Republic of the Philippines City of Olongapo GORDON COLLEGE Olongapo City Sports Complex, East Tapinac, Olongapo City Tel. No. (047) 224-2089 loc. 314 MODULE NO. 6 CULTURE AND SUBCULTURES INTRODUCTION Culture is a society's personality. It's the accumulation of shared meanings, rituals, norms, and traditions among the members of an organization or society. We simply can't understand consumption unless we consider its cultural context: Culture is the "lens" through which people view products. Ironically, the effects of culture on consumer behavior are so powerful and far-reaching that it's sometimes difficult to grasp their importance. Also, individual heritage exerts a huge influence on her everyday experience and consumption preferences. Every one of us belongs to many subcultures, depending on our age, race, ethnic background, or place of residence. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this module, you should be able to: ▪ Explain how culture shapes identities of an individual; ▪ Cite and discuss different culture-related practices that affects consumption activities; ▪ Understand how microcultures influences what we buy; ▪ Discuss how subcultures often guide consumption behaviors; and ▪ Explain why age is an essential segment for marketers. TOPICS AND KEY CONCEPTS CULTURE, CULTURAL STORIES AND CEREMONIES Culture ➢ The values, ethics, rituals, traditions, material objects, and services produced or valued by the members of a society. Functional Areas of a Cultural System 1. Ecology – the way in which a system is adapted to its habitat. 2. Social Structure – the way in which orderly social life is maintained. 3. Ideology – the mental characteristics of a people and the way in which they relate to their environment and social groups. Norms Consumer Behavior – 1st Sem. AY 2022-2023 NOT FOR SALE. EXCLUSIVE FOR GORDON COLLEGE USE ONLY. Republic of the Philippines City of Olongapo GORDON COLLEGE Olongapo City Sports Complex, East Tapinac, Olongapo City Tel. No. (047) 224-2089 loc. 314 ➢ Rules dictating what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable Enacted Norms ➢ Explicitly decided on. Crescive Norms ➢ Unspoken rules that govern social behavior. Types of Crescive Norms 10. Custom – a norm that controls basic behaviors, such as division of labor in a household 11. More – a custom with a strong moral overtone. 12. Conventions - norms that regulate how we conduct our everyday lives. Myth ➢ A story with symbolic elements that represents a culture's ideals. Functions and Structure of Myths 1. Metaphysical 2. Cosmological 3. Sociological 4. Psychological Ritual ➢ A set of multiple, symbolic behaviors that occurs in a fixed sequence and is repeated periodically. Ritual Artifacts ➢ Items needed to perform rituals, such as wedding rice, birthday candles, diplomas, specialized food and beverage, trophies and plaques, band uniforms, greeting cards, and retirement watches. Examples of Ritual 1. Grooming Rituals – sequences of behaviors that aid in the transition from the private self to the public self or back again. 2. Gift-Giving Rituals – consumers procure the perfect object, meticulously remove price tag and carefully wrap it, and deliver it to the recipient. ▪ Economic Exchange – the giver transfers an item of value to a recipient, who in turn is somehow obligated to reciprocate. ▪ Symbolic Exchange – when a giver wants to acknowledge intangible support and companionship. Stages of Gift Giving: • Gestation – giver is motivated by an event to procure a gift. • Presentation – the process of the gift exchange. • Reformulation – the bonds between the giver and receiver are adjusted to reflect the new relationship that emerges after the exchange is complete. Consumer Behavior – 1st Sem. AY 2022-2023 NOT FOR SALE. EXCLUSIVE FOR GORDON COLLEGE USE ONLY. Republic of the Philippines City of Olongapo GORDON COLLEGE Olongapo City Sports Complex, East Tapinac, Olongapo City Tel. No. (047) 224-2089 loc. 314 Reciprocity Norms – the feeling of obligation to return the gesture of a gift with one of equal value. Self-Gifts – consumers give gifts to themselves. 3. Holiday Rituals (Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day) SACRED AND PROFANE CONSUMPTION Sacred Consumption ➢ The process of consuming objects and events that are set apart from normal life and treated with some degree of respect or awe. Profane Consumption ➢ The process of consuming objects and events that are ordinary or of the everyday world. Domains of Sacred Consumption 1. Sacred Places – “set apart” by a society because they have religious or mystical significance or because they commemorate some aspect of a country's heritage. 2. Sacred People – people who ae idolized and set apart from the masses. 