Basic Marketing: A Global Managerial Approach

Perreault−McCarthy: Basic

Marketing: A

Global−Managerial

Approach, 14/e

6. Behavior Dimensions of
   the Consumer Market

Text © The McGraw−Hill

Companies, 2002

166 Chapter 6

Marketing managers for consumer products firms who are interested in learning

more about the lifestyle of a target market sometimes turn to outside specialists for

help. For example, SRI Consulting, a research firm, offers a service called geoVALS

(VALS is an abbreviation for values, attitudes, and lifestyles). GeoVALS uses psy-

chographics to show where customers live and why they behave as they do; it is

especially useful for targeting direct-mail ad campaigns. With another service,

VALS 2, SRI describes a firm’s target market in terms of a set of typical VALS

lifestyle groups (segments). An advantage of this approach is that SRI has devel-

oped very detailed information about the various VALS groups. For example, the

VALS approach has been used to profile consumers in the United Kingdom, Ger-

many, Japan, and Canada as well as the United States. However, the disadvantage

of VALS 2—and other similar approaches—is that it may not be very specific to

the marketing manager’s target market.^13

Exhibit 6-5 Lifestyle Dimensions (and some related demographic dimensions)

Dimension Examples

Activities Work Vacation Surfing Web

Hobbies Entertainment Shopping

Social events Club membership Sports

Interests Family Community Food

Home Recreation Media

Job Fashion Achievements

Opinions Themselves Business Products

Social issues Economics Future

Politics Education Culture

Demographics Income Geographic area Occupation

Age Ethnicity Family size

Family life cycle Dwelling Education

General Mills has changed “Betty Crocker’s” appearance as consumer attitudes and lifestyles have changed. The face of the newest Betty
Crocker reflects her multicultural background.

The original Betty, 1936^19801986

1965 1972

Betty Crocker 2000

Internet

Internet Exercise Go to the SRI Internet site (http://future.sri.com), click on

VALS, and then click on “To the Survey” to review the VALS questionnaire. If

you wish, complete the short questionnaire online. SRI will provide you with

your VALS profile.