1. Subcultures and Consumer Behavior
Consumer Behavior, Eighth Edition SCHIFFMAN & KANUK
Chapter 13
Subcultures and Consumer Behavior

2. Subculture
A distinct cultural group that exists as an identifiable segment within a larger, more complex society.

3. Figure 13.1 Relationship Between Culture and Subculture
Subcultural
Traits
Subcultural
Traits Of
Dominant
Cultural
Traits of
U.S. Citizens

4. Table 13.1 Examples of Major Subcultural Categories
Jamaican, Vietnamese, French
Religion
Mormon, Baptist, Catholic
Geographic region
Northeast, Southwest, Midwestern
Pacific Islander, Native American, Caucasian
Senior citizen, teenager, Xers
Gender
Female, Male
Occupation
Bus driver, mechanic, engineer
Lower, middle, upper

5. Hispanic Subculture Demographics
Median age is 10 years younger than the population
Concentrated in which cities?
12 Hispanic subgroups -
4 major subgroups:
Mexicans: 64% -
Puerto Ricans: 12%
Cubans: 4-5%
Dominicans: own

6. Issues in Studying Hispanic American Subcultures
Hispanic Consumer Behavior
Stronger preference for well-established brands
Some are shifting food shopping to non-ethnic American-style supermarkets
Youths are more fashion-conscious

7. Table 13.2 Traditional Characteristics of the Hispanic American Market
Prefer well-known or familiar brands
Buy
Are fashion-conscious
Historically prefer to shop at smaller personal stores
Buy brands advertised by their ethnic-group stores
Tend not to be impulse buyers (i.e., are deliberate)
Increasingly clipping and using cents-off coupons
Likely to buy
Prefer
Tend to be negative about marketing practices

8. Table 13.3 Traditional “Hispanic”Variables
Spanish Surname
Country of Origin
Country of family ancestry
Spanish spoken at home
Self-identification
Degree of identification

9. Marketplace behaviors
Heavy users and buyers of cosmetics and toiletries
Family shopping is a weekend outing
tend to be loyal to firms that are socially responsible
…….. brand loyal than the average American
Prefer using cash - why?
Event marketing is highly recommended by marketers - why?

10. Figure 13.4 Hispanic Linguistic Challenge

11. Religious Subcultures
200+ organized religious groups in the U.S.
Primary organized faiths include:
Protestant denominations
Roman Catholicism
Judaism
Consumer Behavior is directly affected by religion in terms of

12. Geographic Subcultures
Regional identification is used as a way of describing others
Geographic subcultures even at the neighborhood level
why the interest in researching geographic subcultures?

13. Regional Subcultures
Many regional differences exist in consumption behavior
Westerners have a mug of black coffee
Easterners have a cup of coffee with milk and sugar
White bread is preferred in the South and Midwest
Rye and whole wheat are preferred on the East and West coasts

14. Major Racial Subcultures
The African-American Consumer
Largest racial minority in U.S.
Purchasing power estimated at $572 billion
Asian-American Consumers
Currently about 12 million in size
Estimated at 13 million in 2005
Gain of 54% since 1990

15. Reaching the African-American Audience
Two Alternate Strategies
Running all the advertising in general mass media
Running additional advertising at special advertising in selected media directed exclusively to African-Americans

16. Major Racial Subcultures
Asian-American Consumers
Median age is 27, highest median income, highest rate of completing college.
Currently about 10 million in size
Estimated at 10.9 million in 2001
Gain of almost 50% since 1990
Chinese 23%
Filipinos 19%
Japanese 12%
Asian Indian 11%
Korean 11%
Vietnamese 14%

17. Asian-American Consumers
Where Are the Asian-Americans?
Asian-Americans As Consumers
Buying power of $110 billion annually
Attracted to retailers who welcome Asian-American patronage

18. Major Racial Subcultures
Value quality - well known brands
generally male oriented decision making
VERY diverse cultural backgrounds
Japanese Americans buy quality products and have the money to spend
Asian Indians are usually vegetarians
Koreans prefer shopping in person
Chinese will pay cash for a car, Japanese will finance it

19. Major Age Subcultures Generation X Market Generation Y Market Seniors
Baby Boomer Market

20. Born between 1977 and 1994; also called and millennium generation
Generation Y
Born between 1977 and 1994; also called
and millennium generation

21. 3 Subsegments of Gen Y
Gen Y Adults
Gen Y Teens
Gen Y Tweens

22. Generation X
Born between 1965 and 1979; post baby boomer segment (also referred to as ).

23. Baby Boomers
Individuals born between 1946 and 1964 (approximately 45% of the adult population).

24. Baby Boomers Frequently make important consumer purchase decisions
Include a small subsegment of trendsetting consumers ( ) who influence consumer tastes of other age segments

25. Seniors
Generally older consumers. Consist of subcultures, including the 50-plus market and the “elderly consumers” market.

26. Three Senior Subsegments
The Young-Old (65-74)
The Old (75-84)
The Old-Old (85 and older)

27. Table 13.12 Comparison of New-Age and Traditional Elderly
NEW-AGE ELDERLY
TRADITIONAL/STEREOTYPICAL ELDERLY
Perceive themselves to be different in outlook from other people their age
Perceive all older people to be about the same in outlook
Age is seen as a state of mind
See age as more of a physical state
See themselves as younger than their chronological age
See themselves at or near their chronological age
Feel younger, think younger, and “do” younger
Tend to feel, think, and do things that they feel match their chronological age
Have a genuinely youthful outlook
Feel that one should act one’s age
Feel there is a considerable adventure to living

28. Issues in Understanding Sex as a Subculture
Sex Roles and Consumer Behavior
Masculine vs. Feminine Traits
The Working Woman
Segmentation Issues
Shopping Patterns

29. Segmenting the Female Market
Four Segments:
Stay-at-Home Housewives
Plan-to-Work Housewives
Career-Oriented Working Women

30. Table 13.10 How Women Control the Purse Strings
Women control or influence…
80% of all purchase decisions
80% of new vehicle purchases
46% of menswear purchases
82% of supermarket purchases
53% of investment decisions
70% of appliance choices
Women also…
handle 75% of family finances
constitute 40% of business travel
are 43% of the persons with assets over $500,000