MKT 365 CH 10

Age-based Microculture

describes the concept that people of the same age end up sharing many of the same values and develop similar consumer preferences.

Demographic Analysis

develops a profile of a consumer group based on their demographics.

Hispanic Culture

largest ethnic group besides whites. account for nearly 18% of the population by 2015 and nearly 20% by 2020.

Social class in an important concept because a class strongly influences

lifestyles, opinions, attitudes, and behaviors. "birds of a feather flock together" "keeping up with the Joneses"

Religion represents

one of the key institutions that shape consumer culture

Each consumer belongs to many cultural groups - or more precisely, they move in and out of microcultures

A college student from Texas who is attending a state university in that state is likely part of American culture, Texas culture, an ethnically defined culture such as Hispanic culture, university culture, and possibly Greek culture if they belong to a fraternity or sorority. In this way, culture is hierarchical

Generation Microculture

Age-based groups can be distinguished from generational groups. Consumers grow out of age groups. When a consumer reaches age 20, she is no longer in the teen microculture. However, she still "belongs" to a group with her peers. People who are in the same generation still belong to the same cohort

Microculture membership changes the value of things.

American consumers generally find watching soccer dull, and thus consider it to be a low-value activity. In contrast, soccer is the number one spectator sport all around Europe and in other parts of the world

Men tend to be more heuristic/intuitive in their processing. Women tend to process information in a more piecemeal fashion. Thus, men are more likely to process information based on the way it is framed and on the categories (schema, stereotypes, scripts) it evokes, rather than on a detailed breakdown of all the information

Cognitive Structuring

While teens tend to share some behaviors in common, such as experimenting with tobacco, their preference for music tends to be much more of a generational effect.

Consumers tend to enjoy music from their own generation, and each generation seems to carry its taste for music with it to a large extent

In many European countries, the birthrate has dropped to 0.5 per person. "One Child" policy in China.

Declining birthrates

Trends affecting Consumer Behavior

Declining birthrates Increasing consumer affluence Increasing life expectancy and the aging consumer Increasing cultural diversity

Religion also affects consumers' diets and the clothing they wear

During Lent each year, fast-food restaurants heavily advertise fish offerings as a way of capitalizing on the Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat during Lent. In many urban areas around the US where relatively large Jewish populations exist, grocers dedicate entire sections of their stores to kosher goods.

Many street microcultures, including music, sports, and fashion exist around the world as well.

Emo - a popular microculture in Japan. Japanese "gothic Lolita" is another popular microculture that can best be illustrated by imagining a gothic China doll. "Decora" microculture - marked by wearing extremely bright clothing and plastic accessories.

Combination of working couples and lower birthrates has led to greater levels of consumer affluence, particularly in the US. Consumers have generally become less price-sensitive in many categories. Families eat out more often and are more likely to own the latest electronic devices than consumers of the past.

Increasing Consumer Affluence

Immigration and the growth of microcultures. The growth of Muslim faith in European countries.

Increasing Cultural Diversity

ESPN channels offer an opportunity to reach out to a predominantly male market. Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar magazines offer an opportunity to reach a female market

Male and Female Segments

Budget allocations also are associated with religion

Many Protestant denominations have tithing requirements that strongly encourage church members to give 10% of their gross income to the church

Unemployed, taking whatever job to help pay the bills Would rather walk than drive first "always connected" generation live in urban setting rather than rural live in smaller, rather than larger homes

Millennials

Various religions have rules and customs about public displays of the body

Muslim women often sport veils, or even cover their entire face. Although this practice is often stigmatized in the US, some fashion retailers have offered fashionable veils that may even cross over into the secular market. (Stigmatization - consumers are marked in some way that indicates their place in society.)

Limitations of using Social Class concept in consumer research

Not all consumers strive to move up the social ladder Not every consumer in a social class will act similarly

Roles

Provides a signal as to behaviors that one should perform to truly belong to the group; what it takes to be an authentic member of the group

For example, in the South a soda is something with ice cream in it, but in the Northeast a soda is a soft drink

Regional Microculture

in the US and throughout the Western World, the weekend occurs on Saturday and Sunday. But in Arab lands and others where Islam is the predominant religion, Friday is the day of prayer, so the weekend occurs on Thursday and Friday

Religious Microculture

When students attend a career fair for the first time they may experience conflict over how to dress. Sorority sisters may see a certain outfit as business attire, but the career-service oriented woman representing a company at the event may see it as too sexy and inappropriate for the office

Role Conflict

In Italy, women spend a great deal of time keeping their houses clean. This cleaning provides utilitarian value through the result of a clean house, but also provide inner gratification from the activities because they help fulfill their specific ____________

Societal Sex Role

Street Microculture

Sports and music can provide a basis. Hip-hop microculture illustrates one such group. "Gothic" "Emo"

Culture is a universal phenomenon. It is everywhere and ultimately explains the habits and idiosyncrasies of all groups of consumers.

