Culture

1. Culture

2. Sociological Influences on Consumer Decision Making • People are sensitive to the values, behaviors and beliefs of the people around them. • Culture is considered to have a more subtle and more pervasive influence on consumer decision making than any other “Circle of Social Influence.”

3. Culture • What is culture? • a set of traditional beliefs and values that are transmitted and shared in a given society • Cultural prescribes the kinds of behavior considered acceptable in a society • Culture provides a useful function by facilitating communication among those within a culture

4. Nature of Culture - Components • Norms: rules that designate forms of acceptable and unacceptable behavior • Customs: behaviors that last over time and are passed down in the family setting • Mores: moral standards of behavior • Conventions: practices tied to the conduct of everyday life in various settings

5. Components of Culture (continued) • Sanctions: taking negative actions against members of a culture who do not conform to the norms, customs, mores or conventions of the society.

6. Culture Is . . . • Shared • culture is based on social interaction • Learned • culture is not genetically acquired – as such it is possible for people to absorb new cultures and cultural trends • Subjective • people in different cultures have different ideas about the same object • Enduring • culture is shared and passed from generation to generation • Dynamic • culture gradually changes from one generation to the next

7. Effect of Culture on Consumption and Marketing • Cultural places restrictions on consuming certain goods • Pork, chicken, beef, sushi, alcohol, locusts, etc. • Products people buy, the attributes they value, and the options they accept, are all culture-based choices

8. Effect of Culture on Thinking Process • Self-Reference Criterion (SRC) • refers to phenomenon of making reference, perhaps subconsciously, back to personal cultural values • Examples • A researcher or marketing manager must attempt to eliminate the SRC effect – problems should be defined in terms of the culture of the host country

9. Effect of Culture on Communication Process • A classification to provide an understanding of cultural orientations and explain how communication is conveyed and perceived • Low-context culture – messages are explicit and clear in the sense that actual words are used to convey the main part of information in communication; words can be separated from context in which they occur • High-context culture – communication is indirect; verbal part does not carry most of the information; context of communication is high because it contains a good deal of information • Need to realize whether you’re dealing with high or low context culture to effectively communication – advertisement

10. Effect of Culture on Communication Process • Low Context Cultures • Tends to prefer direct verbal interaction • Tends to understand meaning at one level only • Is generally less proficient in reading non-verbal cues • Values individualism • Relies more on logic • Employs linear logic • Says no directly • Communicates in highly structured messages, stresses literal meanings, gives authority to written info • High Context Cultures • Tends to prefer indirect verbal interaction • Tends to understand meanings embedded at many socio-cultural levels • Is generally more proficient in reading nonverbal cues • Values group membership • Relies more on context and feeling • Employs spiral logic • Talks around point, avoids saying no • Communicates in simple, ambiguous, non-contexted messages; understands visual messages readily Low High Context Context Culture German, North American, French, Spanish, Mexican, Arab, Chinese, Japanese Culture

11. Effect of Culture on Communication Process • There are also differences in the manner by which information processing occurs • Monochronic culture – handles information in a direct linear fashion; sense that time forms a straight line • Polychronic culture – handles information on several fronts simultaneously instead of pursing a single task

13. Effect of Culture on Communication Process • Example • Germany is a monochronic/low context culture • France is a polychronic/high context culture • Thus, a German might insult a French counterpart by giving too much information about what is already known. Or a German might become upset that they don’t get enough details from a French individual.

14. Communication Faux-pas • GM fiasco in Central & South America • In Spanish, “No va” means “It Doesn’t Go” • The Dairy Assoc. huge success with the campaign “Got Milk?” prompted them to expand advertising to Mexico. • They soon found out that the Spanish translation reads “Are you lactating?”

15. Communication Faux-pas • Coors put its slogan, “Turn It Loose,” into Spanish, where it was read as “Suffer from Diarrhea.” • Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: “Nothing Sucks Like an Electrolux.”

16. Communication Faux-pas • Clairol introduced the “Mist Stick,” a curling iron, into Germany only to find out that “Mist” is slang for manure. • Not too many people had use for the “Manure Stick.” • Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, the name of a notorious porno magazine.

17. Communication Faux-pas • When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the U.S.—with the smiling baby on the label. • Later they learned that in Africa companies routinely put pictures of what’s inside on the labels since many people can’t read.

18. Communication Faux-pas • Pepsi’s “Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation” translates in Chinese into “Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Grave.” • Frank Perdue’s chicken slogan, “It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken” was translated in Spanish as “It takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate.”

19. Other Communication Issues:Language of . . . • Time • Space • Agreement • Friendship • Negotiation • Religion • Superstition • Gifts

20. Consumer Behavior • What cultural factors drive consumer behavior? • Hofstede came up with five dimensions to describe national social values • Complete survey

21. Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture • Power Distance • Uncertainty Avoidance • Individualism/Collectivism • Masculinity/Femininity • Time Orientation

22. Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture • Power Distance (PD) • High power distance means people accept inequality in power among institutions, organizations, and people; high PD cultures usually have centralized, top-down control; low PD cultures imply greater equality and empowerment • Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) • High uncertainty avoidance means that members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity; high UA cultures have strong traditions and rituals and tend toward bureaucratic structures and rules

23. Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture • Individualism vs. Collectivism • Individualism - reflects a value for a loosely knit social framework in which individuals are expected to take care of themselves; individual rights are more important than group rights • Collectivism - is a preference for a tightly knit social framework in which individuals look after one another; group rights are important; tend to find in cultures with strong family values

24. Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture • Masculinity versus Femininity • Masculinity - cultures stress the importance of achievement, heroism, assertiveness, and material success – toughness and achievement are valued • Femininity - cultures value relationships, modesty, caring for the weak, and quality of life • Time Orientation • Long-term – patient; willing to wait for results; delays gratification to achieve long-term success • Short-term – impatient; people expect rapid feedback from decisions, expect quick profits, etc

25. Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture • Are these measures useful for anything? • Collectivist cultures have 3x more accidents than individualistic cultures; high PD cultures have about 2.5x more accidents than low PD cultures • More individualistic and less UA cultures tend to be more innovative and entrepreneurial • PD and individualism affects brand strategies • use brand images that de-emphases social, symbolic, and sensory benefits of product in low PD countries • high PD countries should focus on social and/or sensory needs of a product • In individualistic cultures, brands should focus on functionality, verity, novelty, etc. • In collectivist countries, social brand image strategies will be more appealing

26. Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture Source: Zandpour et al.; J. Advertising Research, 1994

27. Cultural Values • Personal values – enduring beliefs that specific modes of conduct or end-states of existence are preferred to other specific modes of conduct or end-states. • Instrumental values: modes of conduct in order to obtain certain end-states • Terminal values: the end-states toward which a person is moving.

28. Identifying Cultural Values • Rokeach personal values scale • Useful in identifying how culturally relevant instrumental and terminal values shape demand for goods and services • See survey

29. Cultural Dimensions and Values • Data can be used to conduct cross-cultural analysis of consumer behavior • determine relevant motivations in culture • determine characteristic behavior patterns • determine broad cultural values relevant to product • determine characteristic forms of decision making • evaluate promotion methods appropriate for culture • determine appropriate institutions for the product in mind of consumers