Who am I? This question points to a deeply engrained need within consumer behaviour in understanding the basis for the experience of consciousness known as the Self (Nour Foundation, 2010). The self and self-concept is a complex structure which encompasses our individual perceptions of our behaviour, abilities and unique characteristics as well as how we evaluate our self based on these qualities (Solomon et al., 2019). Whether these attitudes are positive or negative, they will help guide many purchase decisions as certain products can boost our self esteem or be rewarding for the self.
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Self esteem refers to an individual’s overall sense of self worth and self concept (Cherry, 2019). For example, those with low self esteem attempt to avoid embarrassment, failure and rejection at all costs and expect that they will not perform well on tasks (Solomon et al., 2019). Influencing self esteem through marketing can be seen through the exposure of models in ads which can trigger social comparison (Jun et al., 2017). This process may prompt consumers to evaluate their appearance rather negatively by comparing themselves to the models depicted in the artificial ads. By feeding into the insecurities of consumers through supplying idealised images of attractive people using specific products, marketers can strongly influence how consumers think and feel about their self concept (Solomon et al., 2019).
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Panadol strives for positive self-concept and promotes high self esteem through the use of everyday individuals within their ads. By choosing models of all shapes and sizes from various cultural backgrounds, the focus shifts from physical appearance to what is actually being advertised- the need for pain relief medication in a variety of real life, relatable situations.
Panadol promotes the ability to live our best healthy lives by consuming this product when experiencing a headache or overall pain. This in turn aids positive self concept and higher self esteem for individuals in order to avoid the failure of performing poorly on everyday tasks due to pain. Further, the process of social comparison with Panadol will allow consumers to evaluate the necessity of this pain relief medication in comparing themselves to those in the ad that are unstoppable because they are not experiencing anymore pain.
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Cherry, K. 2019, What exactly is self-esteem, viewed 27/04/19, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-esteem-2795868
Jun, S, Jeong, Y, Gentry, JW & Hyun, YJ 2017, ‘The moderating effect of self-esteem on consumer responses to global positioning in advertising’, International Journal of Advertising, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 272–292, viewed 27/04/19
Nour Foundation 2010, Perspectives on the Self, viewed 27/04/19, http://www.nourfoundation.com/events/Perspectives-on-the-Self/Conversations-on-Identity-and-Consciousness.html
Solomon, M., Russell-Bennett, R. and Previte, J. (2019) Consumer Behaviour, Australian Edition, 4th Ed., Pearson, p. 210-220
Consumer Behaviour 