VALS

I recently took a VALS survey, and the results actually surprised me. My reults claimed that I am an innovator who tends to also be somewhat of an experiencer. According to the website, innovators like to take charge and are typically successful and sophisticated. Image is also important, but not because of status...more for the fact that we like to express our taste and personality. I think that this is very true, especially the part concerning image. I do like self-expression and I take image seriously, afterall many people base their judegments of others on first impressions. (the image to the right, and all of the mentioned VALS information, was taken from the website, http://www.sric-bi.com/VALS/experiencers.shtml)



I think that this information is very useful for both consumers and companies alike. They can use VALS to target different pychological groups and make business more profitable and efficient. I think that in terms of correctness, the information given is very true. Wheh I took the survey and reviewed my results, although I was a little shocked by what it had to say, I realized that my VALS type was very much like me.

The target person that my group had the other day in class, was someone who shopped at Eddie Bauer. We said that this person would most likely be a middle-aged man or female who likes the outdoors and has a middle-class job and salary. This person, whom I like to call Jebb, would probably take weekend trips camping or going to the lake, has a golden retriever, and a small family. In terms of VALS, I think that Jebb would not be an innovator or an experiencer. He would most likely be a thinker, because thinkers are people that like to look for durability and funtionality in their products. These practical buyers would shop at places like Eddie Bauer because their products are exactly that: durable and practical.