It’s Saturday morning in Manhattan Beach, California. The clock shows 6:00 A.M. when the phone rings. “Hello,” Jon-Michael answers, knowing it’s his buddy Ben. The voice replies, “Dawn patrol! Wake up, Jonny! I just looked at it and it’s going off . . . light offshore winds, two feet overhead, nice lines, outgoing tide. Insane! And it’s only going to get better! Meet me in the water off Forty-second. Thirty minutes.“ Jon-Michael replies, “Awesome! I’m hitting a cup of coffee and bagel, and I’ll be there.” He kisses his wife’s forehead and is out of bed in an instant. He and Ben are in the water, hitting amazing waves, before sunrise. A bit later, at 10:00 A.M., the phone rings again. “Hello,” Latonia answers, knowing it’s her best friend Bebe. The voice replies, “Good morning, Latonia. Are you ready?” “Almost,” Latonia replies. “Do you want to start at that cute café overlooking the water on Highland Avenue for breakfast?” “You mean Uncle Bob’s Pancake Hut?” Bebe asks. “Yes!” Latonia answers. Bebe adds, “That sounds so good. Then I was thinking we could go to the mall. I heard Victoria’s Secret is having a sale.” “Great!” Latonia adds, “Let’s do it!” Jon-Michael and Latonia are a great couple, their values and principles are similar, and in many ways they can be segmented to the same categories. Here’s how they can be described in marketing lingo: Age: 25 to 30 Ethnicity: Caucasian Socioeconomic: Upper-middle class Education: Bachelor’s or higher (both have Master’s), well traveled Income: $75,000 plus Location: Prime beach community (Manhattan Beach) near large metropolitan city (Los Angeles) Although they fit into these categories neatly, it’s their personalities and lifestyles that create both challenges and opportunities for marketers. For example, consider these differences: PRIORITY ACTIVITIES Jon-Michael: surfing, fishing, diving, wakeboarding, snowboarding, hang gliding, going to concerts, traveling Latonia: socializing, shopping, reading, relaxing on the beach VIEW OF SHOPPING Jon-Michael: Loathes shopping and shops only if it is absolutely necessary, that is, if the purchase serves a function. His purchases are deliberate. Shopping has to compete for his time. Latonia: Loves shopping. It makes her feel good. She engages in shopping as an activity, and she’s careful with her purchases. She makes time to shop! PURCHASE MOTIVATORS Both Jon-Michael and Latonia buy because the personality of the brand matches their personality. However, there are differences: Jon-Michael: It’s all about convenience and value. He does not like the name of the brand to show, and he buys more for what the product doesn’t have—flash, apparent statements. Price is not as important as convenience. Latonia: It’s all about image. She prefers designer clothing. She likes the brand to be recognizable and for the message to be perceived almost immediately.
Questions
1. How can the use of a celebrity endorsement have a positive impact for Latonia and a negative impact for Jon-Michael?
2. To maximize value in the shopping experience, what attributes about shopping and the product should be emphasized if one were marketing to Latonia? What attributes about shopping and the product should be emphasized to Jon-Michael in order to maximize value?
3. How could researchers take a nomothetic approach to understanding the psychological makeup of these consumers?
4. How could self-congruency theory apply to this case?
5. What types of shopping value apply most readily to JonMichael and Latonia?