Consumer Culture

The sum total of learned

beliefs, values, and
customs that serve to
Culture
regulate the consumer
behavior of members of
a particular society.
A Theoretical Model of Culture’s Influence on
Behavior
 Culture Is Learned
Issues

• Enculturation • Enculturation
and acculturation – The learning of one’s
• Language and own culture
• Acculturation
symbols
– The learning of a
• Ritual new or foreign
• Sharing of culture
culture
 Culture Is Learned
Issues • Without a common
language ,shared
• Enculturation meaning could not exist
and acculturation • Marketers must choose
• Language and appropriate symbols in
symbols advertising
• Ritual • Marketers can use
• Sharing of “known” symbols for
culture associations
 Culture Is Learned
Issues
• A ritual is a type of
symbolic activity
• Enculturation
consisting of a series of
and acculturation
steps
• Language and
• Rituals extend over the
symbols
human life cycle
• Ritual
• Marketers realize that
• Sharing of rituals often involve
culture products (artifacts) 6
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eleven Slide
SELECTED RITUALS TYPICAL ARTIFACTS

Wedding Garments

Birth of child silver baby spoon

Birthday Card, present, cake with candles

Valentine’s Day Candy, card, flowers

New Year’s Eve Champagne, party, fancy dress
 Culture Is Learned

Issues
• Enculturation • To be a cultural
and acculturation characteristic, a belief,
• Language and value, or practice must
symbols be shared by a
• Ritual significant portion of
the society
• Sharing of
Culture • Culture is transferred
through family, schools,
• Formal learning: when a child is taught how to
behave by family.
• Informal Learning: when the child learns by
imitating the behavior of others
• Technical Learning: when the child is taught
how to behave in a formal educational
environment
core societal values to apply the concept of
cultural distance
Dimensions of Cultural Values
Individualism

Masculinity

Power distance

Uncertainty avoidance

Long-term orientation

Indulgence