ABSTRACT
Consumers have needs. Brands want to meet these needs. They do this by positioning the brand as well as possible towards the consumer in the target group: the brand tries to match the benefits and values of the brand as closely as possible to their target customers. In the description of the means-end chain, we have looked extensively at an essential component: the benefits that the consumer is looking for. People buy products or services because of the benefits promised by these products or services. Three types of benefits were distinguished:
functional benefits
experience-oriented benefits: offering a certain “experience”
symbolic benefits, through which the consumer can express himself to others
Benefits are a central part of the structure of meanings of a brand. We have seen that benefits offered by a brand are important for the consumer if they match the central values that the consumer strives for in his life: the consumer’s value system determines which benefits are important for the consumer. We have described this value system on the basis of the Value Compass. Often, personality dimensions are used to describe brands. We believe that values are in fact more important because “what you find important” has a stronger relationship with buying behaviour than “who you are.”
The means-end chain expresses two things: the means and the end. The “means” are formed by the brand; after all, the brand delivers product characteristics that enable the benefits that consumers are looking for. Just think of toothpaste that contains (among other things) whiteners to deliver the benefit “radiant white teeth.” The “end” consists of the values that the consumer aims for: for example, consumers might want radiant white teeth when the beauty ideal of a perfectly groomed appearance is an important value for them.
Different types of consumers pursue different values, and consequently are looking for different benefits. That is why markets are divided into segments. A segment is a group of people with more or less the same needs, so a group of people who are looking for more or less the same benefits. This chapter, therefore, also highlights the segmentation criteria that can be used to classify the market.
