies U.S. adults into eight primary groups based on responses to a questionnaire fea-
turing 4 demographic and 35 attitudinal questions. The VALS system is continually updated with
new data from more than 80,000 surveys per year (see Figure 8.1). You can find out which
VALS type you are by going to the SBI Web site. 49
The main dimensions of the VALS segmentation framework are consumer motivation (the
horizontal dimension) and consumer resources (the vertical dimension). Consumers are in-
spired by one of three primary motivations: ideals, achievement, and self-expression. Those
primarily motivated by ideals are guided by knowledge and principles. Those motivated by
achievement look for products and services that demonstrate success to their peers. Consumers
whose motivation is self-expression desire social or physical activity, variety, and risk. Personality
traits such as energy, self-confidence, intellectualism, novelty seeking, innovativeness, impulsive-
ness, leadership, and vanity—in conjunction with key demographics—determine an individual’s
resources. Different levels of resources enhance or constrain a person’s expression of his or her
primary motivation.
The four groups with higher resources are:
1. Innovators—Successful, sophisticated, active, “take-charge” people with high self-esteem.
Purchases often reflect cultivated tastes for relatively upscale, niche-oriented products
and services.
2. Thinkers—Mature, satisfied, and reflective people motivated by ideals and who value order,
knowledge, and responsibility. They seek durability, functionality, and value in products.
3. Achievers—Successful, goal-oriented people who focus on career and family. They favor
premium products that demonstrate success to their peers.
4. Experiencers—Young, enthusiastic, impulsive people who seek variety and excitement.
They spend a comparatively high proportion of income on fashion, entertainment, and
socializing.