Can they persuade you?

We were asked two questions in this weeks lecture firstly " does a knowledge of personality type predict purchase behaviour?"
Secondly " is self concept a better determinant of purchase intent?"

My answer to the first question is no! Simply because it all depends on individual feelings, people may find for example the WKD adverts funny one day and not very amusing the next, this is all about personalities and taste. (Solomon 1999) states

"Personality: a persons unique make up, which consistently influences the way the person responds to his or her environment"

Emotions play a massive a part of advertising the UNICEF adverts the RSPCA adverts are all filmed and put in a manor that is supposed to pluck the heart strings, where as i am sure alot of people are emotionally struck by the images and words i am sure that a lot of the people do not actually donate to which foundation advert is on.
Also for marketeers to understand the personalities of an entire nation would be near to impossible purely because everybody feels differently about different things,everyday!
I guess the best thing that they can do is to attempt to look at demographics in certain areas and what would perhaps be an appropriate advert for the correct time, the "Jeremy kyle,housewives" may be hit with an advert for Iceland with every bodies favourite Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona!!! I find it hard to believe that products can be sold to a persons personality, its like saying my personality wants to buy comical products!! Clearly because i am a clown! This is not true i am just like everyone else i differ from day today some days i will buy The Guardian and some days it will be The Sun (slightly ironic,how the UK has a newspaper called The Sun,don't you think?)

The second question about self concept is yet again a difficult thing to measure but slightly easier to come to a conclusion, "self concept" is a massive part of everyday life "people see themselves as they imagine others see them" Solomon (2001) this is true purely because in such a world we are in now it is all about branding! " 20 years ago it was not cool to have your label on the outside of your clothes,where as now have the label on the outside is trendy and cool" Ruth (2008) this is a bold statement but it is also very true,people want other to realise and notice what they are wearing and where they get their clothes from it has become a status symbol, to be seen in the latest trends,fashions labels your Gucci's,Lactose's and Sergio Techini gives a person a certain wow factor,not to mention massive amounts of attention from the opposite sex, but that is another story... it is social recognition.

William James (1890) argued that self-concept derives from social comparisons with others - peers,family,reference groups.

This is true as i am lead to believe the people and groups used in socialising and work have influences over people the clothes they wear,the thought processes and even the way that people speak can be affected by the social groups.
Have a look at the clips below to see how brands are marketed to the consuming public.
Till next week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BDazlHxKwo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWPf4dP0pcw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRGZ30-KfIs