Chapter 11: Cultures Influence on CB

Culture= collective values, customs, norms, arts, social institutions, and

intellectual achievements of a particular society
Expresses collective principles, standards of a community:
Americans value achievement and success, material possessions
and prosperity
Role and Dynamics:
Guides peoples actions
1.

Levels of cultural norms:

Supranational: affects multiple societies (Andes region)
National: core values of a particular country
Group: subdivision of a country

Cultures always evolve, so marketers must monitor the sociocultural

environment so as to market existing products more effectively and
develop new products that are congruent with changing trends
changing culture is not easy, because there are many factors that
produce cultural change (new tech, population shifts, resource shortages,
immigration)
Learning Cultural Values:
A significant portion of the society must share a belief or custom to
achieve that it is considered as a cultural value
1. Forms of learning:
Mostly from peers and family, at a very young age already whats
appropriate whats not

Formal learning: parents, older siblings, etc. teach younger

members how to behave
Informal learning: children imitate the behaviours of selected
others (TV, friends, etc.)
Technical learning: teachers instruct children

Ethical values are formed during childhood by parents, teachers, etc.

2. Acculturation and Enculturation
Enculturation: learning your own culture
o Consumer socialization: teaching children and young adults
consumption-related values and skills, such as the meaning of
money and value
Acculturation: learning new of foreign culture
3. Marketing Influence on Cultural Learning

Media, ads and marketing reflect cultural values and convey them very
effectively; repetition plays key role here
4. Language and Symbols
Symbol= anything that represents something else, can be verbal and
nonverbal
5. Rituals
=type of symbolic activity consisting of a series of steps occurring in
a fixed sequence and repeated periodically (public, ceremonial,
elaborate, mundane)
often formal and scripted (religious service)
many rituals include artefacts (turkey for thanksgiving)
Measuring cultural values
Content analysis: content of societies verbal, written, pictorial
communications, including promotional messages
1. Field observation: depth interviews, focus groups
2. Value Measurements:
VALS
Rokeach Values Survey: self-administered, two-part values inventory
o 18 terminal values that reflect goals and desirable states of
existence and are defined as ends (happiness, pleasure,
freedom, self-respect)
o 18 instrumental values, defined as means to achieve the ends
(ambitious, polite, responsible)
o asked how important each value is for them as guideline in
their lives
o individuals can belong to 4 types, based on personal or social
values, competence and moral values; e.g. segment mostly
concerned with world peace followed by inner harmony and
true friendship
Gordons Survey of Personal and Interpersonal Values
o 2 surveys: one for personal values, the other one for
interpersonal values
o strongly reflect Americans core values (achievement, goal
orientation, variety, leadership, recognition and conformity)