Understanding what motivates your audience is key when delivering a message. VALS Framework (values, attitudes, lifestyles) developed in 1970s (Ezzeldin Mostafa 2014) is a psychographic tool marketeers use to analyse consumer behaviour based on a variety of 8 categories including:
- Innovators
- Thinkers
- Achievers
- Experiences
- Believers
- Survivors
- Strivers
- Makers
(Anon. 2025).
Unlike demographics that has been recently discussed in this blog, VALS Framework digs deeper into why people make the decisions they do based on motivations, attitudes and behaviours. An individuals tendency to consume goods is beyond the idea of age, income or education but in fact can be driven by factors such as energy, self-confidence and impulsiveness (Vaidyanathan n.d.).
Understanding the segments can help us marketeers to tailor our strategies affectively and connect to our audience on a deeper level. Depending on your product or message can depend on who you’re aiming to reach. For example, if selling a product based on something performance enhancing such as an energy drink, you may want to aim towards an achiever who’s traits are ‘goal oriented’.
Whereas if you were looking to promote a product that’s labelled as ‘trending’ from social media or that could be seen as high demand, aiming for an ‘experiencer’ who’re labelled as ‘variety seeking’ or ‘impulsive’ would be more appropriate and relevant to the product.
Not only does this framework apply to how you adjust your campaign to aim to, but also what platform you publish on or the way you do your digital marketing.
I strongly believe that using VALS Framework, can allow marketeers to create campaigns that closely and personally resonate with the audience and as a result, help build trust and a sense of relatability.
Referencing and sources:
ANON., 2025. VALS Framework: Segments & Analysis | StudySmarter [viewed 19 February 2025]. Available from: https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/marketing/digital-marketing/vals-framework/
EZZELDIN MOSTAFA, I.E.M.M.I.B.A., 2014. V.A.L.S. Model (Values And Lifestyles) The Most Intelligent Tool For Understanding Of CustomersValues And Lifestyles | Islam Ezzeldin Mostafa M.I.B.A. , B.Phr. [viewed 19 February 2025]. Available from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141011232233-99993053-v-a-l-s-model-values-and-lifestyles-the-most-intelligent-tool-for-understanding-of-customersvalues-and-lifestyles/
VAIDYANATHAN, R., n.d. The Framework, The Segments, History and Methodology
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