Abstract

Price, although powerful, is not necessarily powerful to all people. Beyond the division of people into price sensitives versus insensitives is the fact that these two groups show radically different dynamics. Price sensitives do not see as many differences among product messages as do price insensitives. Price sensitives seem to live in a flatter world, one with fewer nuances. To price sensitives, changing the brand or even the price of an item does not change the response to messages about the product. To price insensitives, in contrast, changing the brand or the price changes the response to the product messages. Simply said, price insensitives seem to be more awake, and smell more of the ‘roses’ than do the price sensitives. The world of the price insensitives is filled with more gradations, and perhaps more refined perceptions.