Even though most Americans think of themselves as part of a family – and many list “being a family” as a top priority – very little is known about how membership in this collective actually affects consumer decisions, from choosing a cell phone plan to remodeling the kitchen to how we display treasured keepsakes.
“Highlighting the interplay of individual, relational, and family identities and practices can shed light on important contemporary family challenges,” explain Amber Epp (University of Nebraska) and Linda Price (University of Arizona).
Some of these choices include how to sustain family togetherness when people move far away, how to juggle work and family, and how to create a collective identity following a divorce or a remarriage.
In the June 2008 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, Epp and Price challenges researchers in consumer behavior to think of how consumption patterns may be guided by a desire to build a family identity. This includes the things we buy, how we spend our time, and the services we use.
For example, Epp and Price point out that vacations are often thought of as an opportunity for a family to spend quality time together and build group memories. Studying only the individual’s role in purchasing behavior overlooks that the behavior is driven by a desire to emphasize the family unit. Similarly, families may use vacations to strengthen particular relationships within the family such as father-son or child-grandparent relations, Epp and Price note.
“Consumer researchers consistently conclude that firms should make decisions about positioning strategies and who to target based upon individual family members’ decision roles and relative influence in households,” Epp and Price explain.
They continue: “However, this completely misses the point . . . firms might gain more value from positioning and targeting based on the idea that products, services, and brands act as resources for achieving relational and family identity goals.”
Citation: Amber M. Epp and Linda L. Price, “Family Identity: A Framework of Identity Interplay in Consumption Practices.” Journal of Consumer Research: June 2008.
Source: University of Chicago
Related stories:
Oil, gas, propane? Penn State site compares home heating options
(PhysOrg.com) -- That nip in the air means fall is here, and many homeowners are facing a drastically more expensive home-heating season. An energy specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says it's not too late to install a secondary heating system to manage those soaring costs.
Taiwan's Asustek adds new member to low-priced mini laptop family
Taiwan's Asustek Computer on Tuesday added a new member to its low-price "Eee PC" mini laptop family after achieving what the company said is a great success in the market.
Study looks at psychological impact of gene test for breast cancer
Personal beliefs about inconclusive DNA testing for hereditary breast cancer are associated with cancer-related worry, and such beliefs are an especially strong predictor of whether women had been able to leave the period of DNA-testing behind, reports a study in the October issue of
Genetics in Medicine, official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
Netgear Launches A New Family Of Wireless-N Routers
Netgear today has announced a new family of Wireless-N networking solutions that will make it easy for anyone to upgrade their wireless home network to Wireless-N technology. This new technology supports the simultaneous use of bandwidth running intensive applications such as video streaming, voice-over-IP, online gaming and QoS (quality of service) to ensure the correct prioritization of traffic.
Solar water heaters growing in power-hungry Burkina Faso
A solar panel lies on the roof of Pierre Guissou's home in Burkina Faso, feeding power to his water heater and allowing his family to take precious hot showers in a country where most homes lack electricity.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin begins blogging
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has started a blog, candidly telling of being at risk for Parkinson's Disease and plugging his wife's genetic testing start-up firm.
Shuttle's mini PC with built-in touchscreen doesn't require a monitor
A small PC with an embedded LCD touchscreen may sound like an interesting idea, but you may wonder how practical it would be. Especially when the computer's 7-inch screen has a resolution of just 800x480, making it difficult to stare at for too long.
New report finds food prices in Boston and Philadelphia 50 percent higher
Researchers from the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP) at Boston Medical Center and Drexel University School of Public Health, have reported that low-income families in Boston and Philadelphia using food stamp benefits do not have the financial resources to buy the Thrifty Food Plan, the standardized food plan used as the basis for calculating food stamp benefits by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Even families receiving the maximum food stamp benefit would have to spend an additional $2,250 in Boston and $3,165 in Philadelphia annually to purchase the Thrifty Food Plan.