Relationship Between Culture and Subculture

SubculturalTraits

of HispanicAmericans

DominantCulturalTraits of

U.S. Citizens

SubculturalTraits

of AsianAmericans

1. Affective and Cognitive Responses (emotional reactions, beliefs, values, and goals)

2. Behaviors (customs, scripts and rituals, behavioral norms)

3. Environmental factors (living conditions, geographic location, important objects)

Subcultures

Distinctive groups of people in a society that share common cultural meanings for:

Age subcultures– Teen market

• The American teenage population has been gaining affluence and fluctuating in size

• Several studies have found that teenagers do a large portion of the grocery shopping

• Brand loyalty has been found to form early among teenage shoppers

Age subcultures– Baby Boomers

• People born between 1946 and 1964

• Largest and most affluent group in history

• Characterized by having a blend of “me-generation” and old-fashioned family values

• Strongly influence the values of other groups

• The most lucrative and challenging group marketers have ever seen

Age subcultures– The mature market

• Consumers over the age of 55

• One of the most rapidly growing subcultures in American society

• The economic character of this market deserves careful consideration

• Important to recognize how the market is changing

• Because many people in this subculture are retired, they have more time to enjoy entertainment and leisure activities

Ethnic subcultures

– Marketers must recognize that ethnic diversity is not distributed equally across the U.S.

– The African-American subculture

• The largest minority group in the U.S.• Economic conditions vary considerably in

different metropolitan areas

Ethnic subcultures– The Hispanic subculture

• Unequally distributed across the U.S.

• Diverse

• Three broad segments– Only Spanish speaking– Bilingual, but favoring Spanish– Bilingual, but favoring English

• Getting good information about Hispanic needs, values, and beliefs is difficult

Men’s jeans in last 12 months 100 97 118

Men’s dress shoes 101 90 111

Women’s designer jeans 98 109 115

Women’s regular jeans 102 88 103

Have a bowling ball 109 42 58

African HispanicWhite American American

Purchase Comparisons

Have a rifle 111 30 59

Non-cola soft drink 2+ per week 97 124 98

Diet cola soft drink 2+ per week 105 67 81

Cough syrup 2+ per week 92 162 103

Baby powder 5+ per week 97 128 93

Men’s hair coloring 96 128 116

Purchase Comparisons

African HispanicWhite American American

Ethnic subcultures– Asian subculture

• Asian-Americans are among the most rapidly increasing ethnic group in the U.S.

• Requires special marketing attention for many companies

• Asian-Americans are a prime market because they are more affluent than any other racial or ethnic group

• Very diverse subculture

Gender as a subculture– Ample evidence that men and women differ in

important respects

– For some marketing purposes, gender differences may be significant enough to consider the two sexes as separate subcultures

– Today, women either make or greatly influence most purchasing decisions

Income as a subculture

– People at different income levels tend to have quite different values, behaviors, and lifestyles

– Marketers often divide American households into three income categories

• Downscale• Upscale• Middle income

Social Class as a subculture• A national status hierarchy by which groups

and individuals are distinguished in terms of esteem and prestige

• Four social class groups to use for consumer analysis in the U.S.– Upper– Middle– Working– Lower

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6H8v-Y0MUw

Social Class Groups

Social Class General Consumer Behavior

UPPER AMERICANS

(UPPER-UPPER,LOWER-UPPER,UPPER-MIDDLE)

(14 % of population)

Quality merchandise is prized

Special Attention is paid to prestige brands

Spending with good taste

Self expression

Neighborhood is important

Social Class Groups

Social Class General Consumer Behavior

MIDDLECLASS

(32 % of population)

Want to do the “right thing”

Buy “what’s popular”

Follow recommendations of “experts”

Spending on “worthwhile experiences for children”

Live in “better side of town”

Social Class Groups

Social Class General Consumer Behavior

WORKINGCLASS

(38 % of population)

Depend on relatives for economic and emotional support

Emphasis on family ties

Rising incomes in some cases

“Keeping up with the times”

Ease of labor and leisure

Social Class Groups

Social Class General Consumer Behavior

LOWER AMERICANS

(16 % of population)

Some prone to instant gratification

Others to resisting worldly temptations

Diversity in values and consumption

Social Class cont.

• Identification with each social class is influenced most strongly by one’s level of education and occupation

• A composite of many personal and social attributes

Social Class cont.• Families in each social class can be further

classified

– Overprivileged– Average– Underprivileged

• Social class and relative standing within a class are important sources of consumers’ beliefs, values, and behaviors

Social Class cont.• Social class vs. income

– Each variable has its advantages and disadvantages

– The choice between using social class, income, or a combination depends on the product and the situation

Analyzing Subcultures• Acculturation processes

– Begins when a person from one culture moves to a different culture or subculture to live and work

– Refers to how people in one culture or subculture understand and adapt to the meanings of another culture or subculture

Analyzing Subcultures cont.

– How people acquire the ability and cultural knowledge to be skilled consumers in different cultures or subcultures

– Important in the modern world

– Important for people who move to different regions within the same country and must adapt to different subcultural meanings

Analyzing Subcultures cont.

– Degree to which immigrants, movers, and marketers became acculturated into a new culture or subculture depends on their level of cultural interpenetration

• The amount and type of social interactions they have with people in the host culture

Analyzing Subcultures cont.– Four stages of acculturation corresponding to

four levels of cultural interpenetration

• Honeymoon• Rejection• Tolerance• Integration

– An important aspect is proficiency in the language of the new culture