THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR

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THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON CONSUMER BUYING
BEHAVIOUR
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WHAT IS CULTURE

• A system of values and norms that are shared
  among a group of people and that when taken
  together constitute a design for living.
• Hofstede, Namenwirth and Weber

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There are more than 160 definitions of culture
Communicable knowledge, learned behavior passed
on from generation to generation
An Integrated system of learned behavior
patterns that are distinguishing characteristic
of the members of a given society
The collective programming of the mind which
distinguishes the members of one group or
category from those of another
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WHAT IS CULTURE?

• It is the sum total of learned beliefs, values,
  and
• customs that serve to direct the consumer
• behaviour of members of a particular society.
• The belief and value components of our definition
  refer to the accumulated feelings and priorities
  that individuals have about things and
  possessions.
• More precisely, beliefs consist of the very large
  number of mental or verbal statements that
  reflect a persons particular knowledge and
  assessment of something.
• Values also are beliefs. Values differ from other
  beliefs, however, because they meet the following
  criteria
• They are relatively few in number
• They serve as a guide for culturally appropriate
  behaviour
• They are enduring or difficult to change
• They are not tied to specific objects or
  situations
• They are widely accepted by the members of a
  society.

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• Therefore, in a broad sense, both values and
  beliefs are mental images that affect a wide
  range of specific attitudes that, in turn,
  influence the way a person is likely to respond
  in a specific situation. For example, the
  criteria a person uses to evaluate alternative
  brands in a product category (such as Volvo
  versus Jaguar automobiles), or his or her
  eventual preference for one of these brands over
  the other, are influenced by both a persons
  general values ( perceptions as to what
  constitutes quality and the meaning of country of
  origin) and specific beliefs ( particularly
  perceptions about the quality of Swedish-made
  versus English-made cars).
• In contrast to beliefs and values, customers are
  overt modes of behaviour that constitute
  culturally approved or acceptable ways of
  behaving in specific situations.
• Customs consist of everyday or routine behaviour.
  For example, a consumers routine behaviour, such
  as adding sugar and milk to coffee, putting
  ketchup on hamburgers, putting mustard on
  frankfurters, and having a salad after rather
  than before the main course of a meal, are
  customers. Thus, whereas beliefs and values are
  guides for behaviour, customs are usual and
  acceptable ways of behaving.
• By our definition, it is easy to see how an
  understanding of various cultures of a society
  helps marketers predict consumer acceptance of
  their products.

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• To produce and sell internationally, you must
  think of what the culture in that particular
  country demands.
• Businesses need to advertise and in order for
  customers to get the message of advertisement, it
  must be said in a language that can be easily
  understood.
• For example a multinational company advertising
  its products in China, has to use a language that
  can
• easily be understood ( of course Chinese), when
  advertising in Japan ( Japanese) , in Korea
  (Korean
• Language), in England ( English) in France
  (French), in the USA (English) in Brazil
  (Brazilian), in
• Malaysia ( Malaysian), in Portugal ( Portuguese),
  in Italy (Italian) etc.
• In producing products, businesses have to think
  of the components, aesthetics, Shape, size,
  quality, texture etc. For example British cars
  are different from other cars because of the
  positioning of the stirring. In other countries
  say France, USA etc the stirring appears to the
  left, but in Britain, it appears to the right.
  The style of driving differs in Britain compared
  to other countries say France, USA. For example
  cars are driven to the left but in France, USA,
  Cameroon etc cars are driven to the right. These
  are a few examples
• Therefore when designing cars for the British
  market, the car should be designed to suit the
  British culture and when designing cars for say
  the US, French or Japanese market etc, it should
  be designed to fit the culture.

