Consumer Behavior

The Influence of Culture on

Consumer Behavior

1 Prof. Aparna Kanchan

 The sum total of learned
beliefs, values, and
customs that serve to
Culture
regulate the consumer
behavior of members of
a particular society.

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 Beliefs consists of a very
large number of mental
or verbal statements
i.e “ I believe…” that
Beliefs
reflect a persons
particular knowledge &
assessment of something
(another person, a store,
a product ,a brand)

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 Values are also beliefs.
Values differ from other
beliefs, however because
they meet the following
criteria;
•They are relatively few in number
Values •They serve as a guide for culturally
appropriate behaviour
•They are enduring and difficult to
change
•They are not tied to specific objects
or situations
•They are widely accepted by the
members of the society

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 Culture

Culture offers order, direction, and guidance

in all phases of human problem solving:
When to eat, Where to eat,
What to eat for each meal,
What to serve guests at a dinner party,
picnic, or wedding.

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 Why is it important for businesses to
understand culture?
Culture is the lens through which people view products as well as a
company
Culture channels our values, attitudes, motives and goal directed
behavior, as well as our personality
Culture influences the overall priorities consumers attach to different
activities and products
Consumption choices cannot be understood without considering the
cultural context in which they are made
Determines the success or failure of specific products or services
Determines the success or failure of marketing communications

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 Forms of Cultural Learning
Adults, older sibling
teach young ones
Formal Learning

Imitating behaviour of
selected others Informal Learning

Teacher teaches in a
Technical Learning educational
Environment

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 Issues in Culture
• Enculturation and acculturation
• Language and symbols
• Ritual
• Sharing of Culture

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 ENCULTURATION AND ACCULTURATION

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 Cross-Cultural Marketing gaffs
Chevrolet Nova didn't do well in Spanish speaking countries ...Nova
means 'No Go'
In Brazil the Ford Pinto flopped because Pinto was Brazilian slang
for "tiny male genitals." Ford pried all the nameplates off and
substituted Corcel, which means horse.
Bacardi concocted a fruity drink with the name 'Pavian' to suggest
French chic ... but 'Pavian' means 'baboon' in German.
A peanut-packed chocolate bar targeted at Japanese teenagers
needing energy while cramming for exams ran into a belief that
eating peanuts and chocolate causes nosebleeds.
 Coors slogan, "Turn it Loose," translated into Spanish as "Suffer
From Diarrhea."
 Jolly Green Giant translated into Arabic means "Intimidating
Green Ogre."

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 Puffs tissues had a bad name in Germany since "Puff" is a colloquial
term for whorehouse.
Chicken magnate Frank Perdue’s slogan "It takes a tough man to
make a tender chicken, “translated into Spanish came out as "It takes
a sexually stimulated man to make a chicken affectionate."
In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name
into "Schweppes Toilet Water."
Beta Systems of Germany prefaced all its software products in North
America with the word Beta, which in the Software business is pre-
release testing phase of the product meaning it’s not ready for general
use.
Japan's 2nd-largest tourist agency, the Kinki Nippon Tourist Co.,
changed its name after it began receiving requests for unusual sex
tours when it entered English-speaking markets.
Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in
an American campaign, "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux".
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 Issues in Culture
• Enculturation – Learning of ones own culture

• Acculturation – Learning of new or foreign

culture

– Important for marketers who plan to sell their

products in foreign or multinational markets

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 LANGUAGE AND SYMBOLS

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 Issues in Culture
• Language and symbols
– To acquire a common culture the members of
the society must be able to communicate with
each other thru a common language
– Without a common language, shared meaning
could not exist & true communication would
not take place
– To communicate effectively, marketers must
use appropriate symbols to convey desired
product images or characteristics
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 Issues in Culture
• Language and symbols
– These symbols can be verbal or non-verbal
• Verbal symbols – TV ads, print ads etc
• Non- verbal symbols – Figures, colour, shapes, and
even textures
– Any word is a symbol
• Eg: Razor
• Tsunami
• Mercedes
• Eg: Skin Moisturizing gel – Contrast of a Parched
Desert and a lush green field

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 “Sacred” can include
Things
 Events

Places
People

Marketers need to be
aware of what is sacred
– and perhaps taboo in
advertising

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 Issues in Culture
• Language and symbols
– A symbol may have several, even contradictory
meanings
• Eg: Use of a trademark depicting an old craftsman
to symbolize careful workmanship – may
communicate an image of outdated methods and
lack of style
– Price & Channels of distribution are also
symbols of the marketer and the marketer’s
product
• Eg: Price often implies quality to potential buyers

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 Ad Using
Visual Imagery
as a
Symbol

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 Symbols
Generate ideas, emotions, thoughts

Types of Symbols

Numbers
Colours
Gestures
Animals (animate objects)
Inanimate objects

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 A Myth is a Story Containing Symbolic Elements That
Express the Shared Emotions and Ideals Of a Culture.

