This document discusses how culture impacts consumer behavior. It defines culture as the learned beliefs, values, and customs that guide a society's consumption attitudes and behaviors. Culture acts as an "invisible hand" that influences perceptions and satisfies needs through norms learned via language, symbols, and rituals. While static in some ways, culture also evolves dynamically based on changing technologies, values, and customs exchanged between societies. Marketers analyze culture using content analysis of communications and fieldwork to understand prevailing values and how consumers enact cultural rituals. Surveys also measure individuals' held values to aid marketer's cultural understanding of consumers.

1. Influence of Culture on
Consumer Behavior
CHAPTER
5

2. Learning Objectives
1. To Understand What Culture Is and How It
Impacts Consumer Behaviors.
2. To Understand How Culture Acts as an
“Invisible Hand” That Guides Consumption-
Related Attitudes, Values, and Behavior.
3. To Understand How Culture Sets Standards
for What Satisfies Consumers’ Needs.
4. To Understand How Culture Is Learned and
Expressed in Language, Symbols, and Rituals.
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3. Learning Objectives (continued)
5. To Understand How Consumers Are Always
Adapting to Culture-Related Experiences.
6. To Understand How the Impact of Culture on
Consumer Behavior Is Measured.
7. To Understand How Core Cultural Values
Impact American Consumers.
8. To Understand How the American Culture
Became a “Shopping Culture.”
3

4. To Which Cultural Value or Values Is
This Product’s Advertising Appealing?
4

5. Convenience in Food Preparation
5

6. Culture
The sum total of learned
beliefs, values, and
customs that serve to
regulate the consumer
behavior of members of
a particular society.
6

7. A Theoretical Model of Culture’s Influence
on Behavior - Figure 11.2
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8. The Invisible Hand of Culture
Each individual perceives the
world through his own
cultural lens
8
8

9. Culture Satisfies Needs
• Food and Clothing
• Needs vs. Luxury
9
9

10. In Terms of “Culture,” Do You Consider This Product to
Be a “Good Morning” Beverage? Why or Why Not?
10

11. Many Will Say “NO” Due to Lack of Nutritional Value
and Competing Products (Coffee).
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12. Culture Is Learned
• Enculturation and
acculturation
• Language and
symbols
• Ritual
• Sharing of culture
• Enculturation
– The learning of one’s
own culture
• Acculturation
– The learning of a new or
foreign culture
Issues
12

13. Discussion Questions
• How do Philippine marketers target
consumers who have moved to the Philippines
and are new to the Philippine culture?
• How do Philippine marketers target
consumers who live outside the Philippines
and are adopting parts of the Philippine
culture?
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14. Culture Is Learned
• Enculturation and
acculturation
• Language and
symbols
• Ritual
• Sharing of culture
Issues • Without a common
language ,shared meaning
could not exist
• Marketers must choose
appropriate symbols in
advertising
• Marketers can use
“known” symbols for
associations
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15. How Does a Symbol Convey the Product’s
Advertised Benefits?
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16. They Provide Additional
Meaning to the Ad.
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17. Culture Is Learned
• Enculturation and
acculturation
• Language and
symbols
• Ritual
• Sharing of culture
Issues
• 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)
17

18. Discussion Questions
• What are some rituals (religious, educational,
social) that you have experienced?
• What artifacts or products were part of that
ritual?
• How did marketers influence the choice of
these artifacts?
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19. Selected Rituals and Associated Artifacts -
Table 11.2
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
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20. Culture Is Learned
• Enculturation and
acculturation
• Language and
symbols
• Ritual
• Sharing of Culture
Issues
• 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 20

21. Facial Beauty Ritual of a Young TV Advertising
Sales Representative - Table 11.3
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.

22. Culture is Dynamic
• Evolves because it fills needs
• Certain factors change culture
– Technology
– Population shifts
– Resource shortages
– Wars
– Changing values
– Customs from other countries
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23. The Measurement of Culture
• Content Analysis
• Consumer Fieldwork
• Value Measurement
Instruments

24. Content
Analysis
A method for
systematically analyzing
the content of verbal
and/or pictorial
communication. The
method is frequently
used to determine
prevailing social values
of a society.
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25. Which Cultural Value
Is Portrayed, and How So?
25

26. Progress – The Fridge has
Superior Design
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27. Which Cultural Value
Is This Ad Stressing, and How So?
27

28. Fitness and Health –
Low Calorie
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29. Consumer Fieldwork
• Field Observation
– Natural setting
– Subject unaware
– Focus on observation of behavior
• Participant Observation
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29

30. 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 Rokeach Value
Survey
Values and Lifestyles
(VALS)
• A value
measurement based
on two categories:
self-definition and
resources
30

31. Scale to Measure Attitude
Toward Helping Others
Attitude toward helping others (AHO)
• People should be willing to help others who are
less fortunate
• Helping troubled people with their problems is
very important to me
• People should be more charitable toward others in
society
• People in need should receive support from others
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Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter Eleven Slide

32. 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