TRUE

Many types of microcultures in the United States

These include regional, sex role, age-based, generational, religious, ethnic, income/social class, and street microcultures

Cohort

a group of people who have lived the same major experiences in their lives, and the experiences end up shaping their core values. Life experiences have many different effects on a cohort.

Microculture

a group of people who share similar values and tastes that are subsumed within a larger culture

Role Conflict

a situation involving conflicting expectations based on cultural role expectations

Generation X

born between 1965 and 1980. They represent 65 million consumers. Long thought to be a group that was marked by alienation and cynicism. Also been referred to as "latchkey" kids to signify the idea that may of these consumers spent a great deal of time alone due to having both parents at work. Many also came from divorced households, which may explain why a good number of these consumers today focus strongly on the family and traditional family values. Although marketers often viewed these consumers as slackers, many of them have become successful business people and community leaders. Research also reveals the majority of these consumers started saving money relatively early in life.

Millennials

born between 1981 and 1995. represent approximately 83 million consumers in the US. Originally referred to as Generation Y. Its members are very different from other cohorts. Tend to wholeheartedly embrace technology like no other generation before them. Many were cocooned by protective parents when they were young and tend to view technology as a means to build community and relationships. Also tend to keep close contact with their parents. Tend to be relatively impulsive and optimistic.

Generation Z

born between 1995 and 2010. smaller than millenials with approximately 30 million consumers in the US. Research suggests that they will be the most educated, diverse, and mobile group to date. Also the first truly "global" generation, due to racial and cultural diversity, increased population mobility and migration, and comfort with mobile technologies. Tend to embody the "KGOY" concept (kids growing older, younger) since information is spread so quickly through the group by social media and texting. Also more attuned to concepts like viral marketing and self-endorsements than is any other group

Social Class

culturally defined group to which a consumer belongs based on resources like prestige, income, occupation, and education. Income and occupation are two of the most recognizable determinants of social class.

Demographics

refer to observable, statistical aspects of populations such as age, gender, or income.

Sex Roles

refer to the societal expectations for men and women among members of a cultural group. Ubiquitous in society, and inconsistency with them can be a source of sanctions. The differences between societal expectations of men and women vary less in Western cultures than they do in Eastern cultures, in which sex-based divisions in roles remain more obvious.

Greatest Generation

refers to American consumers who were young adults during World War II. These consumers were born prior to 1928. They represent approximately 11.5 million consumers living today. Their lives and values are shaped very much by World War II and their post-war experiences. These consumers tend to be more thrifty than other consumers and thus are highly price conscious. Have reached their elderly years.

Habitus

refers to mental and cognitive structures through which individuals perceive the world based largely on their standing in a social class.

Cognitive Structuring

refers to the reliance on schema-based heuristics in making decisions

Divergence

situation in which consumers choose membership in microcultures in an effort to stand out or define themselves from the crowd (soccer hooligans took up Burberry caps as preferred headwear, then young male British business professionals abandoned the caps so as not to have a preference overlapping that could identify them as hooligans)

World Teen Cultures

speculation that teenagers around the world are more similar to each other than to people from other generations in the same culture

Social Stratification

the division of society into classes that have unequal access to scarce and valuable resources.

Homogamy (Assortative Mating)

the finding that most marriages comprise people from similar classes

Silent Generation

were born between 1928 and 1945. Two major events occurred during this time period. The first major event was the Great Depression, which began in 1929. The second major event was World War II. They are known for civic duty, conformity, and responsibility. They tend to be frugal and follow largely utilitarian motivations with their purchases. Segment is comprised of approximately 40 million consumers in the US today.

Baby Boomers

were born between 1946 and 1964. Approximately 77 million Americans are Boomers. Boomers were born during a time in the US that was marked by optimism and relative economic security. Represent a major force in consumer culture, and they are a substantial force in the economy. They receive significant marketing attention. Many have saved significant sums of money for retirement and plan to enjoy good times well into their elderly years. Boomers, relative to other generations, have a huge amount of spending power. Characterized by a preference for wine and the finer things. Although mortality will eventually lead to a decline in baby boom consumers, trends in fertility rates and migration are expected to sustain the number of older American consumers into the distant future. It has been projected that the number of US consumers aged 65 or older will reach nearly 85 million by 2050