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Element of Culture
A. Language

• Spoken Language

• Written Language

• Official Language

• Body Language eye contact, posture, gesture,
  distance, dressing,
• Movement, facial expression

• International Language

B. Religion

• Beliefs and Norms

• Sacred Objects

• Philosophical Systems

• Prayer/ Rituals

• Leading Religious of the World

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C. Values and Attitudes
Toward

• Time (Monochromic (V.S) Polychromic)

• Achievement

• Work

• Change

• Risk Taking

D. Education

• Literacy Level

• Formal Education

• Vocational Training

• Human Resource Planning

• Primary / Secondary / High education

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E. Social Organization

• Social Institutions

• Authority Structure

• Interest Groups

• Status Systems

• Social Mobility

F. Technology and Material Culture

• Science

• Invention

• Energy Systems

• Communications

• Tools and Objects

• Urbanization

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G. Politics

• Nationalism

• National Interests

• Power

• Ideologies

• Political Risks

• Sovereignty

H. Law

• Common Law

• Code Law

• Foreign law

• Home / Host Country Law

• Regulation / Antitrust Policy

• International Law

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COMPONENTS OF CULTURE

• Values Abstract ideas/assumptions about what a
  group believes to be good, right and desirable
• Norms social rules and guidelines that prescribe
  appropriate behavior in particular situations
• Folkways Routine conventions of everyday life.
• Little moral significance
• Generally, social conventions such as dress
  codes, social manners, and neighborly behavior
• Mores Norms central to the functioning of
  society and its social life
• Greater significance than folkways
• Violation can bring serious retribution
• Theft, adultery, incest and cannibalism

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DETERMINANTS OF CULTURE

• Social structure
• Religion
• Language
• Education
• Economic philosophy
• Political philosophy

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THE INVISIBLE HAND OF CULTURE

• Consumers both view themselves in the context of
  their culture and react to their environment
  based upon the cultural framework that they bring
  to that experiences. Each individual perceives
  the world through his own cultural lens.
• The impact of culture is so natural and automatic
  that its influence on behaviour is usually taken
  for granted. For instance, when consumer
  researchers ask people why they do certain
  things, they frequently answer, because its the
  right thing to do. This seemingly superficial
  response partially reflects the ingrained
  influence of culture on our behaviour. Often it
  is only when we are exposed to people with
  different cultural values or customs ( as when
  visiting a different region or a different
  country) that we become aware of how culture has
  molded our own behaviour. Thus a true
  appreciation of the influence that culture has on
  our daily life requires some knowledge of at
  least one other society with different cultural
  characteristics. For example, to understand that
  brushing our teeth twice a day with flavoured
  toothpaste is a cultural phenomenon requires some
  awareness that members of another society either
  do not brush their teeth at all or do so in a
  distinctly different manner than or own society.

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CULTURE SATISFISES NEEDS

• Culture exists to satisfy the needs of the people
  within a society. It offers order, direction, and
  guidance in all phases of human problem solving
  by providing tried and-true methods of
  satisfying physiological, personal, and social
  needs. For example, culture provides standards
  and rules about when to eat , where to eat what
  to eat, what is appropriate to eat for
  breakfast, lunch and dinner what to eat at a
  wedding or even at a picnic.
• Culture is also associated with what a societys
  members consider to be a necessity and what they
  view as a luxury. For instance, 55 of American
  adults consider a microwave to be a necessity,
  and 36 consider a remote control for a TV or VCR
  to be a necessity.

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• Similarly, culture also provides insights as to
  suitable dress for specific occasions ( such as
  what to wear around a house, what to wear to
  school, to work, to church, at a fast-food
  restaurant, or to a movie theatre). Dress codes
  have shifted dramatically people are dressing
  more casually most of the time.
• Cultural beliefs, values and customs continue to
  be followed as long as they yield satisfaction.
  When a specific standard no longer satisfies the
  members of a society, however it is modified or
  replaced, so that the resulting standard is more
  in line with current needs and desires.

