Psychographic Marketing Research Group

Current Study

Self-concept has been advanced as a useful construct for explaining consumer choice. A major issue of the proposed research is to identify certain key issues, critical in the use of self-concept to explain consumer choice behaviour. A theoretical framework needs to be selected to hypothesise the moderating effects of particular variables. Within this theoretical framework, it can be argued that other personality moderator variables can be used to predict consumer choice (Sirgy, 1982a). Noting that self-concept research in the past has not taken into account the influence of cultural/ethnic identity on choice, an integrated perspective is proposed.
(1) Ethnic and European/Global identities influence the way in which people develop and maintain their self concept due to the differential salience of ethnicity/nationalism in different consumer groups within the same country, (2) such differences in self concepts have an impact on consumer behaviour related variables.
If seen as a process, the proposed research comprises two parts (settings 1 and 2). In the first part, the research will utilise qualitative methods - focus groups and interviews to generate data and analyse to reflect on theoretical themes. Bank managers will be interviewed (10) to get deeper insights and refine the framework of questions that is to be utilised during the focus groups with bank customers (six sessions with 10 participants each). It will attempt to take a more holistic view. The main concern in this part will be to decode meanings and different interpretations of consumer's views about themselves (self-identity) and the bank that favour. In the second part, a questionnaire survey will be utilised as a method of data collection. The empirical investigation into the process of segmentation is a major part of the work in setting 2.
The objectives of the research are twofold: theory refinement of self-concept construct, its determinants as well as the moderating variables that are connected to, and exploration of the practical significance of the self-concept approach to consumer behaviour.
The significance of the study in terms of theory development relates to issues of symbolic consumption. The relationship of variables like ethnicity has not been examined with regard to self-concept and consumer preferences. It is the purpose of this study to explore the effects of a specific set of variables relating to ethnicity (degree of ethnic identification) on the activation of the different dimensions of self-images. This will increase the explanatory power of self-concept constructs to consumer behaviour related variables.

The significance of the study in terms of managerial implications will be the examination/application of self-concept constructs to provide a new segmentation design within the Greek market. It will provide a valuable model to assist European organisations in the marketing of their products/services in the unified market. The findings may also be relevant for managers involved in international management and marketing who should be cognisant of the way 'ethnicity' affects the formulation of consumer's brand choice decisions.
In this way, an interesting area of research would determine how central is ethnic and/or European/Global identity issues to self-congruity experience and also to explore the potential co-variation of ethnic/national/European identities in the formation of the self-concept constructs examining: (1) the relationship between self concept constructs and ethnic, European/Global identity, (2) whether ethnic, European/Global identities are moderating variables that affect Brand Preference, Brand Usage, and Brand Choice.
The proposed research seeks to gain deeper insights into consumer segmentation by utilising psychographic constructs to banking segmentation process. The study assumes deep insights into the process of psychographic and behavioural segmentation by utilising self-concept constructs to identify a more effective segmentation strategy for a specific banking market. It further assumes that: (1) various identities influence the way in which people develop and maintain self-concepts as well as brand images and (2) such differences in the congruity levels between self-concepts and brand images, have an impact on consumer behaviour related variables, namely, brand preference, brand usage, and brand choice.