Consumer Values Intro

Consumer Values – An Introduction

Chris Carbone

Social Technologies

What We’ll Cover

• What are values?

Wh d h th i k ?• Why and how we use them in our work ?

• Apply them to personasApply them to personas

© 2009 by Social Technologies, All rights reserved2

Frameworks Help Us Understand Change and the Future

Social Technologies’ “Three Worlds” Model

Failure / Disaster Major Success

st

Hig

h Tr

us

Start doing your job!

Keep up the good work.

Four Scenarios for the

owTr

ust

Stop…Now!Proceed with

caution.

Four Scenarios for the Future of Synthetic Biology


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Values Definition

ValuesValuesThe beliefs people have about what is right

d d h t i t i t t i lif and wrong and what is most important in life, which in turn guides their behavior/actions.


Why Study and Apply Values to Consumer Insight Work?

Trends can teach us a lot, but they’re only part of the story

Need to get to the drivers

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Values help you get at the “why” behind the trend

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Studying trends is reactive—they’re are already in motionalready in motion

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Values help you anticipate long-term changes in society Im

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Values and value shifts drive trends in society, lifestyle, technology, etc.


lifestyle, technology, etc.

Values Change “Predictably”

The poorest people/countries are focused on survival, preserving the social/political status quo, show traditional values, and are resistant to change

Middle-income people/countries are focused on belonging; it’s about the whole, not the individual; show modern values, and embrace change that supports progress

Affluent people/countries are focused on individual freedom self-expression on individual freedom, self-expression, show postmodern values, and view change through a prism of quality of life and sustainability qual ty o l e a d susta ab l ty

© 2009 by Social Technologies, All rights reserved8Source: A Hines based on Inglehart

Values Change: Theory of Intergenerational Value Change

The formative experiences of the young differs from the old in fundamental waysdiffers from the old in fundamental ways

which leads them to develop different value priorities, namely a shift from either p , y

traditional to modern values or modern to postmodern values

© 2009 by Social Technologies, All rights reserved9Images: loc.gov, Iris Friedheim (Flickr), goforchris (Flickr).

Values Change: Follow the Rules, Achieve, and What’s It all Mean?

Achieve! What’s it all mean?

Follow the Rules


Follow the Rules

Values Change: Evolving over Time

Sample values from Social Technologies’ 120+ value inventory, sorted by worldview.

Traditional Modern PostmodernBalance Growth SustainabilityComfort Change AppropriatenessDown-to-earth Practicality CreativityPropriety Confidence AuthenticityProtection Health Wellness / Quality of LifeReligion Secularism SpiritualityS i l i S lf iSecurity Belonging Self-expressionThrift Luxury SimplicityTradition Materialism Experiences


Getting Beneath the Trend: User-Generated Content

User-generated content on the rise but why? the rise…but why?

Tech tells part of the story e: c

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Tech tells part of the story

Values help round out our

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understanding of the trend- Individualism - Self-expression Self expression - Authenticity - Sharing / Community - Discovery


Getting Beneath the Trend: Local Food

When it’s hard to get at the ‘why’ behind the trend ‘why’ behind the trend, values can help.

Values drivers of local food…

- Authenticity - Community - Sustainability

l - Simplicity - Wellness - Security

Tradition Images: debaird (Flickr)


- Tradition

Values Change: Some Important Emerging Postmodern Values

AuthenticityGenuine; not false or an

SimplicityDesire for less complexity

Co-CreationDesire to create augment or

Genuine; not false or an imitation

Desire for less complexity

SpiritualityDesire to create, augment, or influence design and content, and share these creations with their peers

SpiritualityInterest in the meaning and purpose of life

SustainabilityExperiencesMemorable events that engage people in a personal way

SustainabilityReducing the human footprint on the environment while maintaining quality of life

Self-ExpressionExpression or assertion of one's own personality

IndividualityBeing true to one’s unique self


p y

Brands Serving Important Postmodern Values

AuthenticityGenuine; not false or an

SimplicityDesire for less complexity

Co-CreationDesire to create augment or

Genuine; not false or an imitation

Desire for less complexity

SpiritualityDesire to create, augment, or influence design and content, and share these creations with their peers

SpiritualityInterest in the meaning and purpose of life

SustainabilityExperiencesMemorable events that engage people in a personal way

SustainabilityReducing the human footprint on the environment while maintaining quality of life

Self-ExpressionExpression or assertion of one's own personality

IndividualityBeing true to one’s unique self


p y

Applying Values

What does it look like when we apply values to What does it look like when we apply values to our work?

