1. The Creation and Diffusion of Culture
Chp.15 with Duane Weaver
A look at how our culture creates meanings and how those meanings move through society to consumers.

2. The Movement of Meaning
Instruments of Movement:
Advertising
and Fashion
Systems
Consumption
Rituals
Destinations of Movement:
Cultural
Values
and
Symbols
Consumer
Goods
Individual
Consumer

3. Cultural Selection Set of individuals and organizations responsible
Culture
Production
Systems
Set of individuals and organizations responsible
for creating and marketing a cultural product
High Culture
and
Popular Culture
High vs. Low Art, Cultural Formulae,
and Aesthetic Market Research
Reality
Engineering
Elements of popular culture are appropriated
by marketers and become integrated in strategy
Product
Placement
Obtain exposure for a product by arranging for
it to be inserted into some medium (e.g. TV)

4. Diffusion of Innovations
Innovators
Early Adopters Early Majority
Late Majority
Laggards
CATEGORIES

5. Types of Innovations Continuous Innovation
A minor modification to an existing product
Evolutionary rather than revolutionary
Dynamically Continuous Innovation
A more pronounced changed to an existing product
Create some behavioural changes
Discontinuous Innovation
Creates major changes in the way we live
Major inventions: car, airplane, personal computer

6. Prerequisites for Successful Adoption
compatible with consumer’s lifestyle
low in complexity, easiest to understand is chosen
Compatibility
Trialability
Complexity
Observability
Relative
Advantage
more likely to adopt if can experiment with it
Compatibility-compatible with consumer’s lifestyle
Complexity – low in complexity, easiest to understand is chosen
Observability – innovations easily observed are more likely to spread
Relative Advantage – should provide a benefit other products cannot offer
innovations easily observed are more likely to spread
should provide a benefit other products cannot offer

7. Fashion Cycle Innovation Acceleration Obsolescence General Acceptance
Introduction
stages
Innovation
Acceleration
Obsolescence
General Acceptance
Acceptance
Regression
Rise
Decline
FAD……………….……..FASHION…………………….CLASSIC
TREND??

8. Product Meaning Across Cultures
Etic - commonalities across cultures
vs.
Emic – variations within cultures
Integrate foreign meanings
with local meanings
Standardized
vs. Localized
Strategy
Taboos, favorites…
Creolization (foreign absorbed and mixed)
Cultural Norms
Transfer
Of Product
Meaning
Global increase in consumption homogenizes
differences in
cultural product
preferences
Globalized
Consumption
Ethic
Global Citizens
and
Youth
Diffusion of
Pop Culture
Segments with common world view
Quick to borrow from other cultures what is admired

9. Thanks
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