CULTURE AND SUB-CULTURE INFLUENCE

Culture, Beliefs and Values

Culture is the sum total of learned beliefs, values, and customs that serve to direct the consumer behaviour of members of a particular society. 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, however, values differ from other beliefs because they must meet the following criteria:
They are relatively few in number, They serve as a guide for culturally appropriate behavior, They are enduring or difficult to change, They are not tied to specific objects or situations, and They are widely accepted by the members of a society.
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Enculturation and Acculturation

The learning of ones own culture is known as

enculturation.

The learning of a new or foreign culture is known as acculturation.

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Nature of Culture
Culture Satisfies Needs Culture exists to satisfy the needs of 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.
Similarly, culture also provides insights as to suitable dress for specific occasions (e.g., what to wear at home, what to wear to school, what to wear to work, what to wear to a place of worship, what to wear at a restaurant).

Cultural beliefs, values, and customs continue to be followed as long as they yield satisfaction. In a cultural context, when a product is no longer acceptable because its related value or custom does not adequately satisfy human needs, it must be modified.
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Nature of Culture
Culture Is Learned At an early age 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. How Culture Is Learned There are three distinct forms of learning: Formal learningadults and older siblings teach a young family member how to behave. Informal learninga child learns primarily by imitating the behavior of selected others. Technical learningteachers instruct the child in an educational environment as to what, how, and why it should be done.
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Nature of Culture
Culture Is Shared
To be considered a cultural characteristic, a particular belief, value, or practice must be shared by a significant portion of the society. Culture is often viewed as group customs. Various social institutions transmit the elements of culture and make sharing of culture a reality. Familythe primary agent for enculturation, teaches consumer-related values and skills. Educational Institutionscharged with imparting basic learning skills, history, patriotism, citizenship, and the technical training needed to prepare people for significant roles within society. Houses of worshipprovide religious consciousness, spiritual guidance, and moral training. Mass mediais a fourth and often overlooked transmitter of culture. It disseminates information about products, ideas, and causes. We have daily exposure to advertising, and through those ads, receive cultural information.

Nature of Culture
Culture is Dynamic Culture continually evolves; therefore, the marketer must carefully monitor the socio-cultural environment in order to market an existing product more effectively or to develop promising new products.
This is not easy because many factors are likely to produce cultural changes within a given society.

The changing nature of culture means that marketers have to consistently reconsider:
Why consumers are now doing what they do. Who are the purchasers and the users of their products? When they do their shopping. How and where they can be reached by the media. What new product and service needs are emerging?
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Subculture
Subculture is defined as being a distinct
cultural group that exists as an

identifiable segment within a larger, more

complex society.

Why Subculture?
A cultural profile of a society or nation is a composite of two elements:
The unique beliefs, values, and customs subscribed to by its members. The central or core cultural themes shared by the majority of the population, regardless of specific subcultural memberships.

Each subculture has its own unique traits.

Subcultural analysis enables the marketer to focus on sizable and natural market segments.
When carrying out such analyses, the marketer must determine whether the beliefs, values, and customs shared by members of a specific subgroup make them desirable candidates for special marketing attention.

Nationality Subcultures
For many people, nationality is an important subcultural reference that guides what they value and what they buy.

Although most U.S. citizens are born in the United States, some still retain a pride and identification with the language and customs of their ancestors.
This identification can manifest itself in consumption behavior.

When it comes to consumer behavior, ancestral pride is manifested most

strongly in the consumption of ethnic foods, in travel to their homeland,

and in the purchase of numerous cultural artifacts.

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Religious Subcultures
Consumer behavior is commonly directly affected by religion in

terms of products that are symbolically and ritualistically associated

with the celebration of various religious holidays.

Religious requirements or practices sometimes take on an

expanded meaning beyond their original purpose.

Targeting

specific

religious

groups

with

specially

designed

marketing programs can be very profitable.

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Other Types of Subcultures

Geographic and Regional Subcultures
Racial Subcultures

Age Subcultures
Gender as a Subculture

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Subcultural Interaction
All consumers are simultaneously members of more than one

subcultural
interaction.

segment;

this

can

be

viewed

as

subcultural

Marketers should strive to understand how multiple subcultural

memberships interact to influence target consumers relevant consumption behavior.

Promotional strategy should not be limited to a single subcultural membership.

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