V.A.L.

S MODEL
VALUES, ATTITUDES AND LIFESTYLES

B Y: N I K I TA D H A M A
S H I VA M G A R G
 V.A.L.S Model
The Most Intelligent Tool For Understanding Of Customers Values And Lifestyles

The acronym VALS, (for "Values, Attitudes and Lifestyles") is a psychographic segmentation. It

was developed in 1970s and inaugurated in 1978 by Mitchell at SRI International.

VALS is a marketing and consulting tool that helps business worldwide develop and execute
more effective strategies. The system identifies current and future opportunities by
segmenting the consumer marketplace on the basis of the personality traits that drive
consumer behavior.

VALS applies in all phases of the marketing process, from new product development and
entry stage targeting to communications strategy and advertising.
 VALS Framework &
Segment
1. Innovators – Innovators are successful, sophisticated, take-charge people
with high self-esteem. Because they have such abundant resources, they
exhibit all three primary motivations in varying degree. They are change
leaders and are the most receptive to new ideas & technologies. Innovators
are very active consumer,& their purchases reflect tastes for upscale niche
products & services.

2. Thinkers –Thinkers are motivated by ideals. They are mature, satisfied,

comfortable & reflective people who value order, knowledge &
responsibilities, they tend to be well educated & actively seek out information
n the decision making process. They are well informed about world & national
events & rare alert to opportunities to broaden their knowledge.

3. Achievers (Motivated by the desire for achievement) - They have goal

oriented lifestyle & a deep commitment to career & family. Their social lives
reflect this focus & are structured around family, their place of worship, &
work. They value consensus, predictability and stability over risk, intimacy and
self- discovery.
4. Experiences – These consumers are the high-resource group of those who are motivated
by self- expression. They are the youngest of all the segments, with a median age of 25.
They have a lot of energy, which they pour to physical exercise and social activities. They
are avid consumers, spending heavily on clothing, fast-foods, music, and other youthful
favorites, with particular emphasis on new products and services.
5. Believers (like thinkers) – Believers are motivated by ideals. They are conservatives,
conventional people with concreate beliefs based on traditional, established codes:
family, religion, community and the nation. Many believers express moral codes that are
deeply rooted and literally interpreted.
5. Strivers - These consumers are the low-resource group of those who are motivated by
achievements. They have values very similar to achievers but have fewer economic,
social, and psychological resources. Style is extremely important to them as they strive
to emulate people they admire.
6. Makers - These consumers are the low-resource group of those who are motivated by
self-expression. They are practical people who value self-sufficiency. They are focused on
the familiar-family, work, and physical recreation-and have little interest in the broader
world. As consumers, they appreciate practical and functional products.
7. Survivors - These consumers have the lowest incomes. They have too few resources to
be included in any consumer self-orientation and are thus located below the rectangle.
They are the oldest of all the segments, with a median age of 61. Within their limited
means, they tend to be brand-loyal consumers.