The Self Concept

This blog post is slightly different from previous posts and instead of looking at it from just a marketing campaign perspective, it will also be looked at from a personal perspective.

The self-concept summarises the beliefs that a person holds about their personal attributes and how they evaluate themselves on these qualities.

The self-concept can be created by an individual and how they see themselves. It explains the idea of who we actually are, what we would like to be, who we think we are, what others think we are. Each individual will have an IDEAL self which is our conception on how we would like to be and we will then have an ACTUAL self which is a more realistic appraisal of the qualities we have. 

This suggests that each and every person will always evaluate themselves through popularity, how much confidence they have or even what people say to them. For example, someone may decide to value themselves more if they set a new profile picture on Facebook that brings in more likes than any other picture they have posted. This may give them a sort of 'ego-boost' and could lead to the individual appreciating themselves more. The obviously can work vice versa, as for someone who perhaps doesn't get any likes or nice comments on their profile picture may end up losing confidence. Therefore, this suggest that people are highly influenced by the way other people see them and how others see the definition of 'perfect'.

Another example includes the fashion and beauty industry. Every year there is no doubt that US fashion giant Victoria's Secret will their annual fashion show using the most famous super models to show off their new products. The images and videos of the event then get posted online and go viral. This may affect an individual's self-concept, as they will end up looking up to these 'perfect' models, compare them to themselves and then pick out their flaws to create an 'ideal self'. Consumers may then start buying products and researching how to look a certain way to reach their new goals.

Victoria Secret Group photo 2015

It is now explained that consumers also have MULTIPLE selves. This means that we all have several ways we see ourselves depending on what situation we are in. For example, the way we dress for work, at home with loved ones or a night out with friends will all be different, because we all feel the need to act and dress for different occasions. This obviously may not be the case for every person, but even for those who tend to enjoy dressing differently and don't like to follow trends, they are forced to dress differently because they are expected to, for example they may need to wear a certain type of smart clothing for a job interview. 

Marketers must now start creating strategies that fulfill the needs of these multiple selves and should aim to pitch products that can facilitate these different identities that all individuals have in order to sell masses of their product or service. 

Marketers are very smart and like to make consumers think that they are able to change the way the act, look and feel drastically. Consumers will spend ridiculous amounts and engage for a longer period of time if the marketing is done well and the consumer believes that they can become their ideal self. 

Each individual also have a LOOKING-GLASS self, which is the theory of how other people around us see and judge us. From a marketing perspective, this view is actually the most important and they realise that people can change their behaviour because they think others will interpret them differently. This means that products will be marketed to make the consumer feel that they need to be part of the brand in order to gain acceptance from other people who they know of or are friends with. This links in with self-esteem advertising, where a company may market a product that is used as a remedy for those who have a lower self-esteem, in order to make the individual feel more empowered; therefore creating brand trust and loyalty. 

Social identity and the self-concept can actually be shown through an individual's consumption behaviours and the products they choose to buy. Marketers cannot tell the individual who they are, but they can leave subtle gaps that the consumer can fill themselves to complete their own view on what they could potentially be. This reflects that idea of 'YOU ARE WHAT YOU CONSUME' and exaggerates the idea that people buy items and use services to create an image of themselves that they would like to be. 

Aldi Christmas Advert 2015- Experiential Marketing

This Christmas Aldi have produced several marketing campaigns to show off their products.
 One that was great in catching attention was their 'favourite things' advert, where the brand displayed a variety of Christmas related items from their product portfolio.

The brand decided to pair up the the minute long clip with the song, 'My Favourite Things' from the Sound of Music, a 1965 classic. This was a good idea at it helped satisfy consumer needs by creating a feeling of belongingness towards the marketing strategy through a song that reminds consumers of the past. The song is able to create memories, which reflects upon Maslow's theory of the hierarchy of needs.

Aldi's Favourite Things advert

To choose belongingness as their main stage on the hierarchy of needs, is a very smart move from the brand. This is because it can create a valued feeling, which makes the individual watching feel like they are then accepted and can be part of the company and their advertisement. This is extremely useful for Aldi, as during Christmas, the supermarket industry is very competitive and all have their own marketing strategies; meaning that Aldi can use acceptance as a form of bringing in potential consumers through building loyalty, trust and a sense of attachment. Consumers are also emotionally charged, so the more they feel involved, the more likely that Aldi will be their chosen supermarket to purchase from this Christmas.

The foods shown on the advert, such as the reindeer and gingerbread house are also become a reality, which helps the audience follow the advert more closely, as they it gives the advert some uniqueness. This is great for the younger generations who may not be familiar with the Sound of Music, as they can also be drawn into the advert by spotting their 'favourite things' that appear through the clip.
Overall, it is quite simple to say that Aldi have been smart with their marketing, by connecting to the older and younger generation. The brand has managed to meet the basic needs of their audience by showing love through their products by connecting them to their actors, which then helps connect the audience by keeping them emotionally attached to the story and song.

The Decision Making Process - Aldi Christmas Advert 2015

For any consumer, the decision making process plays a key role in what products or services they decide to choose. This process is just as important to businesses in all competitive sectors, in order to gain the most market share and produce the highest amount of profit.

The decision making process consists of four different stages:
1) Problem recognition
2) Information Search
3) Evaluation of Alternatives
4) Product and Brand choice

As explained in a previous blog post John Lewis' 'Man on The Moon' Christmas advert was very popular among consumers of all ages, as it included a story line that was easy to follow and become a part of.

This is where the clever marketing comes in, as Aldi decided to replicate the well-known Christmas advert by also having a man on the moon who happens to have a telescope too. This means they have manged to skip the first part of the decision making process, as John Lewis has already met the needs of consumers in the problem recognition stage.
During problem recognition, there is an ideal state, which is what individuals want, and an actual state, which consists of what is actually available. Aldi manages to show individuals that what they want from what they have seen in John Lewis' advertisement can also be bought from their stores too. This means that the needs the individuals have in both ideal and actual states can be met.

Aldi's man on the moon with the cheaper telescope

Aldi were able to move straight on to the information search and evaluation of alternatives stage, by providing details about their brand and then showing they they are the alternative of John Lewis. This therefore suggests that instead of consumers searching for alternatives. Aldi have managed to provide them with the necessary details by showing consumers and potential buyers that they are the cheaper alternative. Aldi's advertisement also declares that you cannot tell the difference in quality between the two products, even though one is clearly more expensive and known to be higher in quality. This is where they reflect the final stage of the decision making process- product and brand choice, as consumers can then decide on which brand they would like to purchase from. However, as Aldi are trying to promote their own product, it is more likely that the individual watching would then choose their brand, due to the fact that it is established that they can offer similar products at a lower price. This is value for money, which is what consumers like to see.