3. Sacred Events – consumer activities which take on a special status. Consumer Behavior – 1st Sem. AY 2022-2023 NOT FOR SALE. EXCLUSIVE FOR GORDON COLLEGE USE ONLY. Republic of the Philippines City of Olongapo GORDON COLLEGE Olongapo City Sports Complex, East Tapinac, Olongapo City Tel. No. (047) 224-2089 loc. 314 Desacralization ➢ Occurs when a sacred item or symbol is removed from its special place or is duplicated in mass quantities, becoming profane as a result. Sacralization ➢ Occurs when ordinary objects, events, and even people take on sacred meaning. POPULAR CULTURE Popular Culture ➢ The music, movies, sports, books, celebrities, and other forms of entertainment consumed by the mass market. Cultural Selection ➢ The process by which some alternatives are selected over others by cultural gatekeepers. Culture Production System (CPS) ➢ The set of individuals and organizations that create and market a cultural product. Major Subsystems of Culture Production System (CPS) 1. A creative subsystem to generate new symbols and products. 2. A managerial subsystem to select, make tangible, produce, and manage the distribution of new symbols and products. 3. A communications subsystem to give meaning to the new product and provide it with a symbolic set of attributes Cultural Gatekeepers ➢ Individuals who are responsible for determining the types of messages and symbolism to which members of mass culture are exposed. Reality Engineering ➢ Occurs when marketers’ appropriate elements of popular culture and use them as promotional vehicles. SUBCULTURES, MICROCULTURES, AND CONSUMER IDENTITY Subculture ➢ A group whose members share beliefs and common experiences that set them apart from other members of a culture. Microcultures ➢ Groups that form around a strong shared identification with an activity or art form. Consumer Behavior – 1st Sem. AY 2022-2023 NOT FOR SALE. EXCLUSIVE FOR GORDON COLLEGE USE ONLY. Republic of the Philippines City of Olongapo GORDON COLLEGE Olongapo City Sports Complex, East Tapinac, Olongapo City Tel. No. (047) 224-2089 loc. 314 Factors that Create Subcultures 1. Material culture – People with similar income may create a subculture. The poor, the affluent, and the white-collar middle class are examples of material subcultures. 2. Social institutions – Those who participate in a social institution may form a subculture. Examples include participation in marriage, parenthood, a retirement community, or the army. 3. Belief systems – People with shared beliefs may create a subculture, such as a religious group or political party. 4. Aesthetics – Artistic people often form a subculture of their own associated with their common interests, such as art, music, dance, drama, and folklore. 5. Language – People with similar dialects, accents, and vocabulary can form a subculture. Southerners and northerners are two traditional categories in the US. ETHNIC AND RACIAL SUBCULTURES Ethnic Subculture ➢ A self-perpetuating group of consumers held together by common cultural ties. Race ➢ A social construction that defines groups of humans based on arbitrary physical and/or biological traits that are believed to distinguish them from other humans. Ethnicity and Marketing Strategies ✓ Although some people feel uncomfortable with the notion that marketers should explicitly take into account people's racial and ethnic differences when they formulate their strategies, the reality is that these subcultural memberships do shape many needs and wants. ✓ Research indicates, that members of minority groups find an advertising spokesperson from their own group more trustworthy, and this enhanced credibility in turn translates into more positive brand attitudes. RELIGIOUS SUBCULTURES Islamic Marketing ➢ The wisdom of satisfying the needs of customers through the good conduct of delivering Halal wholesome, pure and lawful products and services with the mutual consent of both seller and buyer for the purpose of achieving material and spiritual well-being in the world here and hereafter and making consumers aware of it through the good conduct of marketers and ethical advertising. Halal ➢ Food and other products whose usage is permissible according to the laws of Islam. Consumer Behavior – 1st Sem. AY 2022-2023 NOT FOR SALE. EXCLUSIVE FOR GORDON COLLEGE USE ONLY. Republic of the Philippines City of Olongapo GORDON COLLEGE Olongapo City Sports Complex, East Tapinac, Olongapo City Tel. No. (047) 224-2089 loc. 314 AGE SUBCULTURES Age Cohort ➢ Consists of people of similar ages who have similar experiences. Four Generations who are Active in Today’s Consumer Culture 1. Baby Boomers Generation - people born between 1946 and 1964 2. Generation X - people born between 1965 and 1985 3. Generation Y - people born between 1986 and 2002 4. Generation Z - people born 2003 and later TEACHING AND LEARNING MATERIALS AND RESOURCES In this module, you will be given handouts or a copy of the slides summarizing the essential details of the topics. The use of the Internet for file sharing, collaborating, and in depth-study is also encouraged. LEARNING TASK Discussion Questions • • • • • Identify modern-day myths that corporations create. How might the rise of peer-to-peer music sharing influence the structure of the music CPS? How do religious subcultures affect consumption decisions? How are Gen Yers different from their older brothers and sisters? What are some of the most efficient ways for marketers to connect with college students? REFERENCE Solomon, M.R. (2017). Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being (12th ed.). Pearson. Consumer Behavior – 1st Sem. AY 2022-2023 NOT FOR SALE. EXCLUSIVE FOR GORDON COLLEGE USE ONLY.
