SBI (Strategic Business Insights) is a spinoff of the Stanford Research Institute. One of its most popular products is called VALS (Values and Life Style Survey).
SBI uses VALS to segment the marketplace on the basis of personality traits that drive consumer behavior.
VALS is used in all phases of the marketing mix. The survey categorizes consumers into one of eight personality types.
GEOVALS applies the power of VALS to local marketing efforts by identifying the concentration of the VALS consumer group residing within a specifi c block group or zip code. Go to www.strategicbusinessinsights.com and click on the VALS SURVEY link. Next, click on "Take the survey."
a. Explain the theory behind the creation of VALS.
b. Do you agree with your VALS classifi cation? Learn more by going to "The VALS Types" link.
c. What kind of scale was used in the survey? Could other types of scales have been used?
d. Explain how a marketer could use GEOVALS.