Chapter 11
Cultural Influences: Perspectives
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Chapter Spotlights
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Circles of Social Influence
Definition of Culture
Nature of culture – components
Norms, customs, mores, conventions,
sanctions, values, beliefs, and rituals
The languages of culture
Government and Laws
Material artifacts
Consumer products and cultural meanings
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Circles of Social Influence
Humans seen as “social animals”
Circles of Social Influence: Culture, Subculture
(Co-Culture), Social Class, Reference Groups,
and Household or Family
Farther the circle is from “you” the “more
pervasive” is its influence
Farther the circle is from “you” the more subtle
is its influence.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Sociological Influences on
Consumer Decision Making
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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.”
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Definition of Culture
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Culture refers to the patterns of values,
beliefs, and learned behaviors that are
held in common and transmitted by the
members of any given society.
Understanding culture is important in
marketing internationally.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Nature of Culture Components
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Norms: rules that designate forms of
acceptable and unacceptable behavior
Customs: behaviors that last over time and
are passed down in the family setting (gender
roles, holidays, ceremonies at birth, death)
Mores: moral standards of behavior
Conventions: practices tied to the conduct of
everyday life in various settings (foods,
clothing, home furnishings, entertaining
practices, respect within family/business)
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Components of Culture
(continued)
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Sanctions: taking
negative actions
against members of
a culture who do not
conform to the
norms, customs,
mores or
conventions of the
society.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Values
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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. (This will be
discussed in Chapter 6.)
Cultural values are reflective of personal
values and must be understood to market
properly in various cultures
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Other Components of Culture
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Beliefs – what the members of a culture
believe typically originates from one of two
sources:
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Religion
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The impact of a “national religion”
Myths
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Stories or fables that reflect important values shared by
members of a culture; used to teach one or more of
these values.
Metaphysical, cosmological, psychological, binary
opposition
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Rituals Review
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They are patterns of behavior tied to
events that we consider important in
our lives.
Three characteristics of rituals:
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They have some special meaning to us
They occur in a fixed or predictable
manner
They are repeated with some regularity
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Types of Rituals
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Rituals are classified into different categories:
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Cosmology – religious
Cultural values – rites of passage, cultural
(festivals, secular holidays, super bowl)
Group learning – civic (parades, trials, elections),
group (fraternity, office lunch, business
interactions), family (mealtimes, bedtimes,
Thanksgiving celebration)
Individual aims and emotions – personal
(household rituals, grooming), gift giving
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Gift Giving
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Three stages to gift
giving:
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Gestation: being
motivated to buy a
gift
Presentation
Reformulation
(bonds with recipient
adjusted)
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Ritual Artifacts and Scripts
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Ritual artifacts are those objects needed
in order for rituals to be carried out
successfully (e.g., floats for a parade,
unity candle for a wedding)
Ritual scripts are specific procedures
that include the sequence of ritual steps
and the necessary artifacts.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
The “Languages” of Culture
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Words
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Translation and word meaning issues
Colors
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Color choice that signifies death varies
across regions of the world
The color red (positive: Argentina,
Denmark, China; negative: Nigeria,
Germany; feminine: China; masculine:
France, Britain; red ink = death in China)
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
The “Languages” of Culture
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Colors and fashion (colors move “in” and
“out” of fashion): clothing, household
appliances, automobiles, home electronics,
etc.
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The “Languages” of Culture Time
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Self-time, interaction time, institutional time
Time styles (individuals and cultures):
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Approaches: economic, psychological (subjective;
always in surplus or shortage, etc.), physiological
– “body clock”, measurement
Orientation/Horizon: importance of the past,
present or future/”distance out”
Activity level: monochronic (one activity at a time)
versus polychronic (multiple simutaneous activity)
behavior
Time processing: economic or linear, procedural,
circular or cyclical
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“Languages” of Culture
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Space, distance, and gestures
Symbols
Friendship and agreements
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Material Artifacts
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Physical items that were part of a culture
historically or are in existence in today’s
society.
A culture is made up of:
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Material characteristics
Nonmaterial characteristics
Erosions – what’s left behind by past cultures
Accretions – things added to the natural
environment by a culture
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Consumer products and
Cultural Meanings
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Cultural meaning through the “culturally
constituted world”, consumer goods, and
individuals having the goods
Advertising and fashion carry values, norms,
or beliefs, and model culturally meaningful
behavior
“Fashion system” includes clothing,media,
people in media, media shows, opinion
leaders, subcultural representatives, etc.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Consumer products and
Cultural Meanings
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Brand user image meaning
Possession, exchange, grooming and
divestment rituals
Clothing, food, exterior/interior of
homes, types of transportation used
help “tell the story” of a culture
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002