Marketing communication: principles and practice

Consumer background characteristics
These are the stable aspects of a person’s life, describing individual attributes
and the place of the person in their social structure and environment. Some
are never changed (race or gender?), some require major reorientation if 
they are to be changed (lifestyle, reference group, geographical location of
residence), while others evolve gradually as the person matures (age, life cycle
stage):
• culture and values
• personality, lifestyle, and psychographics
• demographics
• reference groups
Much of the information we take into our decision process is not controlled
directly by marketers, despite their best efforts to influence us. Our friends
and family give us highly credible views about products, suppliers, places,
C O N S U M E R B E H A V I O U R A N D C O M M U N I C A T I O N
49
Sales promotion
Sales training
Distribution
Advertisement
Word-of-mouth
FACTS
product availability
price
staff skills
FRAMES
knowledge
image
price reference
Evaluation
Purchase
MARKETING 
INTERVENTION
CONSUMER
EXPERIENCE
CONSUMER
JUDGEMENT
CONSUMER
ACTION
Figure 3.2
Some effects of marketing interventions on consumers
Source
: East, 1997: 23

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and people. Often such role models are featured in advertisements to demon-
strate desirability of purchase and use. Often there is an implication that if
we adopt a specific product, we will be able to join a better group (aspiration).
Another form of role model is the authority figure who may be employed 
to endorse the product (men in white coats were seen as scientists and 
expert in the early selling of soap powders). Thus role models show us how
to behave.