Vals 2
Vals 2
Introduction to VALS
The VALS (Values and Lifestyles) model, developed by Strategic Business Insights (SBI), is a
psychographic segmentation tool used to categorize consumers based on their behaviors, motivations,
and attitudes toward purchasing goods and services. This model considers factors like resources,
social influences, and personal values to understand consumer behavior.
This report applies the VALS framework to the Bangladesh market, focusing on consumers aged 18 and
above. Bangladesh is experiencing significant socio-economic changes, including digitalization, a
growing middle class, and increasing global connectivity. These factors influence how people
perceive themselves and make purchasing decisions. Therefore, understanding these psychographics
can help businesses, marketers, and policymakers tailor their approaches to this key demographic.
These segments are organized based on two main dimensions: primary motivation (ideals, achievement,
or self-expression) and resources (personal and financial). For this report, the following insights are
tailored for consumers in Bangladesh aged 18 and above, emphasizing emerging trends, behaviors,
and socio-cultural contexts.
1. Innovators
Innovators are affluent, sophisticated, and well-educated individuals. They have high levels of resources,
both financially and intellectually, which gives them the ability to explore new ideas and discipline.
This group is typically found in urban centers like Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh.
Behavioral Characteristics:
1. Tend to adopt new technologies and trends quickly.
2. Enjoy a high level of social status and value unique experiences.
3. Interested in high-end consumer goods, luxury brands, and personalized services.
4. Strongly connected to global trends, often influenced by international media and social platforms.
5. Marketing Implications: For this segment, brands should focus on offering premium products,
exclusive experiences, and innovative solutions. Campaigns should emphasize uniqueness,
technological sophistication, and social responsibility.
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2. Thinkers
Thinkers are mature, well-educated individuals who value knowledge and intellectual pursuits. They tend
to be financially secure and have a strong sense of responsibility toward society and their family.
Behavioral Characteristics:
1. Intellectual and analytical, often making decisions based on research and facts.
2. Value education and are likely to engage in discussions about current events, politics, and social
issues.
3. Prefer high-quality, functional, and long-lasting products.
4. Marketing Implications: Brands should focus on providing detailed product information, emphasizing
durability, functionality, and value. Thought-leadership content, such as articles or documentaries on
the product's benefits, will appeal to this segment.
3. Believers
Believers are conventional, family-oriented individuals with a strong sense of community. They are often
religious and follow traditional cultural norms. In Bangladesh, this group is prevalent in rural areas
and smaller towns.
Behavioral Characteristics:
1. Strong belief in community values, traditions, and religious principles.
Conservative in their spending and lifestyle choices.
2. Prefer products and services that align with their values and cultural heritage.
Less likely to embrace fast-paced or unconventional trends.
3. Marketing Implications: For this segment, brands should appeal to values like family, tradition, and
community. Advertisements that emphasize respect for local customs, heritage, and religious values
will resonate deeply.
4. Achievers
Achievers are goal-oriented individuals who are successful in their careers and personal lives. They tend
to be financially stable and have a clear vision of what they want to achieve.
Behavioral Characteristics:
1. Focus on career success, family stability, and achieving personal goals.
2. Prefer products and services that are efficient, reliable and help them maintain a successful lifestyle.
3. Interested in status and are willing to invest in premium products to maintain a high social 1
standing.
5. Strivers
Strivers are younger, ambitious individuals who are motivated by the desire to improve their status and
social standing. They often face financial constraints but are willing to invest in products that signal
success.
Behavioral Characteristics:
1. Motivated by external rewards like recognition, status, and social comparison.
2. Can be aspirational, striving to live a lifestyle that reflects their goals.
3. More likely to take risks in their spending to project an image of success.
4. Often younger (late teens to early 30s) and highly engaged with social media.
5. Marketing Implications: Brands should focus on aspirational messaging, offering affordable luxury
items, and emphasizing how the product can improve one’s image. Social media influencers and
celebrity endorsements can be highly effective with this group.
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6. Experiencers
Experiencers are young, enthusiastic, and often adventurous. They are motivated by self-expression and
the pursuit of new experiences. They are highly social and tech-savvy, often at the forefront of digital
trends.
Behavioral Characteristics:
1. Value novelty, excitement, and self-expression.
2. Interested in trying new things, from fashion to food to technology.
3. High engagement with social media, often seeking peer validation.
4. Tend to make spontaneous, emotional decisions rather than strictly logical ones.
5. Marketing Implications: For Experiencers, brands should focus on offering trendy, exciting, and
innovative products. Limited-edition releases, exclusive events, and influencer partnerships are key to
reaching this dynamic group.
7. Makers
Makers are practical, hands-on individuals who value self-sufficiency and traditional skills. They often
live in rural or suburban areas and have limited financial resources, but they value independence and
self-reliance.
Behavioral Characteristics:
1. Practical and often frugal, making decisions based on necessity rather than desire.
2. Highly independent, preferring to solve problems on their own.
3. Appreciate products that are simple, functional, and durable.
4. Enjoy working with their hands, whether it's through DIY projects, farming, or crafting.
5. Marketing Implications: Brands targeting Makers should focus on functionality, simplicity, and
affordability. Practical demonstrations of how a product can help improve efficiency or save money
will resonate well with this group.
8. Survivors
Survivors are the least resourceful group, facing significant financial constraints. They prioritize basic
needs like food, shelter, and healthcare over luxury or leisure products.
Behavioral Characteristics:
1. Often living paycheck-to-paycheck, with limited access to resources.
2. Focused on survival and meeting immediate needs rather than long-term aspirations.
3. Generally skeptical of new products and trends, preferring familiar, inexpensive options.
4. Marketing Implications: Brands should focus on affordability and basic functionality for this group.
5. Highlighting practical benefits and cost savings in ads will resonate. Simple, no-frills product designs
and value-focused campaigns are most effective.