consumer behavior chapter 13: subcultures and social class
TRANSCRIPT
Objectives
- to know the different subcultures of america- to compare the consumer
behavior of the different subculture of hispanic, black and asian subculture- to know the difference of social class vs income
Subcultures
Analyzing Subcultures
Analyzing Subcultures cont...
Types of Subcultures
Geographic Subcultures
Geographic Subcultures cont...
Age Subcultures
Mature Market
Consumers over the age of 55 –often further subdivided into narrower age ranges:• Older – 55 to 64 years old.• Elderly – 65 to 74• Aged – 75 to 84• Very Old – 85 and over - they have more time to enjoy entertainment and leisure activities.
Ethnic Subcultures
• An ethnic subculture is a segment of larger society whose members are thought, by themselves and/or others, to have a common origin and to participate in shared activities believed to be culturally significant.• Black, Hispanic and Asian subculture is the three major ethnic
subculture in the United States.
Black Subculture
• The black or African American subculture is the largest minority group in the United States, with estimated 36.2 million people and about 8.2 families. They make up about the 13% of the population of America.• Generally, blacks may be described as disadvantaged
compared with whites, in terms of education and occupation attainment. They are also more likely than whites to live in the crowded, poorer neighborhoods of large cities.
Hispanic Subculture
• Hispanics are the American citizens that have Spanish origin and share Spanish culture in terms of language, food and other cultural aspects• The marketers identified three broader segments in the
Hispanic subculture:- Only Spanish speaking- Bilingual, but favoring Spanish
-Bilingual, but favoring English
Asian Subculture
• A person having origins in any of the original people of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. It includes people who indicated their races as Asian or reported entries such as Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and "Other Asian" or provided other detailed Asian responses.
• Asians are the primary market because they are wealthier than the Black and Hispanic subculture for two reasons, first is the education level is high and the second reason is more Asian live in a married-couple households with two wage earners.
Gender as a Subculture
• Gender differences significant enough to consider the two sexes as separate subcultures.
- Women show superior affect and purchase intent towards ads that are verbal, harmonious, complex and category oriented. Men show superior affect towards ads that are comparative, simple and attribute oriented. It was concluded that it may be best to advertise differently to men and women
Income as a Subculture
• People at different income levels tend to have quite different values, behaviors, and lifestyles• American households can be divided into three
income categories-Downscale-Upscale-Middle income
Acculturation Processes
• Acculturation refers how people in one culture or subculture understand and adapt to the meanings of another culture or subculture• Consumer acculturation refers to how people acquire
the ability and cultural knowledge to be skilled consumers in different cultures or subcultures
Acculturation Processes cont.
• Degree to which immigrants, movers, and marketers become acculturated depends on their level of cultural interpenetration• Four stages of acculturation corresponding to four
levels of cultural interpenetration- Honeymoon- Rejection- Tolerance- Integration
Social Class
Social class (or simply "class"), as
in a class society, is a set of
concepts in the social sciences
and political theory centered on
models of social stratification in
which people are grouped into a
set of hierarchical social
categories, the most common
being the upper, middle, and lower
classes.
Social Class for Consumer Analysis
Upper
Middle
Working
Lower
Upper Class
(14 percent of population). This
group consists of the upper-upper,
lower-upper, and upper-middle
classes.
They have common goals and are
differentiated mainly by income
Middle Class
(32 percent of population). These
consumers definitely want to “do
the right thing” and buy “what’s
popular.” They have always been
concerned with fashion and
following recommendations of
“experts” in print media.
Working Class
(38 percent of population).
Working-class Americans are
“family folk” depending heavily on
relatives for economic and
emotional support, such as tops on
job opportunities, advice on
purchases, and help in times of
trouble.
Lower Class
(16 percent of population). The
men and women of lower America
are no exception to the rule that
diversities and uniformities in
values and consumptions goals
are to be found at each social
level.
Social Class versus Income
The social class concept aids in
understanding consumer values
and behaviour; it is also useful for
market segmentation and
prediction of consumer behaviour.
However, there has long been a
controversy as to whether social
class or income is the better
variable for use in consumer
analysis.
Social Class versus Income
Recently consumer researchers
have recognized that each
variable has its advantage and
disadvantages, and the choice
among using social class, income,
or a combination of the two
depends on the product and the
situation. For example, Charles
Shaninger offers the following
tentative generalizations
1. Social class is more relevant than income for areas of consumer behaviour that do not involve high dollar expenditures but do reflect underlying differences in lifestyle, values, or homemaker roles not captured by income. Social class is superior for both method and place of purchase of highly visible, symbolic, and expensive objects such as living room furniture.
2. Income is generally appropriate for understanding purchases of major kitchen and laundry appliances and products that require substantial expenditures but are not status symbols within the class.3. The combination of social class and income is generally superior for product classes that highly visible, serve as symbols of social class or status within the class, and require either moderate or substantial expenditure (such as clothing, automobiles, and television sets).
This chapter discussed two marco
social influences on consumers
behaviours cognitions, and affective
responses: subculture and social class.
These social factors influence how
people think, feel, and behave relative
to their physical, social, and
marketing environments. We
discussed subcultural influences in
terms of geographic area, age, ethic
group, and other factors. Social class
influences were discussed in terms of
their role both in explaining
consumers behaviour and as a
strategic tool.
Summary