Sreejita Bose Roll No.

MBA/09/009

Cross Cultural influence on consumer brand choice behaviour

Consumer buying behaviour refers to the buying behaviour of final consumers (individuals & households) who buy goods and services for personal consumption.

The picture depicts that cross cultural influence in consumer brand choice behaviour is actually a three stage process. So, at first we will discuss about the cross-cultural effect on consumer behaviour. Then at the second part we will explain the factors behind consumer brand choice decision. Finally, we will club the previous two factors to come to a conclusion about CrossCross-Cultural Influence on Consumer Brand Choice Behaviour.

Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior:

An individual's behavior is a result of that individual's cultural value system for a particular context. Individuals' cultural value systems are developed over time as they are socialized into a particular group. Societal culture as well as regional subculture and familial values all influence the formation of an individual's cultural value system. Thus, the cultural value system includes cultural elements that individuals have in common with the group to which they belong, as well as idiosyncratic values unique to the individual. As the model suggests, culture affects consumer behavior, which itself may reinforce the manifestations of culture an individual's consumption behavior may be viewed and imitated or rejected by others. It can then become the group's norm of behavior and be identified as part of the culture of a given population. Figure shows, marketing communications can affect consumer behavior independent of culture. Marketing communication we will discuss under Brand Choice Decisions.

Cultural Value System:

1. Values : A value is a centrally held, enduring belief which guides actions and judgments across specific situations and beyond immediate goals to more ultimate end-states of existence. Examples of values are ``freedom,'' ``pleasure'', ``inner harmony'', and ``happiness''. 2. Heroes. The term heroes refers to ``persons, alive or dead, real or imaginary, who possess characteristics which are highly prized in a culture, and who thus serve as models for behavior'' 3. Rituals. The term ritual refers to a type of expressive, symbolic activity constructed of multiple behaviors that occur in a fixed, episodic sequence, and that tend to be repeated over time. 4. Symbols. Symbols are a broad category of processes and objects that carry a meaning that is unique to a particular group of people. Hence, a society's symbols may not exist in different cultures, or their meaning may be different. Language is a set of symbols, as are different gestures, pictures, or objects. The symbols most frequently studied by consumer researchers are language and consumer products.
Consumer behavior elements

1. Cognition includes any construct or process that refers to memory structures or self-construal. 2. Affect refers to the attitude/intention formation process and its outcomes: attitudes toward an entity, either material (e.g. products) or abstract (e.g. an ethnic group). 3. Behavior includes individual choices and behavior patterns, such as media usage or food shopping.

Brand Choice Decision:

Consumer brand choice decision depends on many factors. So, worlds popular brands use different marketing strategies for different country. Worlds most valuable brands 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Coca-Cola / Pepsi Microsoft IBM GE Intel Disney McDonalds Nokia Toyota Most of these brands offer different website for different country. Eg. Coca-Cola McDonalds uses localization Eg. Ronald McDonald is Donald McDonald in Japan In Brand Choice Decision a very important part is Country of Origin effects. Many consumers may take into consideration the country of a origin of a product. Some consumers have animosity towards a country. Eg. Peoples Republic of China has some animosity towards Japan. Jewish consumers avoid German products etc.

Cross-Cultural Influence on Consumer Brand Choice Behaviour: Cross Cultural Analysis:

Cross-Cultural influence creates a very strong impact in consumer brand choice decisions.So, most of the global brands chooses various global marketing strategies just to sustain in different type of markets. The following picture depicts global marketing strategies.

References: http://www.slideshare.net/arjun.ramesh86/consumer-behaviour-presentation-796587 http://www.slideshare.net/kumaravinash23/chapter-14-cross-cultural-consumerbehavior http://iba8010kelly.alliant.wikispaces.net/file/view/Culture+and+Innovation++An+integrative+framework+for+cross-cultural+consumer+behavior.pdf