Meaning is the center of it all. Consumer psychology begins with the understanding of how consumers see the meaning of the world and the willingness to make purchases based on the motivation behind those meanings. Words can create meaning as well as resonate with the understanding of those meanings. An understanding of culture, class and religion must be explored as well, to deconstruct the hierarchy of these meanings in the mind of the consumer. Advertisers today understand the significance of finding these relationships, because it is in these relationships the desire for their products may become inexhaustible. For the consumer this presents a quandary. Let's examine.
Treatment
Redefining meaning is the stratagem advertisers play and are quite keen to the fact that consumers will most likely take it for granted. Consumers are not always aware of the motivations subconsciously planted. Why does this happen? Most American consumers are in search of “something” but never sure of what. Clotaire Rapaille, not with out controversy, has made some profound observations in his technique of "archetype discovery". Rapaille cites “Most people have know idea about what they are doing so they will make up something (why do you need a hummer to go shopping?) You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see there is a big disconnect” This disconnect or lack of direction is not unnoticed by advertisers. Major corporations now have brand managers as there new strategists and armed with the tools of semiotics. Douglas Atkin recalls, “When I was a brand manager at Procter & Gamble, my job was to make sure a product was good, to create copy, and to design the product package”. As Atkin sees it now, his job is to create and maintain a whole meaning systems for people to whom they get identity and an understanding of the world.
A brand manage is a community leader providing hope and vision. Most advertisers have discovered that American consumers are not ignorance, but empty longing to be satisfied. Advertisers believe the right product will complete the desire or postpone it to the next purchase. Atkin's attention was caught by the words of a focus group having conversations about a sneaker. He noticed the language they were using, the phrases were that of a cult. He began to realize that he should turn his attention from the study of the product, but that of cults. Atkin began to understand that people do not buy products; they join groups trying to connect to other people and sometimes with the obsession of cult behavior.
From the 1950s to the present, the American population has evolved and changed. Through each movement that occurred in American society, cultural meaning after meaning was redefined or completely lost altogether. As traditional institutions began to disintegrate, old traditions have gone the way of the past; the consumer’s need for meaning however has not. Institutions such as churches, schools, and civic clubs no longer have loyalty they used to. People became willing to entertain identity and meaning from message systems
not associated with early childhood core values but with the needs of consumption.
Saturn, a division of GM had advertisers study and devise a meaning system by which their product could be sold to the American public. The meaning system focuses around the need for family, Saturn created a massive campaign that brought the down-home feeling to the Saturn showrooms. They created a campaign to invite everyone to come and be part of the Saturn family. It worked, with the use of words like “homecoming” and down-home, people came by the thousands. At the end of the day, it was just a car. Like Saturn, products brands like Nike or Godiva create “desire systems” through words and images that resonate with consumers and the deeper needs they have.
Conclusion
Today's consumers are not just consumers, but consumers wondering in the wilderness of "no meaning" and needing the "manna bread of definition". Advertisers may be more than willing to help them obtain this bread with their products. We cannot always be sure their motives will have the consumer’s best interest in hand, but nonetheless it will happen. The consumer, searching for meaning is predispose to manipulation, one can only hope companies with good intentions will care.
Clotaire Rapaille
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clotaire_Rapaille#Research_Methods
Semiotics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics
Douglas Atkin
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/interviews/atkin.html
The Culting of Brands: When Customers Become True Believers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCIzS6AfRT0&feature=related
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