Expert answer:Consumer Behavior
Solved by verified expert:This week your questions are from the IKEA case from the textbook. EACH of the 4 responses must contain a MINIMUM of 250 words (not including the reference list). For the week, you need a MINIMUM of 3 EBSCO scholarly sources cited and referenced in your work. These sources are to cover the CONSUMER BEHAVIOR TOPICS in the questions, NOT the products or services discussed. So if you are including additional EBSCO research on IKEA or other online stores, this WILL NOT COUNT toward your total required scholarly research requirements! APA Format, in-text citations, and use textbook as a source. Question 1 Discuss how IKEA’s approach has helped you to better understand the debate that exists between standardization compared with adaptation for international markets. Question 2 The text talks about the difference between low and high culture. Is IKEA trying to position its brand to be one or the other? Would this be different depending on the country location? Question 3 What are some of the ways in which organizational decisions differ from individual consumer decisions? How are they similar? Question 4 Think of a product you recently shopped for online. Describe your search process. How did you become aware that you wanted or needed the product? How did you evaluate alternatives? Did you wind up buying online? Why or why not? What factors would make it more or less likely that you would buy something online versus in a traditional store?
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Chapter 14 Culture
Chapter
Objectives
●
When you finish reading this chapter you will understand
why:
M
C
14-2 We distinguish between high culture and low culture. D
14-3 Myths are stories that express a culture’s values, and in O
modern times marketing messages convey these valuesN
to members of the culture.
O
14-4 Many of our consumption activities—including holiday
observances, grooming, and gift-giving—relate to rituals.U
G
14-5 We describe products as either sacred or profane, and it’s
not unusual for some products to move back and forth H
between the two categories.
,
14-1 A culture is a society’s personality.
14-7 Many people and organizations play a role in the fashion system that creates and communicates symbolic
meanings to consumers.
14-8 Fashions follow cycles and reflect cultural dynamics.
14-9 Western (and particularly U.S.) culture has a huge impact around the world, although people in other countries don’t necessarily ascribe the same meanings to
products as we do.
14-10 Products that succeed in one culture may fail in another
if marketers fail to understand the differences among
consumers in each place.
14-6 New products, services, and ideas spread through a
population over time. Different types of people are more
or less likely to adopt them during this diffusion process.B
R
I
T
tephanie is at her wits’ end. It’s bad enough that she has a deadT line looming on that new Christmas promotion for her gift shop.
A Now, there’s trouble on the home front as well: Her son Mark had
to goN
and flunk his driver’s license road exam, and he’s just about suicidal
because
Y he feels he can’t be a “real man” if he doesn’t have a license. To
S
top things off, now she’ll have to postpone her much-anticipated vacation to
Disney World with her stepdaughter Arya because she just can’t find the time
5
9
When Stephanie meets up with her buddy Lenny at their local Starbucks
9
for their daily “retreat,” her mood starts to brighten. Somehow the calm of
the café
2 rubs off as she savors her grande cappuccino. Lenny consoles her
with the
B ultimate remedy to beat the blues: Go home, take a nice long bath,
and then consume a quart of Starbucks Espresso Swirl ice cream. Yes, that’s
U
to get away.
Source: Rob Marmion/Shutterstock
the ticket. It’s amazing how the little things in life can make such a big difference. As she strolls out the door, Stephanie makes a mental note to get
492
Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, Twelfth Edition, by Michael R. Solomon. Published by Pearson. Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc.
ISBN 1-323-46948-6
Lenny a really nice Christmas gift this year. She’s earned it.
CHAPTER 14
OBJECTIVE 14-1
A culture is a society’s
personality.
Culture
Cultural Systems
Stephanie’s experiences illustrate how everyday events reflect
deeper meanings; overcoming challenges like a driver’s test, planning “pilgrimmages” to destinations like Disney World, choosing gifts to thank others,
even calming ourselves with that daily latte or bowl of favorite ice cream. Marketers can
only appreciate the importance of these activities when they understand what they signify
and that’s why this final chapter will explore some of the underlying elements. Culture is
a society’s personality. It includes both abstract ideas, such as values and ethics, and material objects and services, such as the automobiles, clothing, food, art, and sports a society
produces. Put another way, it’s the accumulation of shared meanings, rituals, norms, and
M
traditions among the members of an organization or society.
C its cultural context:
We simply can’t understand consumption unless we consider
Culture is the “lens” through which people view products. Ironically,
D the effects of culture
on consumer behavior are so powerful and far-reaching that it’s sometimes difficult to
grasp their importance. We don’t always appreciate this powerO
until we encounter a different culture. Suddenly, many of the assumptions we take for granted
about the clothes
N
we wear, the food we eat, or the way we address others no longer seem to apply. The effect
O culture shock is not an
when we encounter such differences can be so great that the term
exaggeration.