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CULTURE IS LEARNED

• Unlike innate biological characteristics (e.g.
  gender, skin, hair colour, or intelligence),
  culture is learned. At an early stage, we begin
  to acquire from our social environment a set of
  beliefs, values, and customs that make up our
  culture. For children, the learning of these
  acceptable cultural values and customs is
  reinforced by the process of playing with their
  toys. As children play, they act out and rehearse
  important cultural lessons and situations. This
  cultural learning prepares them for later
  real-life circumstances

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HOW IS CULTURE LEARNED

• Anthropologists have identified three distinct
  forms of cultural learning
• Formal learning in which adults and other
  siblings teach a young family member how to
  behave
• Informal learning, in which a child learns
  primarily by imitating the behaviour of selected
  others, such as family, friends or TV heroes
• Technical learning, in which teachers instruct
  the child in an educational environment about
  what should be done, how it should be done, and
  why it should be done. Although a firms
  advertising can influence all three types of
  cultural learning, it is likely that many product
  advertisements enhance informal cultural learning
  by providing the audience with a model of
  behaviour to imitate. This is especially true for
  visible or conspicuous products that are
  evaluated in public settings ( such as designer
  clothing, cell phones, or status golf clubs),
  where peer influence is likely to play an
  important role.

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HOW CULTURE IS LEARNED

• We learn to do the following from childhood
• Speak our language
• Write
• Eat
• Sing
• Play
• Drink
• Talk
• Dress
• Cook
• Drive
• Do politics
• Acquire knowledge
• Produce goods and services
• Serve customers
• These are examples of aspects of culture which we
  all have learned to perform
• especially from childhood.

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ENCULTURATION AND ACCULTURATION

• When discussing the acquisition of culture,
  anthropologists often distinguish between the
  learning of ones own, or native, culture and the
  learning of some new (other) culture. The
  learning of ones own culture is known as
  enculturation while the learning of a new or
  foreign culture is known as acculturation.
• Acculturation is an important concept for
  marketers who plan to sell their products in
  foreign or multinational markets. In such cases,
  marketers must study the specific culture (s) of
  their potential target markets to determine
  whether their products will be acceptable to its
  members and if so, how they can best communicate
  the characteristics of their products to persuade
  the target market to buy.

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LANGUAGE AND SYMBOLS

• To acquire a common culture, the members of a
  society must be able to communicate with each
  other through a common language. Without a common
  language, shared meaning could not exist, and
  true communication would not take place.
• To communicate effectively with their audiences,
  marketers must use appropriate symbols to convey
  desired product images or characteristics. These
  symbols can be verbal or nonverbal. Verbal
  symbols may include a television announcement or
  an advertisement in a magazine. Nonverbal
  communication includes the use of such symbols as
  figures, colours, shapes, and even textures to
  lead additional meaning to print or broadcast
  advertisements, to trademarks, and to packaging
  or product designs.
• A symbol is any that stands for something else.
  Any word is a symbol. The word hurricane calls
  forth the notion of wind and rain and also has
  the power to stir us emotionally, arousing
  feelings of danger and the need for protection
  and safety.
• Similarly, the word jaguar has symbolic meaning
  To some it suggests a fine luxury automobile, to
  others it implies wealth and status to some it
  suggests a sleek, wild animal to be seen in the
  zoo.

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RITUAL

• WHAT IS RITUAL?
• Ritual is a type of symbolic activity consisting
  of a
• series of steps occurring in a fixed sequence and
• repeated over time.
• RITUAL CAN ALSO STAND FOR THE FOLLOWING
• 1. established formal behavior an established
  and prescribed pattern of observance, for
  example, in a religion
• 2. actions done formally and repeatedly the
  performance of actions or procedures in a set,
  ordered, and ceremonial way (often used before a
  noun)
• 3. unchanging pattern a formalized pattern of
  actions or words followed regularly and precisely
  (informal)

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Examples of RITUALS

• The way religious and other festivities are
• celebrated
• Confirmation
• Baptism
• Christmas
• Easter
• Marriage
• Birthday
• New year
• Graduation

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CULTURE IS SHARED

• To be a cultural characteristic, a particular
  belief, value, or practice must be shared by a
  significant portion of the society. Thus culture
  frequently is viewed as group customs that link
  together the members of a society. Of course,
  common language is the critical component that
  makes it possible for people to share values,
  experiences, and customs.
• EXAMPLES TO SHOW HOW CULTURE IS SHARED
• In the UK the language shared by its people is
  English
• In France it is French
• In US it is English
• In China it is Chinese
• In Japan it is Japanese.
• This is important to marketers because when
  considering production, and
• advertisement of products, they should consider
  that culture is shared by so
• many people. If the company decides to advertise
  its products, then the
• language shared by the people should be used
  because it can be understood
• by a vast majority of people.

