Strategic Business Insights Website Explores Information Vals:

¶ … Strategic Business Insights website explores information VALS: http://www.strategicbusinessinsights./vals/ustypes.shtml Click types read descriptions define behavioral classifications.

My VALS types:

Consuming as an innovator (primary type) and achiever (secondary type)

According to my survey results, my primary VALS ™ type is that of an innovator and my secondary VALS type is that of an achiever. Innovators are "successful, sophisticated, take-charge people with high self-esteem…They are change leaders and are the most receptive to new ideas and technologies. Innovators are very active consumers, and their purchases reflect cultivated tastes for upscale, niche products and services" such as educational vacations, specialty juices and bottled waters which are promoted upon intangible aspects such as personal fulfillment and health. While innovators do engage in a form of conspicuous consumption, they do so to promote their tastes and values, less so to make an ostentatious show of wealth. "Their possessions and recreation reflect a cultivated taste for the finer things in life" (VALS, 2013, Strategic Business Insights). However, my secondary achievers profile is very much the opposite of this orientation: "achievers have goal-oriented lifestyles and a deep commitment to career and family" and can be somewhat conservative, because they desire social esteem and respect authority (VALS, 2013, Strategic Business Insights).

In many ways, I do think that my natural inclination supports the personality profile of an innovator. I like to go to concerts and events rather than simply go shopping. I think I am open-minded because I am willing to try new foods and products. I do not 'follow fashion' and I have my own style. I am very interested in personal fulfillment. I do not think I am conservative like an achiever, but the profile notes that achievers tend to value money-saving devices and like to be organized. I admit that I am always trying to organize my life to maximize the greatest potential value from every possible second.

I think the factors of culture and life stage are the most significant determinants directing me into those categories. Someone who is culturally more liberal and from the East Coast and has a wide variety of friends with different styles is more likely to embrace innovation. I have an interest in non-mainstream activities and niches. Age is another determinant: a young consumer with changes brand preferences, my life choices are more likely to be 'out of the box.' Without the obligations of a family or a mortgage payment, I have more funds to explore innovations such as the latest media and fashion. But I also like to feel that what I am buying has some quality, whether it is a phone or a pair of shoes. Simply because something is trendy is not enough of a reason for me to buy it: it also has to serve a higher purpose, if only to express my true nature.

However, my age also means that I have less disposable income than an older consumer to make very large purchases, like expensive tickets to exotic destinations. I also have less money to donate to causes and to buy the most 'ethical' products available, which is one reason why I did not register as a perfect 'innovator.' Finally, other aspects of my young lifestyle, like not having much room to engage in hands-on hobbies like cooking and crafting, likely skewed some parts of my score into the achiever category more, who tend to value convenience.

A good example of a brand that targets 'innovators' is that of Garmin, which manufactures the popular GPS watch for runners. Innovators embrace new technology and signs that they are intellectually 'with it' (as opposed to just trendy). They also often buy niche products. In the advertisement below, the adventurous runner is clearly testing his personal limits on a rocky course. The man is healthy and fit -- not dressed to impress, but dressed to enable him to navigate the challenging terrain. The functionality of the Garmin watch is encapsulated by the image. The advertisement has few words; the image of the man 'speaks for itself.'