Star Signs Predict Purchasing Behaviour?
Star (or sun) signs have been proven to correlate with certain personality attributes. It pains me to say this as I would like to right the whole star sign industry off, and what I am talking about it a long way off people being able to predict their future by reading the back page of Woman’s Day.
However, brilliant, scientifically grounded psychologists such as Hans Eysenck have found much evidence to support the link between personality and star signs. It must also be said that others have also attempted to debunk these findings. However, there remains strong pockets of belief that star signs are predictive of personality.
Further, read any introductory consumer behaviour book and you will see that personality, influences our purchasing behaviour. For example: Extroverts are more hedonistic, looking for purchasing stimuli to keep them ‘entertained’. Conscientious people are normally more planed and deliberate in how they spend.
Therefore is should come as no surprise that your star sign may have an influence of the types of things we purchase and why we purchase them. Mitchell and Haggart in their study ‘Star sign astrology in segmentation’ found that:
“Astrology does have a significant, and sometimes predictable effect on behaviour in the leisure, drinks and tobacco segments”.
What does this then mean? For example
- Do Virgo’s purchase more Beck’s (pure, clean, Germanic, orderly)?
- Do Acquarians purchase more Little Creatures (colourful, creative, interesting)?
This is about the end of my knowledge on the subject. It’s an interesting area. Bullshit or brilliant? I put a vote in each camp at the moment!
Fritz Bachen is a Consumer Psychologist and Founding Partner at Naked Communications. Fritz can be seen, read or heard at; The Gruen Transfer, ABC Radio (Sunday nights), Adnews columnist, as well as The Australian, Cleo, Mumbrella, Shop Till You Drop and so on. He speaks at numerous conferences on marketing, ideas, contemporary culture, and consumer behaviour. Fritz has degress in clinical psychology and commerce (marketing). A registered psychologist and has worked in private practice, forensic settings, advertising (Saatchi & Saatchi) and marketing consultancy (Added Value). He was also state under 12 chess champion on WA, and has a board game called The Analyst selling well in the Benelux countries.
Comments
Katie Harris
Mar 28th, 2009Firmly in the skeptic camp on this one.
Given that star (or sun) signs seem to be determined by moon/planet/cosmic alignment (whatever), I don’t understand how people who are born at exactly the same moment, before or after a cusp date, but happen to live in different hemispheres, wouldn’t be the same star sign…
*raises eyebrow*
Daniel Oyston
Mar 29th, 2009I am pretty skeptic but am constantly amazed by this world so am not ruling it out!
BTW – I am a Virgo … give me a Tooheys Old or Guinness any day.
Fritz Bachen
Mar 30th, 2009Hi Kate – yes Im a skeptic too. Although Hans E was a very influential and evidenced base psychologist – so i guess there may be something there?
Daniel – I too prefer Old / Porters / Stouts and I have a very different star sign so I guess the theory must be completely flawed!
jemster
Mar 30th, 2009I can’t belive it’s devine. But I could believe it could be adopted traits.
People who believe in star signs adopting the behavioural traits ‘known’ to be associated with their own star sign: “If I’m a taurean I’ll behave the way a taurean is supposed to behave” . It may or may not be a conscious decision.
Conditioning of a sort, more Skinner than Eysenck?
Anonymous
Apr 1st, 2009firmly in the skeptic camp on this one also
As much as I believe in the power psychology plays on our purhcasing behaviour maybe this one might of been better posted on April 1st – I honestly thought for a moment it was an aprils Fools
good luck convincing a client of this one
Anonymous
Apr 1st, 2009i’m neither here nor there on the horoscope stuff but am in the don’t do it camp when it comes to this: *raises eyebrow*
toddalchin
Apr 1st, 2009I’d like to see a brand put up the cash to throw star signs into the largest syndicated research study we have – i.e. the Roy Morgan database.
If it holds up you’d expect to see correlations with attitudes, interests and some limited purchase behaviour.
Do more Virgos agree it’s “okay for men to cry”? Do more Librans “try to eat a balanced diet”?
Fritz Bachen
Apr 1st, 2009Jemster love the way you think. Labelling theory is certainly very strong – give people a label and they’ll start to act in that way.
Overall – I must say I do agree with the majority of people who commented – it seems very suss. I’m not convinced.
Jeremy
Jun 5th, 2009Do astrology predictions lend themselves to be discriminated upon? Can what is predicted of one person fit neatly to another person too if there were no star signs to stipulate categories?
Astrology predictions are based on Barnum Statements, Rainbow Ruses and Jacques Statements, meaning they would be more likely to have elements of multiple facets of personality which are desirable.
Notably, Eysenck & Nias did ultimate refute his own Mayo study results.
marry
Mar 30th, 2010Blogs are so informative where we get lots of information on any topic. Nice job keep it up!!
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