Unit III: External Influences on Consumer
Behavior
Chapter V: Consumer
CULTURE is
 The beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a
particular society, group, place, or
time.
 A particular society that has its own
beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.
 A way of thinking, behaving, or
working that exists in place or
organization (such as business)
Consumer Culture is…
 Commonly held societal beliefs
that define what is socially
gratifying.
 Shapes value by framing everyday
life in terms of these commonly
held beliefs.
 It determines what consumption
behavior/s is acceptable.
Purpose of Culture on Consumer
Behavior
 Giving meaning to Objects (For
instance in Japan, refrigerators are
tiny by most Western standards.)
 Giving meaning to Activities (A
daily shower is not universally
accepted norm)
 Facilitating Communication
(Handshake, hug, kiss, eye
contact)
Cultural Norms – refers to a rule that
specifies the appropriate behavior in a
given situation within a specific culture. It
is unwritten and simply understood by
members of a cultural group.
Cultural Sanctions – refers to the
penalties associated with performing a
non-gratifying or cultural inconsistent
behavior. Thus, a consumer performing a
cultural inconsistent act may be shunned
or suffer embarrassment from the group.
Cultural sanctions are relatively
innocuous.
Cultural Distance
 Represents how disparate one
nation is from another in terms of
their CSV ( Core Societal Values)
 The most intuitive response is to
look to neighboring countries with
which home countries shares a
border. Thus, countries are
attractive because they are nearby
and can be easily reached both in
terms of marketing
communications and physical
distribution.
Roles Expectations
 These are the specific
expectations that are associated
with each type of person.
 One’s sex, occupation, social
class, and age all are relevant
bases for forming societal role
expectations.
 Roles Expectation becomes the
basis for cultural norms and
sanctions.
What causes Culture?
Ecological Factors
 Are physical characteristics that
describe the physical environment
and habitat of a particular place.
Example: Consumers from groups
that have relatively lived in desert
areas place a great value on
water relative to consumers from
areas filled with freshwater lakes.
As a result, consumers from
desert area may have different
habits when it comes to hygiene,
including the frequency and
duration of baths/showers. This
can affect the sales of beauty
products, soaps, hotel room,
building design, etc.