U
Our culture determines the overall priorities we attach to different activities and
products, and it also helps us decide whether specific productsGwill satisfy these priorities. A product that provides benefits to members of a culture at
Hany point in time has a
much better chance to achieve marketplace acceptance. For example, U.S. culture began
,
to emphasize the concept of a fit, trim body as an ideal of appearance in the mid-1970s.
The premium consumers put on thinness, which stemmed from underlying values such as
mobility, wealth, and a focus on the self, greatly contributed to Miller’s success when the
B
brewer launched its Lite beer. However, a decade earlier when Gablinger’s introduced a
R was “ahead of its time”
similar low-cal beer in the 1960s, the product failed. This beverage
because U.S. beer drinkers during that era (who were almost Iall men) weren’t worried
about cutting down on calories.
The relationship between consumer behavior and culture isTa two-way street. On the
one hand, consumers are more likely to embrace products and services
T that resonate with
a culture’s priorities at any given time. On the other hand, it’s worthwhile for us to underA a window into the
stand which products do get accepted, because this knowledge provides
dominant cultural ideals of that period. Consider, for example,Nsome U.S. products that
successfully reflected dominant values during their time:
Y
● The TV dinner reflected changes in family structure and the onset of a new informal-
ity in U.S. home life.
5
apprehensions about pollution, waste, and animal rights. 9
● Condoms packaged in pastel carrying cases for female buyers signaled changes in
9
attitudes toward sexual responsibility and openness.
2
B
Cultural Systems
Culture is not static. It evolves continually as it synthesizes oldUideas with new ones. A
● Cosmetics made from natural materials without animal testing reflected consumers’
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cultural system consists of these functional areas:1
● Ecology—The way a system adapts to its habitat. The technology a culture uses to
obtain and distribute resources shapes its ecology. The Japanese, for example, greatly
value products that make efficient use of space because of the cramped conditions in
their urban centers.2
Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, Twelfth Edition, by Michael R. Solomon. Published by Pearson. Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc.
493
494
SECTION 4
Consumers in Their Social and Cultural Settings
● Social structure—The way people maintain an orderly social life. This includes the
domestic and political groups that dominate the culture (e.g., the nuclear family versus the extended family; representative government versus dictatorship).
● Ideology—The mental characteristics of a people and the way they relate to their
environment and social groups. As we saw in Chapter 12, they share a common
worldview that includes ideas about principles of order and fairness. They also share
an ethos, or a set of moral and aesthetic principles. A theme park in Bombay called
Water Kingdom that caters to India’s emerging middle class illustrates how distinctive
a culture’s worldview can be. Many consumers there are unfamiliar with mixed-sex
swimming in public, so the park rents swimsuits to women who have never worn them
before. No thongs here, though: The suits cover the women from wrists to ankles.3
M
C Marketing and Culture
The Yin and Yang of
Drepresent only 8 percent of all people in that age group and have
Even though inner-city teens
incomes significantly lowerO
than their white suburban counterparts, their influence on young
people’s musical and fashion tastes is much greater than these numbers suggest. “Urban”
fashion now is a mainstayN
in the heartland, as major retail chains pick up on the craze and
try to lure legions of youngO
middle-class shoppers. Macy’s and JC Penney carry Sean John and
FUBU (“for us by us”); labels like Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, Enyce, Ecko, Nautica, and Affliction
Uhigh kids. Web sites like Krunkgrillz.com and Hiphopbling.com
are standard issue for junior
sell other emblems of hip-hop
G such as “pimp cups,” gold plated “grillz,” and Bellagio spoke
rims.4 Why does this subculture influence the mass market so strongly?
H
Outsider heroes—whether John Dillinger, James Dean, or Dr. Dre—who achieve
money and fame without ,being hemmed in by societal constraints have always fascinated
Americans. That helps to explain the devotion of many white suburban teens to the urban
music scene. As one executive of a firm that researches urban youth noted, “People resonate
B messages of rap, and the alienation of blacks.”5 It’s common
with the strong anti-oppression
for mainstream culture to modify symbols from “cutting-edge” subcultures for a larger audiR
ence to consume. As this occurs, these cultural products undergo a process of cooptation
I their original meanings.6 The spread of hip-hop fashions and
in which outsiders transform
music is only one example of
T what happens when the marketing system takes a set of subcultural meanings, reinterprets them, and reproduces them for mass consumption.
