Childhood Memories to Gain Insight into Brand Meaning

Kathryn A. Braun-LaTour, Michael S. LaTour, & George M. ZinkhanUsing

Journal of Marketing, Vol. 71 (April 2007), 45-60

In this article, the authors advocate that people’s earliest product memories can be used as a projective tool to help managers more fully understand consumers’ relationships to their products. The authors use a study on three generations of automobile consumers to illustrate how these memories symbolize the consumer–brand relationship and how they can be used to gain insights into brand meaning. The findings indicate that people’s earliest and defining experiences have an important influence on current and future preferences across the consumer life cycle.

Automobile memories are the focus of the study. The sample came from the southwestern United States and included 60 participants who represent three age cohorts: 20 13ERs, or Generation Xers, between the ages of25 and 35 (10 male, 10 female); 20 baby boomers between the ages of 40 and 55 (12 male, 8 female); and 20 participants from the silent generation (or pre–baby boomers)ages 65 and over (12 male, 8 female). The silent generation was told to obey and be quiet and were overprotected by their parents; baby boomers were the most spoiled, having mothers at home and being the most nurtured and relaxed; and Generation Xers had parents who were more distant toward them and underprotected them. Because parental involvement is so important for the development of childhood memories, it is expected to influence the type of memories elicited. Each generation also grew up in a different cultural environment, with different models of cars, different types of landmark events, different wars, different movies, and so forth. Authors are interested in whether the age cohorts would exhibit similar or different types of Earliest Memories (EMs) and Defining Memories (DMs).

The three age cohorts were run in separate groups. Participants received a written questionnaire in which they wrote their memory stories and answered questions such as, “How old were you when the experience took place?” “Where did the experience take place?” “What is the clearest part of the memory?” “What is the strongestfeeling in the memory?” “If you had to put a title on thismemory, what would it be?” “What role did the car play inthis memory?” and “If the car could talk, what would he orshe say about this experience?” They were also asked to write down what personal and cultural events were occurring around the time their memory took place. Participants were asked to relate both their EM and DM memory stories to the researcher. The researcher asked them some questions about their memories, prompting them for details such as when, where, and with whom the experience took place to help them develop a richer narrative. The researcher asked whether those experiences affected the participants’ current choices or decision making for cars at other times in their lives. At total of 15 participants, 5 from each age cohort, were selected to come back the next day for a depth interview about their memories. Participants were asked to bring pictures or images that represented their EMs or DMs. In general, pictures/collages have been used to help guide personal interviews, participants were asked how the pictures related to their memory, to tell their memory story again, what images/emotions came to mind, who was involved in the memory, what else was happening to them during the time the memory took place, why they thought they remembered that particular event, what they learned from that experience, what the next memory that came to mind was, and so on. The reason for conducting these interviews was to determine whether the EMs and DMs elicited during the session would yield insights into brand and product meanings beyond those experiences. These stories and interviews provided a framework for understanding consumers and their developing relationship with automobiles.

The average age at which the EMs occurred was six. This stage is a time when all components of the autobiographical memory system are in place. Research suggests that people have already learned symbolic meaning and brand status by this time in life, and self–brand connections are in a state of development. Some of the major aspects involved in the EMs included family car, excitement, safety, bonding, comfort, and fun. The categorization of memories into general action events resulted in the experiences: weekend family outings or special outings with a parent, birthday parties, family vacations, visiting grandparents or other relatives, and “pretend” driving on a parent’s lap. Most of these experiences were family oriented and associated with feelings of attachment. Children actively seek out attachment relationships during this time of their life. The majority of EM was concerned primarily with the need for attachment. Cars were viewed as an essential part of family life and were associated with bringing joy and family unity. In the EM experiences, the car played the role of bringing family members together. The focus in all the EMs was on family. No external actors were present. The EMs represented feelings of “emotional safety,”which is a safe psychological bond with family members. Several participants remarked on the size of the family car and its comfort. The emotion in these memories was a feeling of safety, of being cared for and comforted. In adulthood, the EM represents a way to reconnect to that feeling of being cared for. Another important issue is the role of the car in the memories. Is it a passive observer? Is itcentral to the action? What sort of “personality” does itreveal? The car’s role in the EM was that of connecting family members. The survey asked participants what they believed the car would “say” about their experience if it had a chance; some responses were, “Let’s go, happy wanderers” (babyboomer); “I am glad that I provided your family with everything I could” (silent generation); and “Look how happy they are” (Generation Xer). Participants also had an opportunity to list the personality traits associated with their EM car. The following are some of the adjectives they chose: “jovial,” “happy,” “comfort,” “fun,” “reliable,”“motherly,” “dependable,” “staid,” “sturdy,” “calm,”“steady,” “trusting,” “gentle,” and “strong.” Finally, participants were asked what, if any, aspects of their EM car they would like to see on cars today. They responded with words such as “reliable,” “dependable,” “comfort,” “familyfriendly,” “simple,” “solid,” “strong,” “roomy,” and “safe.” These are traits that consumers look for when selecting a “family car” to purchase. The brands or products they most associated with their EM were Jeep, GrandTorino, Volkswagen bus, van, Chevy Bel Aire, Cadillac,Buick, station wagon, sedan, and minivan.

