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THE ROLE THAT PERSONALITY AND
MOTIVATION PLAY IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR: A
CASE STUDY ON HSBC
By Jolene Montgomery
Montgomery, J. - Case Study 3: The Role that Personality and Motivation Play in the Consumer Behaviour: A Case Study on HSBC
2008 Jolene Montgomery 129
Montgomery, J. - Case Study 3: The Role that Personality and Motivation Play in the Consumer Behaviour: A Case Study on HSBC
130 Business Intelligence Journal July
Montgomery, J. - Case Study 3: The Role that Personality and Motivation Play in the Consumer Behaviour: A Case Study on HSBC
2008 Jolene Montgomery 131
was also able to capture its people, the Motivations as the consumer
masses, which ultimately constitutes a “drive”: achievement, power,
particular culture, the keepers and actors uniqueness, affiliation, and self
of this “local knowledge.” esteem
Whether the consumer-payer has
financial troubles or not, HSBC considers In the previous section, the researcher
everyone a potential customer, and the has identified consumer personality in
consumer-payer, through the ad, shall terms of the product, service, and financial
assume that HSBC will aid him/her for climate of both the seller and buyer. In
whatever banking service or financial this section, the study takes an in-depth
support s/he wants to avail, simply look at the individual traits of these
because the institution understands “local consumers, identifying potential
knowledge,” the reality of life in that motivations that serve as consumer
particular society in the world. HSBC, ‘drives,’ needs and wants that may have
then ‘personalizes’ its service, been accomplished through the
accommodating for any diversity that it consumption of the product or service
may encounter in the conduct of its offered by the business
business (Francese, 2004:40-1). company/institution. In this section,
In effect, business institutions like motives are identified into four, namely,
HSBC have learned to ascertain the kinds achievement, power, uniqueness/novelty,
of people who can be their potential clients affiliation, and self-esteem motive. These
or customer by categorizing them kinds of motives are present in one way or
according to their cultural and individual other within the consumer as s/he goes
traits. In this section, personality is shown through the decision-making process (of
to be a major determinant in identifying purchasing a product, good, or service).
the likelihood of an individual to become a These kinds of motives are defined by
consumer of a particular product or Arnould et. al. (2004) as follows:
service.
Thus, if the consumer is merchandise-
oriented or a user, then goods as
Achievement motive- the drive to
commodities are more appealing for
experience emotion in connection
him/her; the consumer as buyer, on the
with evaluated performance;
other hand, is more interested in
establishing close ties with the sellers,
Power motive- the drive to have
producers, or manufacturers, the people
control or influence over another
who provide service for the consumers;
person, group, or the world at large;
and lastly, the consumer as payer takes
into consideration the economic climate of
Uniqueness/novelty motive- the drive
the institution itself, and aligns it with
to perceive oneself as different from
his/her own financial status, and when
others;
both criteria meet, it is then that the
consumer-payer decides whether to subsist
Affiliation motive- the drive to be
to the product (or service) or not.
with people; consumers sometimes
experience a strong motivation to
Montgomery, J. - Case Study 3: The Role that Personality and Motivation Play in the Consumer Behaviour: A Case Study on HSBC
132 Business Intelligence Journal July
Montgomery, J. - Case Study 3: The Role that Personality and Motivation Play in the Consumer Behaviour: A Case Study on HSBC
2008 Jolene Montgomery 133
institution. In effect, the ad portrays the esteem are also taken into account.
HSBC brand as embedded in each culture Combining these variables together result
and actually belongs to the people. Thus, to the fulfillment or failure of the
the ad campaign becomes successful in consumer to achieve his/her needs,
showing the consumers that HSBC knows depending on the quality of the product or
its consumers—their personality, and what service offered—that is, up to what extend
motivates them to consume a particular consumers’ needs are achieved through the
product or service. product/service.
It is important to provide a case in point
Conclusion: Motivations and to illustrate how consumer characteristics
Personality reflects the HSBC (personality and motives) eventually
Consumer influence consumer behavior. In the case
of the HSBC ad campaign, we have seen
In the previous sections of this study, how personality and motivations become
motivation and personality were shown as components of the ads, allowing it to
essential factors identifying and reflecting create and transmit an effective advertising
consumer behavior. It is evident that both message to the reader/consumer.
sociodemographic and psychographic Centering on the issue of cultural
characteristics both determine consumer sensitivity and tolerance to people’s and
personality and motivations (Rafee, individual’s differences become the
2004:17). vehicles of persuasion that HSBC uses to
Personality primarily determines the illustrate the personality traits and
consumer as buyer, payer, and user of a motivations of the consumer. In the case
product and/or service. In so doing, the of HSBC, research on the profile of the
sociodemographic variable income and HSBC consumer showed that there is
socio-economic class helps determine the indeed a large percentage of today’s
extent up to which the consumer shall consumer market who came from various
adopt the roles enumerated earlier. ethnic or cultural origins apart from the
Furthermore, attitudes towards a product American (or Western) consumer (HSBC
or service—that is, becoming product- or CSR Report, 2003).
merchandise-oriented or service-oriented In sum, this study has shown that taken
as a consumer is a psychographic variable to its advantage, research and information
that also aids him/her to buy and consume concerning consumer behavior shows that
the product/service. Both variables work two of its influential factors are personality
together to ultimately determine the and motivation. The future of better and
consumer’s choice and preference of a more effective advertising and marketing
product or service. promotions of the consumer market can
Motivations are also important thus be further improved, as was shown in
determinants of the consumer’s the HSBC experience, wherein consumer
characteristics and behavior towards personality and motivation are taken into
consumption. Along with consideration and acknowledged as
sociodemographic variables of income, imperative in determining the consumer
age, sex, and ethnic membership, market in today’s information age.
psychographic variables such as need for
achievement, affiliation, power, and self-
Montgomery, J. - Case Study 3: The Role that Personality and Motivation Play in the Consumer Behaviour: A Case Study on HSBC
134 Business Intelligence Journal July
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Montgomery, J. - Case Study 3: The Role that Personality and Motivation Play in the Consumer Behaviour: A Case Study on HSBC