Introduction
(Model continued)
Chapter 17 describes consumer ideology about and his requirements of and needs for toys. The description is split into two sections:
First, the ideological benefits of toy purchase. We examine purposes for toys, play and games (5). Then, we examine the personal benefits of purchase, split into five areas: the family, pedagogical environment, technology, marketing/advertising and Art (6).
Chapter 18 describes utility maximisation (7).
Utility maximisation is described both in relation to the social psychological significance of the product (8) and to its individual appeal (9).
The toy’s social psychological significance (8) is manifested as social, situation and individual values connected to “meaning”.
The product’s individual appeal (9) is expressed via social symbol and utility values, social and conceptual values and subjective and eco-social values.
Chapter 19 is a detailed examination of consumers’ toy collections, children’s and parents’ favourite toys, criteria relevant to their toy purchases, how their choice of toys can be conditional on the family’s attitude to the future, etc.
Finally, chapter 20 includes a survey showing which parents, on the basis of their education, can be termed loyal (10) or casual (12). The “hybrid” consumer (11) is also mentioned, although only in passing.
This survey takes the form of a close study into which types of toys children - whose parents belong to certain groups (sorted according to their education) - select or reject. Evident deviations are listed here.
It is true to say that parents tend generally to connect certain values to certain groups of toys.
The social values (13), positional and dimensional values (14) and individual values (15) connected to different groups of toys are listed in an index. Evident deviations are commented on.