Unsupervised learning on personality traits for buying a mac or a windows
Aim: To analyze and interpret an unsupervised learning problem based on survey data for Microsoft.
Background: Microsoft has decided to approach this question from the perspective of the Big Five personality traits as well as the Hult DNA to identify consumer buying behavior.
WHY: Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) have been rigorously researching several aspects of consumer buying behavior in regards to the decision making behind this question.
Assumption: This data, including its demographics, are representative of the population Microsoft is attempting to study.
- Extroversion (E) is the personality trait of seeking fulfillment from sources outside the self or in community. High scorers tend to be very social while low scorers prefer to work on their projects alone.
- Agreeableness (A) reflects much individuals adjust their behavior to suit others. High scorers are typically polite and like people. Low scorers tend to 'tell it like it is'.
- Conscientiousness (C) is the personality trait of being honest and hardworking. High scorers tend to follow rules and prefer clean homes. Low scorers may be messy and cheat others.
- Neuroticism (N) is the personality trait of being emotional.
- Openness to Experience (O) is the personality trait of seeking new experience and intellectual pursuits. High scores may day dream a lot. Low scorers may be very down to earth.
The Hult DNA represents personality and leadership traits that are sought after by employers. The MSFT survey questions where defined under the three critical competencies (Thinking | Communicating | Team Building) and a calculation developed by classifying and quantifying the 9 Hult DNA behavioral skills.
- Thinking is the trait of being 'self-aware', having the ability to 'embrace change' and being a 'dynamic thinker'. High scorers tend to be innovative people with a hunger for knowledge.
- Communicating reflects an individual's ability to 'speak and listen skillfully', 'influence confidently' and 'present ideas effectively'. High scorers tend to be confident people who do not shy away from conflict.
- Team Building reflects the ability to 'build collaborative relationships', 'inspire and motivate' and 'resolve conflict constructively'. High scorers tend to be resilient, collaborative and trusting people .
‘Only trust and commitment had a significant direct effect on store behavioural loyalty’. According to this article, product satisfaction is not an accurate predictor of brand loyalty. By looking at the relationship between our five personas and four clusters, we have similar findings. The ‘emotional’ and ‘personable’ personas showed the largest difference in clusters between Mac and Windows users. This may suggest that these customers place more importance on the service experience than the product features. E.g relationship with the service provider, how easy/affordable it is to get help... Therefore, Windows should focus on using their instore experience and perfect their customer services to target these persona groups. (Nevid & Pastva, 2014) (Bove & Mitzifiris, 2007) (Andi, 2012)
According to the findings, there is not a clear difference between the people who chose Mac or Windows. The personality classification between them doesn’t relate to a specific purchase option. According to Eric Jaffe, there is no Mac or PC personality, but Mac user has a deeper relationship with a computer, based on a study from Nevid and Pastva. But, in some cases, for example, the Sensitive Extrovert persona the Cluster 0 is bigger for Mac, but for Emotional persona is on Windows. This means, that regardless of the lack of preference there is more concentration on specific clusters.
The “Friendly Introvert” persona is more likely to use Microsoft. Based on the research we did, people who are conservative, and also from the report (PUMPHREY, n.d.), PC users have a better understanding of mathematical concepts than Mac users. However, our representative population are business school students, therefore the findings differ from students with technical majors. Our current data shows an almost equal split between Microsoft and MAC PC users. This persona does not give conclusive findings for business students, instead, Microsoft can target engineer majored students.
Microsoft should develop a marketing campaign to target users that have personas of 'Friendly Introverts', 'Self-Aware' and 'Emotional'. These groups are being targeted because they show high inclinations towards Microsoft as their chosen laptop. Since the focus population group are university students this can be done through road shows in Specific universities to start based on the university’s focus; • Humanities focused universities – may have more friendly introverts and self-aware personalities • Sports focused universities – may have more emotional personalities As the next step, Microsoft should adapt their in store and online customer experience to suit these student personalities and thereby build a lasting relationship of trust and commitment with consumers.
Andi, H. K. (2012, October). Emotional Intelligence and Personality Traits. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2(10).
Bove, L., & Mitzifiris, B. (2007). Personality Traits and the process of store loyalty. Journal of Services Marketing, 21(7), 507 - 519.
Jaffe, E. (n.d.). How Apple’s Famous “I’m A Mac” Ads Branded Fanboys For Life. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3026521/apples-famous-ads-created-an-im-a- mac-effect.
Nevid, J. S., & Pastva, A. (2014, January). “I'm a Mac” versus “I'm a PC”: Personality Differences between Mac and PC Users in a College Sample. Psychology & Marketing, 31(1), 31-37.
PUMPHREY, C. (n.d.). 10 Differences Between Macs and PCs. Retrieved from https://computer.howstuffworks.com/macs/10-differences-between-macs-and- pcs7.htm