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Mythic Characters and symbols are often used in advertising
 RITUALS

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 Issues in Culture
• Rituals
– A ritual is a type of symbolic activity consisting of a
series of steps ( multiple behaviours) occurring in a
fixed sequence & repeated over time
– Rituals extend over human life cycle from birth to
death including a host of intermediate events
– Can be very public- elaborate or mundane
– It is also likely to occur repeatedly over time ( singing
national anthem in school after prayers, while hoisting
flag etc.
– Ritualistic Behaviour – Tennis Player bouncing a ball

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 Types of Ritual Experience
Ritual Type Examples
Religious
Religious Baptism,
Baptism,Meditation,
Meditation,Mass
Mass
Rites
Ritesof
of Passage
Passage Graduation, Marriage
Cultural Festivals,
Festivals,Holidays
Holidays
Civic Parades,
Parades,Elections,
Elections,Trials
Trials
Group
Group Business
BusinessNegotiations
Negotiations
Family
Family Mealtimes, Birthdays

Personal
Personal Grooming,
Grooming,Household
Household

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 Gift Giving Rituals

Holiday occasions
are filled with
ritual artifacts
and scripts
They are
increasingly cast
by enterprising
marketers as
times for giving
gifts
Many cultural holidays are based on myths, and often real or imaginary characters are
at the center of stories used in advertising e.g. Santa Claus

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 All consumers go
through private
grooming rituals

The shower is seen as a

sacred, cleansing ritual.

In these rituals women

reaffirm the value placed
by their culture on
personal beauty.

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 Rituals can be changed
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 Weeknights
are Rich with
Ritual

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 Selected Rituals and Associated
Artifacts
SELECTED RITUALS TYPICAL ARTIFACTS
Wedding White gown , Red Saree, green bangles, Pagdi

Birth of child Silver baby spoon

Birthday Card, present, cake with candles
50th Wedding anniversary Catered party, card and gift, display of photos of the
couple’s life together
Graduation Pen, Savings Bond, card, wristwatch
Valentine’s Day Candy, card, flowers
New Year’s Eve Champagne, party, fancy dress
Thanksgiving Prepare a turkey meal for family and friends

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 CULTURE IS SHARED

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 Culture is Shared
• To be considered a cultural characteristic, a
particular belief, value or practice must be shared
by a significant portion of the society
• Culture is a group custom that links together the
members of a society
• Social institutions transmit the elements of a
culture – family- primary agent of enculturation-
passing on values, beliefs and customs

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 Culture is Shared
• Social institutions – Educational
institutions- Imparts basic learning skills,
history , patriotism, citizenship and
technical training required to prepare people
for significant roles in society
• Religious institutions - Religious
consciousness ,spiritual guidance, & moral
training
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 Culture and Advertising
• Is it the role of advertising to socialize
readers on how to dress, decorate their
homes, and food for parties, etc?

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 Diversity By Indian Railways Indian Village By Amul

36 Emerging Culture Rituals & Tradition

 SUBCULTURE
• Sub-culture is defined as a distinct cultural group
that exists as an identifiable segment within a larger,
more complex society. Ex: Nationality, Social class,
Religion, Language, Age, Gender.
• Divisions Of Sub-cultures:
– Nationality Subculture: With in a particular
country. Like in India – Anglo Indians, Parsees,
Moghuls, Pathans, Indo-Chinese, Sinhalese, etc.
– Religious Sub-culutre: Based on different faiths ,
Beliefs,& Religion. Like Muslims, Sikhs, Christians,
Hindus, Buddhists, etc

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 Subculture & Consumer Behavior
– Geographic & Religious Sub-culture: Ex: South Indians,
North Indians, North-east Indians.
– Racial Sub-culture: In USA Caucasians, Africans, Asian,
American & American Indians.
– Age Sub-culture:
Generation Generation Baby Boomer Older
Tweens Twixters
Market Customers
Y Market X Market

– Gender as a Sub-culture: All societies have assigned

different traits & roles for Males & females, like
breadwinners for Males & Homemakers for females etc.

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 Age Subcultures
• Gen Y – Teen segment
• Tween – 8 to 14 yr olds
• Twixters – 21 to 29 yr olds
• Gen X – ( born between 1965- 1979)
• Baby Boomers - ( born between 1946-
1964)
• Older Customers – 60-65 yrs of age
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 MARKETERS FOCUS
• Marketers’ focus on satisfying traditional tastes &
preferences.
• Companies are now focusing more on Age sub
culture & gender subculture.
• For Ex. 1) Lifestyle
» 2) Levies
» 3) Upcoming segment of Unisexual
Saloons
» 4) Automobiles like TVS-Scooty &
Bajaj-pulsar etc.
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 THANK YOU

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