consumer behavior chapter 13: subcultures and social class

Objectives

- to know the different subcultures of america- to compare the consumer

behavior of the different subculture of hispanic, black and asian subculture- to know the difference of social class vs income

Subcultures

Analyzing Subcultures

Analyzing Subcultures cont...

Types of Subcultures

Geographic Subcultures

Geographic Subcultures cont...

Age Subcultures

Mature Market

Consumers over the age of 55 –often further subdivided into narrower age ranges:• Older – 55 to 64 years old.• Elderly – 65 to 74• Aged – 75 to 84• Very Old – 85 and over - they have more time to enjoy entertainment and leisure activities.

Ethnic Subcultures

• An ethnic subculture is a segment of larger society whose members are thought, by themselves and/or others, to have a common origin and to participate in shared activities believed to be culturally significant.• Black, Hispanic and Asian subculture is the three major ethnic

subculture in the United States.

Black Subculture

• The black or African American subculture is the largest minority group in the United States, with estimated 36.2 million people and about 8.2 families. They make up about the 13% of the population of America.• Generally, blacks may be described as disadvantaged

compared with whites, in terms of education and occupation attainment. They are also more likely than whites to live in the crowded, poorer neighborhoods of large cities.

Hispanic Subculture

• Hispanics are the American citizens that have Spanish origin and share Spanish culture in terms of language, food and other cultural aspects• The marketers identified three broader segments in the

Hispanic subculture:- Only Spanish speaking- Bilingual, but favoring Spanish

-Bilingual, but favoring English

Asian Subculture

• A person having origins in any of the original people of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. It includes people who indicated their races as Asian or reported entries such as Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and "Other Asian" or provided other detailed Asian responses.

• Asians are the primary market because they are wealthier than the Black and Hispanic subculture for two reasons, first is the education level is high and the second reason is more Asian live in a married-couple households with two wage earners.

Gender as a Subculture

• Gender differences significant enough to consider the two sexes as separate subcultures.

- Women show superior affect and purchase intent towards ads that are verbal, harmonious, complex and category oriented. Men show superior affect towards ads that are comparative, simple and attribute oriented. It was concluded that it may be best to advertise differently to men and women

Income as a Subculture

• People at different income levels tend to have quite different values, behaviors, and lifestyles• American households can be divided into three

income categories-Downscale-Upscale-Middle income

Acculturation Processes

• Acculturation refers how people in one culture or subculture understand and adapt to the meanings of another culture or subculture• Consumer acculturation refers to how people acquire

the ability and cultural knowledge to be skilled consumers in different cultures or subcultures

Acculturation Processes cont.

• Degree to which immigrants, movers, and marketers become acculturated depends on their level of cultural interpenetration• Four stages of acculturation corresponding to four

levels of cultural interpenetration- Honeymoon- Rejection- Tolerance- Integration

Social Class

Social class (or simply "class"), as

in a class society, is a set of

concepts in the social sciences

and political theory centered on

models of social stratification in

which people are grouped into a

set of hierarchical social

categories, the most common

being the upper, middle, and lower

classes.

Social Class for Consumer Analysis

Upper

Middle

Working

Lower

Upper Class

(14 percent of population). This

group consists of the upper-upper,

lower-upper, and upper-middle

classes.

They have common goals and are

differentiated mainly by income

Middle Class

(32 percent of population). These

consumers definitely want to “do

the right thing” and buy “what’s

popular.” They have always been

concerned with fashion and

following recommendations of

“experts” in print media.

Working Class

(38 percent of population).

Working-class Americans are

“family folk” depending heavily on

relatives for economic and

emotional support, such as tops on

job opportunities, advice on

purchases, and help in times of

trouble.

Lower Class

(16 percent of population). The

men and women of lower America

are no exception to the rule that

diversities and uniformities in

values and consumptions goals

are to be found at each social

level.

Social Class versus Income

The social class concept aids in

understanding consumer values

and behaviour; it is also useful for

market segmentation and

prediction of consumer behaviour.

However, there has long been a

controversy as to whether social

class or income is the better

variable for use in consumer

analysis.

Social Class versus Income

Recently consumer researchers

have recognized that each

variable has its advantage and

disadvantages, and the choice

among using social class, income,

or a combination of the two

depends on the product and the

situation. For example, Charles

Shaninger offers the following

tentative generalizations

1. Social class is more relevant than income for areas of consumer behaviour that do not involve high dollar expenditures but do reflect underlying differences in lifestyle, values, or homemaker roles not captured by income. Social class is superior for both method and place of purchase of highly visible, symbolic, and expensive objects such as living room furniture.

2. Income is generally appropriate for understanding purchases of major kitchen and laundry appliances and products that require substantial expenditures but are not status symbols within the class.3. The combination of social class and income is generally superior for product classes that highly visible, serve as symbols of social class or status within the class, and require either moderate or substantial expenditure (such as clothing, automobiles, and television sets).

This chapter discussed two marco

social influences on consumers

behaviours cognitions, and affective

responses: subculture and social class.

These social factors influence how

people think, feel, and behave relative

to their physical, social, and

marketing environments. We

discussed subcultural influences in

terms of geographic area, age, ethic

group, and other factors. Social class

influences were discussed in terms of

their role both in explaining

consumers behaviour and as a

strategic tool.

Summary