Observations: Translating Values Into Product Wants

JEFFREY F. DURGEE Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute GINA COLARELLI O'CONNOR Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute AND ROBERT W. VERYZER Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

OBSERVATIONS: TRANSLATING VALUES INTO PRODUCT WANTS

There are currently two ways to assess target value systems. One is to apply a standard value inventory such as the Rokeach inventory or the L.O.V. The other is to ask consumers to describe their feelings about products in such a way that ultimate values come out (laddering, motivation research). While both approaches have facilitated some highly successful marketing programs, they also have weaknesses. We recommend that researchers first ask target consumers about core values and then ask them to describe these values in terms of selected products. The goal is a "means-ends" productvalue chain which begins with core target values and causally relates them to actual product use.

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e contend that one of the most powerful ways to understand and touch consumers is to understand their values and value systems. It is well recognized that a key issue in gaining brand awareness, trial, and subsequent loyalty is to reflect deep-seated values in advertising and augmented product offerings. When marketers address consumer values, target consumers sense that the product's purpose is to benefit their individual lives. In this paper, we examine some definitions of the value concept and review recent research on values and consumption behavior. We then describe a new method for understanding consumer values and tracing their direct impact on behavior. To illustrate the method, we describe a study of core values and product use among 55 middleaged mothers.

history in sociology and cultural anthropology. According to one definition, values are "cultural standards that indicate the general goals deemed desirable for organized social life" (Smelser, 1967). Marketers are interested in values because they are thought to influence behavior. Sociologists feel...