DMs showed the influence of external members of the participants’social circles. These memories featured the ideas of“showing off,” “going for a joy ride,” the car being an expression of “me,” and desire for status. 14 was the average age when DMs occurred. Defining memories included people, socialization, learning, life, school friends, and new cars. Generic experiences were associated with the DMs were; learning how to drive, pride in owning a car, admiring another person’s car, driving in a “cool” car, and going for a joy ride. The majority of these experiences are related to purchasing or being directly involved with the car. The car enabled the consumer to define him- or herself to others. Emotions, such as pride, were involved. The car was a means to “show off” or impress. The car was viewed as a symbol of success and accomplishment. The following descriptions are what people noted that the car would say about their DM:“Let’s rock” (baby boomer), “I lived my 15 minutes offame” (silent generation), and “I took you folks on the rideof your life” (Generation Xer). Participants described their brand-defining car as having the following personality traits: “fashionable,” “sexy,” “cool,” “image maker,” “fast,”“proud,” “attractive,” “classy,” “fun-loving,” “outgoing,”“macho,” “almost uncontrollable,” and “smooth.” Desired qualities from the defining car were “luxury,” “sexy,”“speed,” “convertible,” “expensive,” “fast,” “cool,” “reputation,”and “styling.” The brands or products most associated with the DMs were Stingray, Capri, Corvette, Thunderbird,Celica, and hot rod.

The nodes on the memory map (figure 1)represent constructs from interviews, and the connections between the nodes show associations. Only constructs mentioned by at least two-thirds of the participants from each generation appear on the map. The most obvious distinction, or tension, in the map appears in the disconnect between “family car,” represented on the left-hand side, and “sports car,” represented on the right-hand side. This tension of needing a safe vehicle while desiring a fun, sporty car existed for all generations. Brands that can resolve the contradictions are successful. The brand’s myth is the consumer belief that the brand offers a way to resolve a problem or situation that previously represented some kind of contradiction. In other words, strong opposition leads to strong myth. By extension, brand positioning is superior if it can capture contradiction in its brand story. Companies with dying brands are often companies whose brand myths have fallen behind or are out of tune with contemporary culture.

The Generation Xers: In post–September 11 world, the Generation Xers were beginning to start families. The natural urge to relive or re-create their own childhood is heightened by the reality that their own childhood was not really that good. They grew up in the era during which divorce was rampant, their self-centered baby boom parents often ignored them, women were breaking away from families to start careers. This group showed the strongest relationship between their EM and current car choice. To make sense of this contradiction, members of this group created their own myths about their childhood. In almost all the EMs, the father was central to the experience. He was frequently a larger-than-life figure. A brand story that might be effective for reaching this generation would be one that evokes the mythic father figure. Such a story might show the current father as a hero,protecting his family from the bad guys and confrontingand overcoming evil.

The Baby Boomers-During the time of the interviews, the baby boomers were becoming empty nesters, and the responsibility of raising afamily was not at the forefront of their experience. They were most influenced by the DMs they said that they were more pleasant and more cherished than any of the other generations. There was also a stronger relationship between the DM and the current choice behavior. Many respondents in sample were considering buying a sports car , people in their middle age try to reclaim lost youth and all the excitementthey associate with their late teenage years by buying carsthat are reminiscent of those they desired when they wereyounger. As children, the baby boomers were the most spoiled by their parents. What appeared to be more prevalent was re-creating the need to break from parental control, and the memories featured either that break or putting off responsibility. Feelings of freedom, wanting to relive youth, and not taking responsibility are all associated with the Peter Pan image. The baby boomers’ response to the fear of post–September 11 was to escape to their more idealistic adolescence.Therefore, brands that embrace remaining eternally young in body, mind, and spirit, as well as those that feature images associated with baby boomers’ DMs, would appeal to this generation.

Silent Generation-As children, they were war casualties in the sense that they were often overlooked, and their parents, who were faced with the Depression, worked long hours, and there was notmuch time for nurturing. Their life paralleled the developmentof the automobile, from the mass-produced Ford A, to the Corvair, to the 1957 Chevy, to the present. Their life has also been an internal struggle between the practicality to which their parents ascribed and the abundance available to them after World War II; for this generation, the struggle was not between family and sports car but rather between practical and status car. Their life paralleled the growth, sophistication, and transformation of the automobile, and some aspired throughout their life timesto own the best car available. Others condemned that type of conspicuous consumption and the extravagance of the automobile as a status symbol, harkening back to their parents’more practical views about the role of cars. The view that eventually prevailed was revealed in their childhood memories.The archetype relevant to members of this generation is the Midas/miser, the pull between being showy and buying the best while being practical and remembering their roots. For a brand that wants to engage the psyche of this generation, it must be “quiet prestige.”

The memory data can be used to provide insights for marketers.The “generic events” represent the easiest entrée to the past. The images, life themes, and landmark events could provide specific symbols and images to incorporateinto consumer communications. By associating themselves with important childhood memory experiences, brands can benefit through the emotions brought forth as consumers relive those memories. Consumers yearn for stable families, bettering their children’s lives, and finding happiness. The differences are observed in the symbolic meaning attached to these memories and the landmark events associated with them, which would allow for more targeting of the collective memories of the different generations. Participants remembered themselves and the brands in terms of how they would like themselves to be, in this way, people’s idealized selves are projected onto the past.For brand managers who want to create an“authentic” self or image, connecting to consumers’ past experiences provides a promising opportunity. Authenticity is an important aspect of brand identity. Through one strategy, a brand could work to reconcile the overall tension in the map between focusing on the self and focusing on the family, or the sports car versus the family car. An alternative strategy involves focusing on a particular generation or consumer type and then creating a brand myth toward these experiences, using the hero, PeterPan, or the Midas/miser archetypes as guides.

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