Chapter 13Culture and Popular Culture

Key ConceptsCultureRole of consumer goods in cultureCore American valuesBelief systems, global and domain-specific values, evaluating product attributesRitualsPopular cultureExamples of popular cultureFashion and fashion trendsFormation of popular culture

Culture Includes:The Material Objects of a SocietyIdeas and ValuesInstitutionsSymbolsThe Ways We Dress, Think, Eat, and Spend Our Leisure Time

Culture . . .. . . is a learned behavior.Enculturation is learning ones own culture.Acculturation is learning a new culture.

Cultural Identification . . .. . . refers to the society in which a person prefers to live.

It is attitudinal in contrast to acculturation, which is behavioral.

Culture . . .. . . is adaptive, i.e. it changes as a society faces new problems and opportunities.... . . satisfies needs by providing norms (rules of behavior).... . . provides values which delineate what is right, good, and important to a society.

Components of CultureNorms - more specific than values dictate behaviors (acceptable /unacceptable)Types of Norms :Enacted Norms --norms that are explicitly expressed, sometimes as laws.Cresive Norms--- embedded into culture and are learned through interaction with the people

Three Types of Cresive Norms

Customs

Mores

Conventions

Myths . . .. . . are stories that express key values and ideals of a society.

Myths help to:Explain the origins of existenceReveal a set of values for the societyProvide models for personal conduct

The Cultural Matrix...Cultural ValuesMaterialEnvironmentInstitutional/Social Environment

Cultural Meanings . . .. . . refer to the values, norms, and shared beliefs that are symbolically communicated

Transferring Cultural MeaningsCultureAdvertising,FashionSystemsConsumer GoodsRitualsIndividuals

Cultural Values . . .. . . represent the shared meanings of ideal end states and modes of conduct

Types of Cultural Values...Global values consist of enduring beliefs about desired states of existence.Domain-specific values are beliefs pertaining to more concrete consumption activities.

Value-Attitude SystemGlobal Values(dozens)Domain-Specific Values (hundreds)Evaluations ofProduct Attributes(thousands)Central-Peripheral ContinuumMore Centrally HeldLess Centrally Held

Values-Attitudes continued. . .Means-end Chain ModelsLinkages between consumer desires for features and abstract concepts - benefits, values.LadderingLinkages between means (attributes) and terminal values (end states).

The LOV ScaleValues:are consistent over time.influence attitudes, which influence behavior.may change more among females than among males.change more among the young.the need to be well-respected may have decreased over time.

Materialism ValuesMaterialistic themes are stable over time.Types of materialism:Instrumental desire to possess a good to perform some activity.Terminal desire to possess good as end in itself.Women are more sharing, less materialistic.Cross-cultural differences in materialism exist.

Cultural Rituals . . .. . . are socially standardized sequences of actions that are periodically repeated, provide meaning, and involve the use of cultural symbols.

Rituals vs. Habits...Rituals are prescribed by society, habits by the individual.People are more consciously aware of rituals.Rituals embody more symbolic meaning and affect.

A Typology of Ritual Experience...Cosmological - religious, aestheticCultural - graduation, marriageGroup - Memorial Day parade, fraternity initiation, business negotiationsIndividual - Grooming, household ritualsBiological - Greeting, mating

Elements of a Ritual...ArtifactsScriptsPerformance RolesAudience

Four Specific Types of Rituals:Exchange Rituals

Possession Rituals

Grooming Rituals

Divestment Rituals

Rituals and products...Beauty RitualAttempts are being made to get men to accept multiple cosmetic products.The small worlds of rituals Rituals are catalysts for construction of social relationships. Facilities and events facilitating interconnections between customers have a better chance of success.

Cultural SymbolsSymbols are entities that represent ideas and concepts

It can be argued that people consume symbols

Popular Culture . . . . . . is the culture of mass appeal and has the following characteristics:It taps into the experiences and values of a significant portion of the populationIt does not require any special knowledge to understand itIt is produced so that large numbers of people have easy access to itIt most frequently influences behavior that does not involve work or sleep

Examples of Popular CultureAdvertisingTelevisionMusicFashion

Fashion Trend CharacteristicsTypeCyclicalClassicSpeedFad or longer-lastingTurning PointsTechnological or cultural barriersDegree of Adherence

Managerial ImplicationsPositioning. Link products with cultural symbols.Environmental Analysis. Scanning is critical to understanding changes in culture and popular culture, both here and abroad. Research. Marketing research can help identify changes in values and resulting needs for changes in promotion.

Implications continuedMarketing Mix. Identify core values and anticipate which core values wont translate well abroad. Segmentation. Identify segments of consumers who respond well to a certain product and positioning strategy. Cultural icons such as popular singers dont appeal to all segments.

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