T
Of course, the countercultures
that originate these movements don’t just sit still for
this. They develop strategies
to
reclaim
their symbols and practices. For example, large
A
food manufacturers and retailers today recognize shifting consumer tastes as they co-opt
N and repackage food products for mainstream grocery shopvegan or organic food cultures
pers. Walmart sells organic
Y food, and the huge conglomerate ConAgra purchased Ben &
Jerry’s ice cream. In response, adherents of a locavore lifestyle that emphasizes the purchase of locally produced meat and vegetables may find alternative channels of distribution, such as farmers’ markets,
5 to sell their “authentic” versions to true believers.7
In this section we’ll look at how our culture creates these meanings—which often
9
reside in everyday products—and how these meanings move through a society. As
9
Figure 14.1 shows, the advertising
and fashion industries play a key role in this process;
they link functional products with symbolic qualities such as sexiness, sophistication, or
2
just plain “cool.” These goods, in turn, impart their meanings to us as we use these products to create and expressB
our identities.8
U
Cultural Movement
Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, Twelfth Edition, by Michael R. Solomon. Published by Pearson. Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc.
ISBN 1-323-46948-6
Fairy tats. Tory Burch flats. Cage-free eggs. Ke$ha. High-tech furniture. Postmodern
architecture. Candy Crush. Vine videos. Tablets. Emojis. Real Housewives. Selfies. Electric
cars. Costa Rican ecotours. We inhabit a world that brims with different styles and possibilities. The food we eat, the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the places we live and
work, the music we listen to—the ebb and flow of popular culture and fashion influences
all of them.
CHAPTER 14
Culture
Figure 14.1 THE MOVEMENT OF MEANING
DESTINATIONS
OF MOVEMENT
INSTRUMENTS
OF MOVEMENT
Cultural Values and Symbols
Advertising and
Fashion Systems
Consumer Goods
M
C
Individual Consumer
D
O
At times we may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of
N choices available to us
in the marketplace. A person who wants to choose something as routine as a necktie or
a lipstick shade may look at hundreds of alternatives! Despite O
this seeming abundance,
however, the options available to us at any point in time actually
U represent only a small
fraction of the total set of possibilities. Figure 14.2 shows that when we select certain
G
alternatives over others—whether automobiles, dresses, computers,
recording artists,
political candidates, religions, or even scientific methodologies—our
H choice actually is
,
Consumption
Rituals
CULTURE PRODUCTION PROCESS
Symbol Pool
Creative
Subsystem
Managerial
Subsystem
Culture
Production
System
Communications
Subsystem
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Cultural Gatekeepers
Formal Gatekeepers
Informal Gatekeepers
Casting Directors
Opinion Leaders
Radio Programmers
Friends
Textbook Authors
Spouse
Retail Buyers
Family Members
Restaurant Reviewers
Neighbors
B
R
I
T
T
A
N
Y
5
9
9
2
B
U
Consumer Innovation/Grassroots Movement
Figure 14.2 THE CULTURE PRODUCTION PROCESS
Consumer
Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, Twelfth Edition, by Michael R. Solomon. Published by Pearson. Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc.
495
496
SECTION 4
Consumers in Their Social and Cultural Settings
only the culmination of a complex filtration process that resembles a funnel. Many possibilities initially compete for adoption; most of them drop out of the mix as they make their
way down the path from conception to consumption. We call this winnowing-out process
cultural selection.
We don’t form our tastes and product preferences in a vacuum. The many images
mass media present to us drive our choices, as well as our observations of those around
us, and even our desires to live in the fantasy worlds marketers create in the ads we see all
around us. These options constantly evolve and change. A clothing style or type of cuisine
that is “hot” one year may be “out” the next.
Hip-hop was born way back in 1968 by a DJ in the Bronx, New York. The music and
fashions that grew up around it grew over the years and began to garner mainstream
M bought the Def Jam record label in 1985. By the midstatus when Columbia Records
2000s, entrepreneurs branched
C out into other categories including sports (Jay Z became
part owner of what is now the Brooklyn Nets), beverages (Nelly launched Pimp Juice, an
D (Queen by Queen Latifah, Pink Friday by Nicki Minaj, Girl
energy drink) and fragrances
by Pharrell Williams). Ghostface
O Killah sold a $500 action figure of himself; it came with
a mixtape, a real 14k gold chain, and a chalice lined with Swarovski crystals. Eventually
hip-hop grew beyond its N
U.S. roots as artists in other countries (even an aborigine in
Australia) developed theirO
own interpretations. The widespread adoption of hip-hop style
illustrates some of the characteristics of fashion and popular culture:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
U
Styles reflect more fundamental
societal trends (e.g., politics and social conditions).
