Cultural%20Influences%20on

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Chapter 16

• Cultural Influences on
• Consumer Behavior

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Understanding Culture
Culture is the Accumulation of Shared Meanings,
Rituals, Norms, and Traditions Among the Members
of an Organization or Society and Determines
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Aspects of Culture
A Cultural System Consists of 3 Functional Areas
Ecology Way a System is Adapted to Its Habitat
Social Structure Way in Which Orderly Social
Life is Maintained
Ideology Way in Which People Relate to
Their Environment and Social Groups
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Other Aspects of Culture
Power Distance
Although Every Culture is Different, 4 Dimensions
Appear to Account for Much of This Variability.
How Interpersonal Relationships Form When Power
Differences Exist. Degree to Which People Feel
Threatened by Ambiguous Situations. Degree to
Which Sex Roles Are Clearly Delineated. Extent
to Which the Welfare of the Individual Versus
the Group is Valued.
Uncertainty Avoidance

Masculinity/ Femininity
Individualism
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Values of a Culture
Values are Very General Ideas About Good and Bad
Goals
Enacted Norms Explicitly Decided On
Crescive Norms Embedded in Culture
Customs
Mores
Conventions
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Myths
A Myth is a Story Containing Symbolic Elements
That Expresses the Shared Emotions and Ideals Of
a Culture. Myths Serve 4 Interrelated Functions
in a Culture
Metaphysical
Cosmological
Psychological
Sociological
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Types of Ritual Experience
Religious
A Ritual is a Set of Multiple, Symbolic Behaviors
That Occur in a Fixed Sequence and That Tend to
Be Repeated Periodically.
Rites of Passage

Ritual Type
Examples

Baptism, Meditation, Mass
Group
Graduation, Marriage
Festivals, Holidays
Cultural
Family
Parades, Elections, Trials
Civic
Personal
Business Negotiations
Mealtimes, Birthdays
Grooming, Household
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Gift - Giving Rituals
The Gift - Giving Ritual Can Be Broken Down Into
the Following Three Distinct Stages
Presentation Process of Gift Exchange
Reformulation Bonds Between Parties
Are Adjusted
Gestation Giver is Motivated By An Event
to Buy a Gift
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Holiday Rituals
Thanksgiving
What Rituals Are Associated With the Following
Holidays?
Valentines Day
Secretaries Day
Grandparents Day
Christmas
New Years
Halloween
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Rites of Passage
Stage 1. Separation Detaching From the Original
Group
Rites of Passage Can be Construed as Being
Special Times Marked by a Change in Social Status.
Stage 2. Liminality Person is In-Between Statuses
Stage 3. Aggregation Person Reenters Society
After Rite-of-Passage is Complete
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Sacred and Profane Consumption
Profane Consumption
Sacred Consumption

• Involves Objects and Events That Are Set Apart
  From Normal Activities, and Are Treated With Some
  Degree of Respect or Awe.

• Involves Consumer Objects and Events That Are
  Ordinary, Everyday Objects and Events That Do Not
  Share The Specialness of Sacred Ones.

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Domains of Sacred Consumption

• Sacred Places
• May have religious or mystical significance.
• Others are created from the profane world and
  given special sacred qualities (i.e. Disney
  World, or shopping malls)
• The home is a particularly scared place.
• Sacred People
• Memorabilia can take on special meaning, from
  baseball cards to clothing the special person has
  touched or worn.

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Domains of Sacred Consumption

• Sacred Events
• Many consumers activities (events) have taken on
  special status.
• Examples would include the Super Bowl, the
  Olympics, the World Series, even family
  vacations.
• Personal mementos from sacred events can include
• Local products (i.e. wine from California).
• Pictorial images (i.e. post cards).
• A piece of the event such as a rock or
  seashell.
• Symbolic shorthand (i.e. a miniature Statue of
  Liberty).
• Markers (i.e. Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts).

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From Sacred to Profane, andBack Again

• Some sacred things have become profane, and some
  profane things have become sacred.
• 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.
• Examples Monuments, artwork, American flag,
  religion.
• Sacralization occurs when ordinary objects,
  events, and even people, take on sacred meaning
  to a culture or to specific groups within a
  culture.
• Examples Super Bowl, or Elvis.
• Objectification occurs when sacred qualities are
  attributed to mundane objects.
• Collecting refers to the systematic acquisition
  of a particular object or set of objects.