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CULTURE IS SHARED

• In China, their food is eaten using chop sticks
  by vast majority of people.
• Still in China they consume Chinese food
• While in Japan, Japanese food is consumed
• In UK vast majority of people belong to
  Christianity as a religion.
• In Iran, Dubai, United Arab Emirate etc the
  people belong to the Islamic religion
• Religious rituals are shared by vast majority of
  people in these different countries.

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CULTURE IS DYNAMIC

• To fulfill its need-gratifying role, culture
  continually must evolve if it is to function in
  the best interest of a society. For this reason,
  the marketer must carefully monitor the
  sociocultural environment in order to market an
  existing product more effectively or to develop
  promising new products.
• Many factors are likely to produce cultural
  changes within a given society ( new technology,
  population shifts, resource shortages, wars,
  changing values, and customs borrowed from other
  cultures, political and legal factors)
• The changing nature of culture means that
  marketers have to consistently reconsider why
  consumers are now doing what they do, who the
  purchasers and the users of their products are (
  males only, females only, or both), when they do
  their shopping, how and where they can be reached
  by the media, and what new product and service
  needs are emerging.
• Marketers who monitor cultural changes also often
  find new opportunities to increase corporate
  profitability. For example, marketers of such
  products and services as life insurance,
  financial and investment advice, casual clothing,
  toy electric trains, and cigars are among those
  who have attempted to take advantage of shifts in
  what is feminine and how to communicate with
  female consumers.

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THE MEASUREMENT OF CULTURE.

• A wide range of measurement techniques are used
  in the study of culture.
• Projective techniques
• Attitude measurement methods
• Field observation
• Participant observation
• Content analysis
• Value measurement survey instruments (technique).
• Consumer fieldwork

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American core values

• Achievement and success
• Activity
• Efficiency and practicality
• Progress
• Material comfort
• Individualism
• Freedom
• External conformity
• Humanitarianism
• Youthfulness
• Fitness and Health
• Core values are not an American phenomenon

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• SUBCULTURE AND
• CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

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WHAT IS SUBCULTURE?

• Subculture is a distinct cultural group that
  exists as an identifiable segment within a
  larger, more complex society.
• Thus the cultural profile of a society or nation
  is a composite of two distinct elements ( 1. the
  unique beliefs, values, and customs subscribed to
  by members of specific subcultures and (2) the
  central or core cultural themes that are shared
  by most of the population, regardless of specific
  subcultural membership.

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Examples of Subcultures

• NATIONALITY SUBCULTURE

MAIN CULTURE SUBCULTURE
BRITISH African, Chinese, Indian, Jamaicans, etc
AMERICAN African, Jamaican, Malaysian, etc
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RELIGIOUS SUBCULTURES
MAIN RELIGION AND DENOMINATION OTHER RELIGIONS DENOMINATIONS
CHRISTAINITY - Anglican Catholics, protestants, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism
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GEOGRAPHIC AND REGIONAL SUBCULTURES.
MAIN CULTURE SUBCULTURE
USA Washington DC
Newyork
Chicago
Los Angeles
Detroit
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Cleveland
Minnesota
Arizona
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RACIAL SUBCULTURES.
MAIN RACIAL CULTURE THE WHITE AMERICAN CONSUMER SUBRATIAL CULTURE
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CONSUMERS
ASIAN AMERICAN CONSUMERS




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AGE SUBCULTURE
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Sex as a subculture

• SEX ROLES AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
• CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND SEX ROLES
• THE WORKING WOMAN

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