1st Edition

The Psychology of Consumer Profiling in a Digital Age

By Barrie Gunter Copyright 2016
    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    Understanding how consumers choose between different products and services is a crucial part of professional marketing. Targeting brands at the consumers most likely to be interested in them is another critical aspect of business success. Marketers need to know what consumers think about brands, why they like them and what purposes they serve. This means delving into the psychology of the consumer to find ways of differentiating between consumers and matching brands to consumer niches at the level of consumers’ relationships with brands. Using psychology to segment consumers has been regarded as a valuable adjunct to standard geo-demographic definitions of market segments.

    The Psychology and Consumer Profiling in a Digital Age examines how this field of ‘psychographics’ has evolved, the different approaches to psychological segmentation of consumers, the different ways in which it has been applied in consumer marketing settings, and whether psychographics works. It draws upon research from around the world and incorporates its analysis of the use of psychographics with an examination of major shifts in marketing in a digital and global era.

    1. Types of Consumer Segmentation

    2. Personality Psychology and Consumer Segmentation

    3. Custom-Built Psychographic Consumer Typologies

    4. The Search for Psychology-Based Predictors of Purchase Preferences

    5. Psychological Profiles within Demographics

    6. Global Consumer Profiling

    7. Profiling Consumers for Old and New Media Markets

    8. Psychological Profiling and Consumers’ Reactions to Marketing Campaigns

    9. Practicalities, Pros and Cons of Psychological Profiling

    Biography

    Barrie Gunter is Emeritus Professor, University of Leicester, UK where he was formerly a Professor of Mass Communication and Head of the Department of Media and Communication. A psychologist by training who has also worked in broadcasting as an audience researcher, he has written nearly 60 books on media, marketing and management.

    "This excellent volume provides an up-to-date overview of the current state in consumer profiling. I highly recommend the book to students, teachers and all those interested in current developments in consumer research and marketing." --Dirk vom Lehn, King's College London, UK