Social Class, Culture and Consumer Behavior

Social Class, Culture and Consumer Behavior

Week 9

Prepared by : W. Rofianto

Social Class

The division of members of a society into a hierarchy of distinct statusclasses, so that members of each class have either higher or lowerstatus than members of other classes.

Social Class Is Hierarchal

� Status is frequently thought of as the relative rankings of members of each social class

SOCIAL CLASSES PERCENTAGEUpper 4.3Upper-middle 13.8Middle 32.8Working 32.3Lower 16.8Total percentage 100.0

Social Class Measurement

� Subjective Measures

• individuals are asked to estimate their own social-class positions

� Reputational Measures

• informants make judgments concerning the social-class membership of others within the community

� Objective Measures

• individuals answer specific socioeconomic questions and then are categorized according to answers

� Single-variable indexes

• Occupation

• Education

• Income

• Other Variables

� Composite-variable indexes

� Index of Status Characteristics

� Socioeconomic Status Score

Social Class Classification

The Affluent Consumer

� Especially attractive target to marketers

� Growing number of households can be classified as “mass affluent” with incomes of at least $75,000

� Some researchers are defining affluent to include lifestyle and psychographic factors in addition to income

� Have different medial habits than the general population

The Middle Class

� The “middle” 50 percent of household incomes - households earning between $22,500 and $80,000

� Households made up of college-educated adults who use computers, and are involved in children’s education

� Lower-middle to middle-middle based on income, education, and occupation (this view does NOT include upper-middle, which is considered affluent)

Social Class Classification

The Working Class

� Households earning $40,000 or less control more than 30 percent of the total income in the U.S.

� These consumers tend to be more brand loyal than wealthierconsumers.

The Techno Class

� Having competency with technology

� Those without are referred to as “technologically underclassed”

� Parents are seeking computer exposure for their children

� Geeks now viewed as friendly and fun

Consumer Behavior and

Social Class

� Clothing, Fashion, and Shopping

� The Pursuit of Leisure

� Saving, Spending, and Credit

� Social Class and Communication

Geodemographic Clusters

A composite segmentation strategythat uses both geographic variables(zip codes, neighborhoods) anddemographic variables (e.g.,income, occupation) to identifytarget markets.

Class Situations, Self-Perceptions, and Financial Orientations

Culture

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

Culture Is Learned

Enculturation and acculturation

� Enculturation : The learning of one’s own culture� Acculturation : The learning of a new or foreign culture

Language and symbols

� Without a common language shared meaning could not exist

� Marketers must choose appropriate symbols in advertising� Marketers can use “known” symbols for associations

Ritual � A ritual is a type of symbolic activity consisting of a series of steps

� Rituals extend over the human life cycle� Marketers realize that rituals often involve products (artifacts)

Sharing of Culture � To be a cultural characteristic, a belief, value, or practice must be shared by a significant portion of the society

� Culture is transferred through family, schools, houses of worship, and media

This ad uses characters

well known in the U.S.

culture.

Selected Rituals and Associated Artifacts

SELECTED RITUALS TYPICAL ARTIFACTS

Wedding White gown (something old, something new,

something borrowed, something blue)

Birth of child U.S. Savings Bond, 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, U.S. 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

Facial Beauty Ritual of a Young TV Advertising Sales Representative

1. I pull my hair back with a headband.

2. I take all of my makeup off with L’Oreal eye makeup remover.

3. Next, I use a Q-tip with some moisturizer around my eyes to make sure

all eye makeup is removed.

4. I wash my face with Noxzema facial wash.

5. I apply Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion to my face, neck, and

throat.

6. If I have a blemish, I apply Clearasil Treatment to the area to dry it out.

6. Twice weekly (or as necessary) I use Aapri Facial Scrub to remove dry

and dead skin.

7. Once a week I apply Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 with a cotton ball to

my face and throat to remove deep-down dirt and oils.

8. Once every three months I get a professional salon facial to deep-clean

my pores.

The Measurement of Culture

� Content Analysis

A method for systematically analyzing the content of verbal and/orpictorial communication. The method is frequently used todetermine prevailing social values of a society.

� Consumer Fieldwork

• Field Observation -- A cultural measurement technique that takesplace within a natural environment that focuses on observingbehavior (sometimes without the subjects’ awareness).

• Participant-Observers - Researchers who participate in theenvironment that they are studying without notifying those whoare being observed.

� Value Measurement Instruments

Value Measurement Survey Instruments

� Rokeach Value Survey (RVS)• A self-administered inventory consisting of eighteen “terminal” values (i.e., personal goals) and eighteen “instrumental” values (i.e., ways of reaching personal goals)

� List of Values (LOV)• A value measurement instrument that asks consumers to identify their two most important values from a nine-value list that is based on the terminal values of the RokeachValue Survey

� Values and Lifestyles (VALS)• A value measurement based on two categories: self-definition and resources

Excerpt from the Rokeach Value Survey

TERMINAL VALUES INSTRUMENTAL VALUES

A comfortable life Ambitious

An exciting life Broad-minded

A world at peace Capable

Equality Cheerful

Freedom Clean

Happiness Courageous

National security Forgiving

Pleasure Helpful

Salvation Honest

Social recognition Imaginative

True friendship Independent

Wisdom Intellectual

Criteria for Value Selection

� The value must be pervasive.

� The value must be enduring.

� The value must be consumer-related.

Toward a Shopping Culture

� Is shopping what we do to create value in our lives?

� The younger generation is shopping more

� This has an effect on credit card debt

Subculture

A distinct cultural group that existsas an identifiable segment within alarger, more complex society.

Examples of Major Subcultural Categories

CATEGORIES EXAMPLES

Nationality Greek, Italian, Russian

Religion Catholic, Hindu, Mormon

Geographic region Eastern, Southern, Southwestern

Race African American, Asian, Causasian

Age Teenagers, Xers, elderly

Gender Female, male

Occupation Bus driver, cook, scientist

Social class Lower, middle, upper

Issues in Understanding Sex as a Subculture

� Sex Roles and Consumer Behavior

• Masculine vs. Feminine Traits

� The Working Woman

• Segmentation Issues

• Shopping Patterns

Segmenting the Women Market

• Stay-at-Home Housewives

• Plan-to-Work Housewives

• Just-a-Job Working Women

• Career-Oriented Working Women