Culture and consumer markets

What is culture? Shared beliefs, values, behaviour Uniting a group and distinguishing it from others formed through geography, history, language, race, religion, economics expressed in arts and sports, social, educational, legal and political systems Learnt, not inherited. Developing or dying

Assessing the cultural environment Identify the observable factors –on stage behaviour –back-stage attitudes (Brake and Walker) Gauge the important areas of difference from your own country Judge the implications for marketing

The single most important country to the world economy

Identifying the observable differences Geographical climate, terrain, fertility isolation from/proximity to others Material/technical natural resources/industrial/agricultural base urban/rural distribution level of development and infrastructure

Historical imperial or colonial experience allies and enemies internal divisions and conflicts Political authoritarian/democratic centralised/devolved stability and change bureaucracy Social family structure (extended/nuclear) education (availability, system) class system religious beliefs and practice

Islam Submission –to the will of God Brotherhood Conversion –by jihad if necessary The Five Pillars –belief, –prayer, –fasting, –giving to charity, – pilgrimage to Mecca

Languages business, social, regional concepts and mind-set shared with other countries? Similarity/differences from yours Outside influences exposure to foreign media foreign role models membership of economic/defence groupings shared ideologies (Islam/Catholic/Communist) Don’t ignore subcultures

How does culture affect marketing? Product usage - symbolic meanings –eg of food, clothing, leisure activities Motivation (needs, problems, solutions) Consumer decision making –family roles, social influences, criteria for choice Communication –meaning of words, images, body language Ways of doing business

Source: Doing Business Internationally Brake and Walker

Does Culture matter anymore? If the price is low enough, people will take standardised world products, even if these are not exactly what mother said was suitable, what ancient custom decreed was right, or what market research asserted was preferred (Levitt 1983) Global Products are a collection of local meanings (Usunier 1996)

No evidence of convergence in people’s value systems The more discretionary income people have, the more they start to express themselves according to their own culturally-rooted values De Mooij, M ‘The future is predictable..’ International Marketing Review Vol 17, 2, 2000 Quoted in Marketing 2/11/00 p28