Hi, welcome to this blog post about VALS Framework for segmentation. This is written as part of an assessment for my Consumer Behaviour module on my Digital Marketing Integrated Degree with QA and Solent University. If you’re here reading this, I would very much appreciate your feedback or additional observations/knowledge in the form of a comment!
What is the VALS Framework?
The VALS Framework is a lifestyle segmentation system. Inspired by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow 1943), in the late 1970’s researchers at SRI International developed a segmentation scheme known as the Values and Lifestyles System (VALS). The original arrangement was designed to explain societal change, but has been adapted as a key marketing tool and now focuses on explaining purchase behaviour (Schiffman et al 2012).
(Schiffman et al 2012, pp. 56)
VALS Segmentation
The current VALS segmentation separates consumers into 8 different categories with 8 different consumer behaviour profiles. Each segment of consumer has different behaviours, lifestyles, communication and decision-making skills etc. that mean they consume products differently. The 8 categories are:
Innovators: High income, high resource. Are receptive to new products, but sceptical about advertising.
Thinkers: Well educated professionals. High resources, motivated by their knowledge – not prestige. Rational decision makers.
Believers: Social and believe other consumers. Lower resources and look for bargains. Word of mouth consumers, so slow to change their habits.
Achievers: Motivated by achievement, interested in brands that show success over time and premium products.
Strivers: Lower resources, but image conscious and spend highly on clothing and personal care products.
Experiencers: High resource, high self-expression, want to be different. Mostly young adults. Impulse purchasers who spend a lot on socialising activities.
Markers: Want self-expression but have limited resources. Focused on building a better family rather than spending. Spend on comfort and value.
Survivors: Least resources, least likely to adopt innovation. Form brand loyalty and spend coupons.
Evaluation of the VALS Framework
The VALS framework has become one of the leading segmentation systems within the field of
marketing. It offers an in depth understanding of different consumer behaviours, including insights on producing the right marketing mix including the best place to target each segment and on pricing strategy (McCarthy 1964). Not only that, but it can also offer details on the consumer segment’s attitudes, allowing the marketer to anticipate their behaviour more accurately, and develop their messaging to more precisely target each segment (Nasrudin 2022).
However, it doesn’t come without its flaws. The original system was designed based upon
researching only 1500 US consumers (Bhasin 2020). While it is regarded as the best segmentation system, this is still going to be mostly applicable to western cultures. 1500 consumers is also a very small sample size compared to the amount of data we have access to about consumer behaviour in the internet age.
Having said that, the framework has been updated over the years (Schiffman et al 2012), and likely takes the knowledge we have has access to since its development in the 1970's into account to a certain degree.
References
BHASIN, H., 2020. Vals – Values attitude lifestyle. In: Marketing91. 30 January 2020 [viewed 13 February 2023]. Available from: https://www.marketing91.com/vals-values-attitude-lifestyle/
MASLOW, A., 1943. A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–96
MCCARTHY, E. J., 1964. Basic marketing : a managerial approach. Homewood: R. D. Irwin
NASRUDIN, A., 2022. Values, Attitudes and Lifestyles (VALS): Categories and Why They Matter. In: Penpoin. 13 April 2022 [viewed 13 February 2023]. Available from: https://penpoin.com/values-attitudes-and-lifestyles-vals/
SCHIFFMAN, L. G., L. L. KANUK and H. Hansen, 2012. Consumer Behaviour: A European Outlook. 2nd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson