Culture and Consumer Behaviour

Contents
 Culture
 Sub Culture
 Cross Culture
 Culture and Consumer Behaviour
 Measurement of Culture

What is culture?

Culture is contextually based!
The common grasshopper
USA: Pest!
CHINA: House pet!
Thailand: A snack!
Culture is an
important part
of
international
business and
marketing!!!

Culture:
Is the accumulation of shared meanings,
rituals, norms, and traditions among the
members of an organization or society.

Culture is…
 “ Collective programming of the mind which distinguishes
the members of one human group from another... Includes
system of values; and values are among the building blocks
of culture...” (Hofstede, 1980)
 Glue that binds groups together. Without cultural patterns,
organized system of significant symbols, people would have
difficulty living together (De Mooij, 2004)
 Set of control mechanisms – plans, recipes, rules,
instructions – for governing behavior (Geertz, 1973)
 Includes shared believs, attitudes, norms, roles and values
found among speakers of a particular language who live
during the same period in a specific geographic region
(Triandis, 1995).

There is difference in terms
of
individualism/collectivism

Characteristics of culture
1. Culture is learned
2. Common to members of a certain group
3. Determines the behavior of group
members
4. Culture (customs, values, habits) makes
life more effective
AN INDIVIDUAL DOESN’T HAVE
CULTURE!
AN INDIVIDUAL HAS A PERSONALITY!

Characteristics of Culture:
By Keith Williams
 Culture exists to serve the needs of the
society
 Culture is acquired from society throughout
our life time.
 Culture is not static
 Culture is learned through interactions with
other members of the culture.
 Culture is transferred from generations to
generations.
 Culture will be adaptive to the needs of the
society.

Culture and CB
 Culture has immense influence on the
values and lifestyles of individuals.
 it cannot be underestimated as it actually
affects their thoughts, motives and value
systems
 Due to this dynamism people’s
psychological construct changes and,
therefore, their consumption patterns

Culture and CB……
 culture explicates the value systems of the
consumers that subsequently governs the
interpretation of environment around the
consumers.
 it plays an immense role in affecting the
consumers’ affective and cognitive choices
of consumption and spending.

Culture and CB…….
 Core values of a society define the usage of
products
 Positive and negative valences for brands
and for communication programs
 Culture define the ideology of consumption

Causes : Dissolving boundaries across
national culture
 Multinationalization, globalisation
 World tourism,
 World sports
 World communication (media)
 Global education
 Global workforce
 Global supply chain
 Global virtual teams
 Global organization
 Transnational cosmopolitanism

Transnational Company
 A global network of productive units with a
decentralized authority structure and no
distinct national identity
 Relies on a blend of global and local
strategies

Such scenario can lead to
global consumption
homogenization.

©2000 Prentice Hall
WorldWorld
BrandsBrands
Products that are
manufactured, packaged,
and positioned the same way
regardless of the country in
which they are sold.

©2000 Prentice Hall
• However, the counterargument is that local
culture remains influential on CB. Leading the
consumption pattern heterogeneous.

Ingredients / elements Leading to
Heterogeneity
 Institutions
 Norms
 Values
 Believes
 Religion
 Language
 Education system
 Art and aesthetics
 Material culture and life-style…

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Chapter Four | 19

©2000 Prentice Hall
Observations on the Differences Between
Japan and American Cultural Traits
JAPANESE CULTURE, TRAITS AMERICAN CULTURE, TRAITS
•Japanese language •English language
•Homogeneous •Diverse
•Harmony to be valued and
preserved
•Fight for one’s belief’s/positions
•Ambiguous •Clearcut
•General •Specific
•Unspoken agreement •Get the facts straight
•Holdback emotions in public •Display emotions in public

©2000 Prentice Hall
continued
JAPANESE CULTURE, TRAITS AMERICAN CULTURE, TRAITS
•Process-oriented •Result-oriented
•Fun-oriented •Humor-oriented
•Make a long story short •Make a short story long
•Nonverbal communication
important
•Verbal communication important
•Interested in who is speaking •Interested in what is spoken

Culture . . .
. . . is a learned behavior.
Enculturation is learning one’s own
culture.
Acculturation is learning a new
culture.

SubcultureSubculture
A distinct cultural group
that exists as an
identifiable segment
within a larger, more
complex society.
23Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Twelve Slide

Subculture
 A subculture is a segment of a larger culture whose members
share distinguishing values and patterns of behavior.
 The unique values and patterns of behavior shared by
subculture group members are based on the social history of
the group as well as on its current situation.

 single community with dual ethnic groups

Marketing to African Americans
 Products
 Retailing
 More than 60% of African American shoppers say that
one of their most important reasons for choosing a store
is that it treats its customers with respect.
 This focus on respect is caused by the sad fact that
many black shoppers still encounter obviously
disrespectful acts such as being closely watched while
shopping as well as more subtle discrimination such as
slower service.

Asian Americans
 Asian Americans are a rapidly growing subculture, due
primarily to immigration. Asian Americans have the highest
average household income of any ethic group. However, Asian
Americans are also the most diverse group, with numerous
nationalities, languages, and religions.
National Background of Asian Americans
Chinese
28%
Filipino
22%Japanese
9%
Korean
13%
Vietnamese
13%
Other
15%

 Native Americans
 Nearly half live in the West, and there are approximately 550
Native American tribes, each with its own language and traditions.
 Asian-Indian Americans
 There are approximately 1.7 million Americans of Indian heritage.
There are well educated, affluent, and fluent in English.
 Arab Americans
 They are approximately 1 million Arab Americans in the U.S..
They are come from a variety of countries, including Morocco,
Egypt, Jordan, and Kuwait. They share a common Arabic heritage
and the Arabic language.

Major Age Subcultures
29

Issues in Understanding Gender as a Subculture
• Sex Roles and Consumer Behavior
– Masculine vs. Feminine Traits
• Consumer Products and Sex Roles
• Women as depicted in Media
30Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Twelve Slide

SubculturalSubcultural
InteractionInteraction
Marketers should strive
to understand how
multiple subcultural
memberships jointly
influence consumers
behavior
Chapter Twelve Slide

Cross Culture

The imperative to be multinational
 Acquiring exposure to other cultures
 Through consumers’ own initiatives
 Through movies, theatre and art
 Through new products/services
 Culture transfer through international marketing
 Country of origin effects
 Consumers use their knowledge of where products are made in
the evaluation of their purchase options
 Common associations
 France – perfumes, wine, clothing
 Italy – shoes, sports cars, furniture
 Japan – cameras and consumer electronics
 Germany – cars, tools and machinery
 India – spices, textiles, jewellery
 US – computers, entertainment, fast-food

©2000 Prentice Hall
Basic Research Issues in Cross-Cultural
Analysis
FACTORS
Differences in language and meaning
Difference in market segmentation
opportunities
Difference in consumption patterns
Difference in the perceived benefits
of products and services
EXAMPLES
Words or concepts may not mean the
same in two different countries.
The income, social class, age, and sex
of target customers may differ
dramatically in two different
countries.
Two countries may differ
substantially in the level of
consumption or use of products or
services.
Two nations may use or consume the
same product in very different
ways.

©2000 Prentice Hall
continued
FACTORS
Differences in the criteria for
evaluating products and services
Differences in economic and social
conditions and family structure
Differences in marketing research
and conditions
Differences in marketing research
possibilities
EXAMPLES
The benefits sought from a service
may differ from country to country.
The “style” of family decision
making may vary significantly from
country to country.
The types and quality of retail outlets
and direct-mail lists may vary
greatly among countries.
The availability of professional
consumer researchers may vary
considerably from country to
country.

©2000 Prentice Hall
A Framework for Alternative Global
Marketing Strategies
PRODUCT
STRATEGY
COMMUNICATON
STRATEGY
STANDARDIZED
COMMUNICATIONS
LOCALIZED
COMMUNICATIONS
STANDARDIZED
PRODUCT
Global strategy:
Uniform Product/
Uniform Message
Mixed Strategy:
Uniform Product/
Customized Message
LOCALIZED
PRODUCT
Mixed strategy:
Customized Product/
Uniform Message
Local Strategy:
Customized Product/
Customized Message

Culture and the marketing mix

Context and communication
 The context explains the degree of
directness of communication.
 In high context communication message
most of the info is either part of the
context or internalized in the person. Very
little is made explicit. Use of symbolism or
indirect verbal expressions.
 In low context communication message is
direct and unambiguous.

Culture & products

Culture & pricing decisions
Source: Hollensen, S. (2008). Global marketing. Pearson Education.

Culture & distribution

Culture & distribution
Japan USA

The Measurement of Culture
• Content Analysis: systematically analyzing the
content of verbal and/or pictorial
communication. Is frequently used to determine
prevailing social values of a society.
• Consumer Fieldwork: Field Observation (natural
setting, subject unaware, focus on observation of
behavior); Participant Observation
• Value Measurement Instruments: Rokeach Value
Survey (RVS); List of Values (LOV); VALS
43

Value Measurement Survey Instruments
Chapter Eleven Slide

You are what you eat

Indirect socio-cultural effects
 Food intake
 Imports
 Appropriate portion size / packaging
 Price
 Convenience
 Food choice
 Availability
 Cultural interest in a food
 Cultural avoidance of a food

Indirect personal effects
 Food intake
 Body image/ideals and eating
 Norms about meal size and timing
 Food choice
 Social and moral implication of eating
 Food-health links
 Preferences versus likes
 Food presentation (cuisine)

Direct sociocultural influences
 Inadvertent
 No intent on the part of the social agent
 Advertent
 Intentional role to influence food intake or
choice

Inadvertent influences
 Food intake
 Intake increases with the number of individuals
involved in a eating episode
 Presence of particular others (e.g. girlfriend trying to
get slimmer)
 “Females eat less, that is, behave on a more
feminine way, in the presence of a desirable male
companion” (Mori et al., 1987)
 Food choice
 Presentation of food / exposure
 Influence through others’ mood
 Consuming/buying food in public (judgement)

Advertent influences
 Media information
 Social (e.g. parental) influence
 Flattering
 Persuading
 Threatening
 Bribing