We apply it to• trend studies

s i s• scenarios• personas

Communicating consumer needs and motivations is another great benefit of using values.


Bono Esque—Hear Me, Hear Me

MeaningTake Control Uniquely Generic

Bono has made the saving the environment his chief mission. Previously it was animal rights, and before that the rights of the di bl d i h l hi l i i d b hi

Bono Esque

Age: 18–21

q ,

disabled in schools. This latter mission was prompted by his brother, who has Down’s syndrome. He is not afraid to bend the rules in support of a just cause, and is sometimes viewed as self-righteous. He is happiest when he is passionately involved in something he believes in.

Ethnicity: Asian

HHI: $100,000+

Education: College

Life stage: Student

I have the power to change things I believe in… and that will make me happy

Relates to those who share his values and/or are

Values: Strong opinions, influential, friend-focused, demanding, comfortable with diversity

Relates to those who share his values and/or are advocates for the kind of things he is passionate about

Connection can be online or F2F but is to a limited group

Blogs, newsletters, protests, letters to authority/

Driving Forces: Personalization/ customization, online recognition, new identity options, new rites of passage

decision-makers

Diversity, eco-friendly, cause-related goods and services

Society's view of traditional marriage; contributes to new definition of (emerging alternative) lifestyles

Accelerators: “Have it Your Way” products and services, empowerment of younger ages

Obstacles: Lack of belonging, legalbarriers/ definitions


new definition of (emerging alternative) lifestyles barriers/ definitions

17

Authentic Annie:Keeping it Real

Day in the Life Vignette

Annie’s friend used to think she was so

Activities

Committed Time Free timep gtrendy. They laugh about it now, buthaving kids changed her somehow. Nowit’s more about what’s not in the thingsshe buys her family than the label orlogo that the product carries.Thankfully she found a lot of “mommy

Work:

P/T at women’s health NGO

Household/family care:

At home part- time with kids thanks to job share

Learning:

Gardening course

Leisure (entertainment & recreation):

Catching up on her latest copy of Dwell or Real Thankfully she found a lot of mommy

blogs” which have given her greattips…it’s been years since she read aproduct review in the mainstreammedia. Sure, sometimes the stuff shebuys costs a little more, but that’s OK.

kids thanks to job-share

Shopping:Local and face-to-face for things that matter; online ordering of “staples”

Personal

copy of Dwell or Real Simple

Affiliation:Sierra Club, local PTA

Communications:

Facebook with friends She likes to think her choices make adifference, but she also like therecognition that her choices aredifferent…hmm…maybe she hasn’t givenup her attachment to labels and logosentirely

Personal

(biological necessities):

Uses Tom’s of Maine

Facebook with friends from the mommy blogs

entirely.

Need States• The Authenticity Premium • Au Naturale Demographics

Values• Authenticity• Experiences

Catalysts• Truth & Truthiness• Enoughness• Au Naturale

• The Simplicity Premium • Less Is More

Demographics

Sex: FemaleAge: 35Ethnicity: CaucasianHHI: $125,000

• Experiences• Appropriateness• Functionality• Design• Self-expression• Simplicity• Cool

• Enoughness• Sustainable Consumption• Living within Limits• Lifeshifting• Continuum of Ownership

© 2009 by Social Technologies, All rights reserved18Original image: djidji.perroto (Flickr)t

Education: MA, Public Health Life stage: Mid-career, early parenthood

• Sustainability

Summary

Values are the beliefs people have about what is right and wrong and what is most important in life, which in turn guides their behavior/actionsbehavior/actions.

Trends only tell us part of the story. Values provide the “why?” behind the trend and round out our understanding of the trend the trend, and round out our understanding of the trend.

Values change very slowly—intergenerational change. Global values research points to predictable, long-term changes in societies. p p , g g

Values can applied to trends, scenarios, and personas as a way to: - Enrich the analysis - Aid in communication the needs and motivations of the persona


Contact information

Chris Carbone, Futurist

Director, Programs

[email protected]

+1 202 223 2801 ext. 115


Business

Consumer Values Intro