Traditional Factors
 Refers to customs and accepted
ways of structuring society.
Traditions include things like the
family, a political structures of a
society.
Example: In US, Australia, Canada
and much of Europe, families
traditionally consist of two
generations (Parents and
Children) living in a household,
where decisions emanates from
husband and wife. In India, more
than two generations
(Grandparents, Parents and
Children) where the decision
maker is the oldest male living in
the house.
Dimensions of Cultural Values
 Although conflicting views exist on
what exactly are the best
dimensions to describe differences
in cultural values, the most widely
applied dimensions are those
developed by Geert Hofstede.
(The Theory of Value-Based
Differences in Cultures.)
Core-Societal Value
1. Individualism – the extent to which
people expect each other to take
responsibility for themselves and
their immediate family. World view
that values individual freedom and
self-expression.
2. Collectivism – world view that
values the group over the individual.
3. Masculinity – captures distinctions
existing in societies based on
mannerism typically associated with
Western male traits such as valuing
assertiveness and control over
traditional feminine traits such as
caring, conciliation and community.
4. Long-term outlook – is based on
values of saving, and persistence.
Taiwan and Hong Kong are cultures
that are long -term in outlook.
5. Short-term outlook – seeks the
maintenance of personal stability or
happiness right now. France and the
U. S. are examples of this approach.
How is Culture Learned?
• Culture is a learned process.
• Consumers learned culture
through one of the two
socialization processes.
• Socialization – involves learning
through observation and the active
processing of information about
lives, everyday experience.
1. Social 2. Modeling 3.
Interaction Reinforceme
nt
Enculturation
• Represents the way a person
learns his or her native culture.
• It is a way in which a consumer
learns and develops shared
understandings of things with his
or her family.
Example: Why do some consumers like
wasabi or hot peppers? The answer is
enculturation. Consumers are not born
liking very pungent food, but, early in life,
children observe the diets of their parents
and relatives and come to mimic those
behaviors.
Acculturation
• Process by which consumers
come to learn a culture other than
their natural, native culture- that is,
the culture to which one may adapt
when exposed to a new set of
CSVs.
• Acculturation is a learning process.
Chances are old beliefs will be
replaced by new beliefs when a
consumer became acculturated.
Example: A retailer company aiming
more lines of food products specifically
for children should use marketing tool
that attract more shoppers and
 positions healthy alternative food for • In America, the expression “time
children. is money” is often used.
• Americans typically place a high
Quartet of Institution value on time and timeliness.
• Four groups responsible for • The high value placed on time
communicating the CSV through may be due to the importance of
both formal and informal individualism and achievements as
processes from one generation to core values.
another. • Consumers from some culture do
1. Family not value timeliness. Ex. In Spain,
2. School where individualism is much lower
3. Church than in the United States. A formal
4. Media dinner at 9:00PM will certainly not
begin at 9:00PM which is much
Culture and Policy-Related later than 9:00PM.
Consumer Communication
Modeling 2. Body Language
 Process of imitating other's behavior; a • Refers to the nonverbal
form of observational learning. communication cues signaled by
somatic (uncontrollable biological)
Shaping responses.
 Is a socialization process by which • Consumers may use certain
consumers’ behavior slowly adapt to a mannerisms when discussing
culture through a series of rewards issues with other consumers or
and sanctions. salespeople.
• These cues can be more telling
Fundamental Elements of than the words that are spoken.
Communication
• The mannerism that reveal
• Verbal Communication meaning include the following
- Refers to the transfer of information characteristics:
through either the literal spoken or
 Facial expressions
written word.
 Posture
- Verbal communication can even
 Arm/leg position
be difficult within a single language
that is why marketers have  Skin conditions
encountered problems in translating  Voice
advertisements, labels, promotional
materials, etc. 3. Space
• The typical consumer in Seoul
• Non-Verbal Communication lives in a large high-rise
- Refers to information passed condominium, in a small flat
through some nonverbal act - in other identical to that of many neighbors
words, communication not involving living the same building.
the literal spoken or written word. • The value that consumers place
- Many nonverbal communication cues on space affects communication
are culturally laden so that the styles.
meaning depends on culture. • The differing approaches to space
have implications for sales
Examples: approaches, the way other
1. Time consumers are depicted in
 advertising and the design of retail
environments.
4. Etiquette/Manners
• Represents the customary
mannerisms consumers use in
common social situations.
• Dining etiquette varies
considerably from one culture to
another.
• These passengers have different
rules about space, privacy, dress
and hygiene.
• Passengers with body odor or
who dress inappropriately (for
example, a man wearing a tank
top is generally considered
inappropriate for such close
company in Western cultures.
5. Relationships
• Consumers from collectivist
nations define relationships in
terms of ties between a brand or
service provider and a family or
relevant group of consumers.
• Therefore, marketing appeals
aimed at building personal
relationships should emphasize
the collective preference of this
group rather than the individual.
6. Agreement
• Asian consumer who responds to
sales appeal with “yes” is not
indicating agreement. Instead “yes
“is more a way of indicating that he
or she understands what is being
said.
• Many Asian cultures will avoid
strong affirmative or negative
responses and instead use
expressions like “that is possible ‘’
or “that may be difficult ‘’ to
indicate agreement or lack of
agreement.
7. Symbols
• A large wooden cross is a device
used to execute people in some
cultures but to Christians, a cross
is an important symbol signifying
everlasting life.
• The symbolic meaning of objects
also affects gift-giving from culture
to culture. In some Western
cultures, particularly among
French cultures including Quebec
and South Louisiana, a knife is
regarded as an inappropriate gift
because a knife symbolizes cutting
a relationship.
• In China, clocks and watches are
inappropriate gift items because
they symbolize the finite nature of
life-time are running out.
• In Japan, the term omiyage -
refers to the custom of bringing
gifts to friends from foreign trips. It
also symbolizes “freedom”.
Translation Equivalence
 Exists when two phrases share the
same precise meaning in two different
cultures.
 Translation – is a way to try to
produce translational equivalence.
With this process, one bilingual
speaker takes the original phrase and
translates it from the original language
into the new language.
 Independent bilingual speaker
translate the phrase from the new
language back into the original
language.
Microculture
• Is a group of people who share similar
values and tastes that are subsumed
within a larger culture.
• The smaller group can be quite distinct
from the larger group or overall
culture.
Types of Microcultures
• Regional Microculture
• Sex-Roles Microculture – societal
expectations for men and women
among members of a cultural group.
• Age-Based Microculture
 • Generation Microculture • Increasing Culture Diversity
• Religious Microculture
• Ethnic Microculture
• Income and Social Class Microculture
• Street Microculture
• Generation Microculture
Greatest More thrifty and
Generation. highly price
Born before conscious
1946
Baby Have huge
Boomers. amount of
Born between spending power.
1946 - 1965 Preferred wine
and finer things

Generation X. Focus strongly on

Born between the family and
1966 – 1980 traditional family
values

Generation Y / Impulsive and

Millennial. optimistic.
Born between Technologically
1981 – 1995 savvy

• Demographic Analysis
Demographics
• Relatively tangible human
characteristics that describe
consumer. (Age, sex, ethnicity,
occupation, income, region,
religion, gender, etc.)

Geodemographic
• Study of people based on the fact
that people with similar
demographics tend to live close
to one another.

Demographic Analysis
• A profile of a consumer group
based on their demographics.

Trends Affecting Consumer Behavior

• Declining Birth Rates
• Increasing Consumer Affluence
• Increasing Life Expectancy and
the Aging Consumer