Personality

Introduction & Definition

To understand a buyer needs and convert them into customers is the main purpose of the consumer behavior study. To understand the buyer habits and his priorities, it is required to understand and know the personality of the buyer.

"Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristics behavior and thought". (Allport, 1961, p. 28).

“The characteristics or blend of characteristics that makes a person unique”. (Weinberg & Gould, 1999).

Personality signifies the inner psychological characteristics that reflect how a person reacts to his environment. Personality shows the individual choices for various products and brands. It helps the marketers in deciding when and how to promote the product. Personality can be categorized on the basis of individual traits, likes, dislikes etc.

Though personality is static, it can change due to major events such as death, birth or marriage and can also change gradually with time. By connecting with the personality characteristics of an individual, a marketer can conveniently formulate marketing strategies.

Characteristics

In order to understand the psychology of personality, it is important to learn some of the key characteristics of how personality works.

• Personality is organized and consistent. We tend to express certain aspects of our personality in different situations and our responses are generally stable. 
• Although personality is generally stable, it can be influenced by the environment. For example, while your personality might lead you to be shy in social situations, an emergency might lead you to take on a more outspoken and take-charge approach.
• Personality causes behaviors to happen. You react to the people and objects in your environment based on your personality. From your personal preferences to your choice of a career, every aspect of your life is affected by your personality.

Importance

1. Every person is unique in oneself, and thus personality reflects individual differences. Yet, while we are different, we may be similar to each other on a trait (s), and could constitute a personality type (s). A person’s decision with regard to the brand as well as the timing and place of purchase, the amount purchased, its usage and disposal, are all based on his personality. This would help in Consumer Behaviour to classify segments, provide the product/service offering accordingly, and design the mix in terms of price, place and promotion.

2. Self-concept is closely related with personality, and individuals would buy such products/services, which match their concepts and personalities. The study of consumer self-concept helps a marketer understand how the “actual” and “ideal” selves come into play in the marketplace.

3. Similarly, there also exists a relationship between self-image and brand personality. Consumers match the product and/or brand personalities, with their self-image, and buy those where they find a close or perfect match. In this manner they attempt to reaffirm and preserve their self-image.