G
A style begins as a risky or unique statement by a relatively small group of people and
H
then spreads as others become aware of it.
Styles usually originate
, as an interplay between the deliberate inventions of design-
ers and businesspeople and spontaneous actions by ordinary consumers who modify
these creations to suit their own needs. Designers, manufacturers, and merchandisers
B
who anticipate what consumers
want will succeed in the marketplace. In the process,
they help to fuel the fire when they encourage distribution of the item—especially if
R
they persuade opinion leaders to use it first.
I widely, often across countries and even continents.
Cultural products travel
Influential people in the
Tmedia and increasingly everyday “influencers” who are active
in social media play a significant role in deciding which items will succeed.
Most styles eventuallyT
wear out as people continually search for new ways to express
themselves and marketers
A scramble to keep up with these desires.
The cultural selection process never stops, so when styles become obsolete others wait
N culture.
to replace them in popular
Y
No single designer, company, or advertising agency creates popular culture. Many
parties contribute to every hit song, hot car, or new clothing style. A culture production
system (CPS) is the set of 5
individuals and organizations that create and market a cultural
product.9 The structure of a CPS determines the types of products it creates. Factors such
9
as the number and diversity of competing systems and the amount of innovation versus
conformity each influence9the selection of products from which we choose at any point in
time. For example, an analysis of the country/western music industry showed that the hit
2
records it produces are similar to one another when a few large companies dominate the
B number of labels compete we see more diversity in musical
industry, but when a greater
styles.10 Table 14.1 illustrates
U some of the many cultural specialists that jointly create a
hit CD like singer Beyoncé’s platinum album 4.
A culture production system has three major subsystems:
Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being, Twelfth Edition, by Michael R. Solomon. Published by Pearson. Copyright © 2017 by Pearson Education, Inc.
ISBN 1-323-46948-6
1 A creative subsystem to generate new symbols and products
2 A managerial subsystem to select, make tangible, produce, and manage the distribution of new symbols and products
3 A communications subsystem to give meaning to the new product and provide it with a
symbolic set of attributes
CHAPTER 14
TABLE 14.1
Culture
Cultural Specialists in the Music Industry
Specialist
Functions
Songwriter(s)
Compose music and lyrics; must reconcile artistic preferences with estimates of what will succeed in the
marketplace
Performer(s)
Interpret music and lyrics; may be formed spontaneously, or may be packaged by an agent to appeal to a
predetermined market (e.g., The Monkees, Menudo, and New Kids on the Block)
Teachers and coaches
Develop and refine performers’ talents
Agents
Represent performers to record
Mcompanies
A&R (artist & repertoire) executives
Acquire artists for the record label
C
Publicists, image consultants,
designers, stylists
Create an image for the artistsDthat is transmitted to the buying public
Recording technicians, producers
Create a recording to be sold
Marketing executives
Video directors
Music reviewers
Disc jockeys, radio program directors
Record store owners
O
N
Make strategic decisions regarding performer’s appearances, ticket pricing, promotional strategies,
O
and so on
U a music video that will help to promote the record
Interpret the song visually to create
G
Evaluate the merits of a recording for listeners
H
Decide which records will be given airplay and/or placed in the radio stations’ regular rotations
,
Decide which of the many records produced will be stocked and/or promoted heavily in the retail
environment
B
R
An example of the three components of a culture production
I system for a music
release is (1) a singer (e.g., singer Beyoncé, a creative subsystem); (2) a company (e.g.,
Columbia Records distributes Beyoncé’s CDs, a managerial T
subsystem); and (3) the
advertising agencies and corporations such as PepsiCo thatTwork with the singer’s
company Parkwood Entertainment to promote her music and arrange for her appearA edition set of Pepsi
ances in venues including the Super Bowl and even on a limited
11
soda cans.
N
Many judges or “tastemakers” have a say in the products we consider. These culY down the “funnel.”
tural gatekeepers filter the overflow of information as it travels
Gatekeepers include movie, restaurant, and car reviewers; interior designers; disc jockeys;
retail buyers; magazine editors; and increasingly a fan base that obsessively follows and
5
shares the latest gossip, styles, TV and film plots, and other pieces of popular culture.
Collectively, social scientists call this set of agents the throughput 9
sector.12
OBJECTIVE 14-2
We distinguish between
high culture and low
culture.
ISBN 1-323-46948-6
497
9
2
High and Low Culture
BWest have in common?
Question: What do Beethoven and Kanye
Although we associate both the famous
U comp …
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