Chapter 8
Consumer Culture
BABIN / HARRIS
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
Learning Outcomes
LO1
Understand how culture provides the true meaning of
objects and activities.
LO2
Use the key dimensions of core societal values to
understand the concept of cultural distance.
LO3
Define acculturation and enculturation.
LO4
List fundamental elements of verbal and nonverbal
communication.
LO5
Discuss current emerging consumer markets and scan for
opportunities.
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
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LO1
Understand how culture provides
the true meaning of objects and
activities.
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
LO1
What is Culture?
Commonly held societal
beliefs that define what is
socially gratifying.
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The World Is Their Cup!
How can Starbuck’s
succeed in China?
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LO1
Exhibit 8.1
Culture, Meaning and Value
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LO1
Exhibit 8.2
Culture is Hierarchical
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LO1
Culture, Meaning, and Value
Gives meanings to
objects
Gives meanings to
activities
Facilitates
communication
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LO1
Cultural Norms and Sanctions
Cultural Norm
Rule that specifies the
appropriate behavior in a
a given situation within a
specific culture.
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LO2
Use the key dimensions of core
societal values to understand the
concept of cultural distance.
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
LO2
Exhibit 8.3
Inputs and Outputs of Culture
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Tradition
Religious
traditions shape
consumption
experiences.
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LO2
Dimensions of Cultural Values
Individualism
Masculinity
Power Distance
Uncertainty
Avoidance
Long-Term
Orientation
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Individualism
A typical
advertisement
appealing to
individualism
as CSV.
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LO2
Exhibit 8.4
CSV Scoreboard
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LO2
Cultural Distance
Represents how disparate one nation is from
another in terms of their CSVs.
5
CD 

(TCSV i  BCSV i )
2
i 1
Where,
• CD = Cultural Distance
• TCSV = Target Country Value Score on Dimension i
• BCSV = Baseline Country Value Score on Dimension i
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
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LO2 Exhibit 8.5: CSV Difference Scores
Relative to American Consumers
Lower CD scores implies greater similarities.
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LO3
Define acculturation and
enculturation.
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LO3
How Is Culture Learned?
Socialization
Enculturation
Acculturation
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LO3
Exhibit 8.6: Factors Associated
with Faster Acculturation
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LO3
Exhibit 8.7
Quartet of Institutions
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LO3
World Teen Culture
Teens are similar around the world!
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LO3 Exhibit 8.8: Similarities and
Differences Among Teen Consumers
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LO3
Modeling and Shaping
Modeling
A process of imitating
others’ behavior.
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What Consumers Do Know Can
Hurt Them?
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LO4
List fundamental elements of
verbal and nonverbal
communication.
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
LO4
Verbal and Nonverbal
Communication
Verbal Communication
The transfer of
information through either
the literal spoken or
written word.
Nonverbal Communication
Communication not involving
the literal spoken or written
word.
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LO4 Exhibit 8.9
Problems With Verbal Communication
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LO4
Translational and Metric
Equivalence
• Translational equivalence – exists
when two phrases share the same
precise meaning in two different
cultures.
• Metric equivalence – the state in
which consumers are shown to use
numbers to represent quantities the
same way across cultures.
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Verbal Communication
What
does
this
mean?
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LO4
Exhibit 8.10
Nonverbal Communication
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These Are a Few of Our Favorite
Things
Is this your
favorite
thing?
Answers will
differ around
the world.
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LO5
Discuss current emerging
consumer markets and scan for
opportunities.
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
LO5
Emerging Cultures
BRIC Markets
Brazil, Russia, India, and
China
Chindia
Refers to the combined
market and business potential
of China and India.
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Exhibit 8.11: Attractive Consumer
LO5 Markets for Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI)
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LO5 Exhibit 8.12: Purchasing Power Parity
of Leading Consumer Nations
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LO5
Glocalization
Represents the idea that
marketing strategy may be
global but the implementation
of that strategy at the
marketing tactics level should
be local.
© 2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning.
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LO5
ESPN Has Glocalized!
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