Chapter 4 - Social and Cultural Environments Flashcards
Tasks of global marketers regarding social and cultural environment
- Study and understand the cultures of countries in which they will be doing business
- Understand how an unconscious reference to their own cultural values, or self‐reference criterion, may influence their perception of the market
- Incorporate this understanding into the marketing planning process
Define and explain the term culture
Culture–ways of living, built up by a group of human beings, that are transmitted from one generation to another
- Culture has both conscious and unconscious values, ideas, attitudes, and symbols
- Culture is acted out in social institutions
- These institutions reinforce cultural norms
- Culture is both physical (clothing and tools) and nonphysical (religion, attitudes, beliefs, and values)
Definition of culture by hofstede
“Culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one category of people from those of another. ”
A nation, an ethnic group, a gender group, an organization, or a family may be considered as a category.
List social institutions that reinforce cultural norms
- Family
- Education
- Religion
- Government
- Business
List aspects of material (physical) and nonmaterial (abstract) culture
Physical:
– Clothing
– Tools
– Decorative art
– Body adornment
– Homes
Nonphysical:
– Religion
– Perceptions
– Attitudes
– Beliefs
– Values
Tell something about global consumer cultures
Global consumer cultures are emerging
– Persons who share meaningful sets of consumptionrelated symbols
– Pub culture, coffee culture, fast‐food culture, credit card culture, soccer culture
Primarily the product of a technologically interconnected world
– Internet
– Satellite TV
Define attitudes, beliefs, values, and subcultures
- Attitude–learned tendency to respond in a consistent way to a given object or entity
- Belief–an organized pattern of knowledge that an individual holds to be true about the world
- Value–enduring belief or feeling that a specific mode of conduct is personally or socially preferable to another mode of conduct
- Subcultures—smaller groups of people with their own shared attitudes, beliefs, & values (ex. Vegetarians)
What are the worlds major religions and how does religion affect global marketing?
The world’s major religions include Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism and are an important source of beliefs, attitudes, and values.
Religious tenets, practices, holidays, and history impact global marketing activities
Describe aesthetics in context of different cultures and societies of global marketing
- The sense of what is beautiful and what is not beautiful
- What represents good taste as opposed to tastelessness or even obscenity
Visual–embodied in the color or shape of a product, label, or package
Styles–various degrees of complexity, for example, are perceived differently around the world
Aesthetics and Colour - Describe different effects of red, blue, white, and gray
Red–associated with blood, wine‐making, activity, heat, and vibrancy in many countries but is poorly received in some African countries.
Blue—since the pigment was rare, ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Mayans associated it with royalty and divinity. Half of interviewees state blue is the favorite color.
White–identified with purity and cleanliness in the West, with death in parts of Asia.
Gray–means inexpensive in Japan and China, but high quality and expensive in the U.S.
Describe music in context of different cultures and societies of global marketing
*Found in all cultures
*Rhythm is universal
*Styles are associated with countries or regions: bossa nova & Argentina, salsa &Cuba, reggae& Jamaica, blues, rap, rock, country & U.S.
*Understand what style is appropriate in advertising; varies by culture and government regulations
Describe dietary preferences in context of different cultures and societies
- Domino’s Pizza pulled out of Italy because its products were seen as “too American” with bold tomato sauce and heavy toppings.
- Domino’s is India’s largest foreign fast‐food chain with over 700 stores. It’s success is attributed to localized toppings.
- Dunkin’ Donuts morning business in India was slow. Indians eat breakfast at home. Business took off after it introduced the Original Tough Guy Chicken Burger for later time of day.
Although some food preferences are deeply rooted in culture, global dietary preferences are converging.
- Pasta, pizza, sushi, other ethic foods
Describe language and communication in context of different cultures and societies
- Semiotics—the study of signs and their meanings
- Semiotics includes both spoken and unspoken language
- Unspoken language includes gestures, touching, body language
- Spoken language has four areas
Spoken and verbal language - List linguistic categories and give examples on how this differs in various cultures
Syntax-rules of sentence formation
- English has relatively fixed word order; Russian has relatively free word order.
Semantics-system of meaning
- Japanese words convey nuances of feeling for which other languages lack exact correlations; ‘yes’ and ‘no’ can be interpreted differently than in other languages.
Phonology-system of sound patterns
- Japanese does not distinguish between the sounds ‘l’ and ‘r’; English and Russian both have ‘l’ and ‘r’ sounds.
Morphology-word formatation
- Russian is a highly inflected language, with six different case endings for nouns and adjectives; English has fewer inflections.
Describe pronounciation problems in context of different culture
- Colgate in Spanish means “go hang yourself”
- IKEA hired linguists to rename products in Thailand because they had sexual connotations
- Whirlpool spent large sums on advertising only to find out that French, Italian & German consumers could not pronounce the brand name
- Diesel brand name was chosen because it is pronounced the same in all languages
Describe cell phones & texting problems in context of different cultures
- In Korea, certain number combinations have special meanings
- 8282 (Paul Yi Pal Yi) sounds like “hurry up” * 7179 (Chil Han Chil Han) = ”close friend” * 4 5683 968 = I Love You
Language & Communication - Describe “english around the globe” and “nonverbal communication” in context of different cultures
English Around the Globe
* More people speak English as a 2nd language than there are native speakers
* 85% of EU teens study English
* Sony (Japan) & Nokia (Finland) require upper managers to pass a proficiency test
Nonverbal Communication
* In the Middle East, Westerners should not show the soles of shoes or pass documents with the left hand
* In Japan, bowing has many nuances
* Asians place greater value on nonverbal communication than Westerners
Describe Marketing’s Impact on Culture
- Universal aspects of the cultural environment represent opportunities to standardize elements of a marketing program
- Increasing travel and improved communications have contributed to a convergence of tastes and preferences in a number of product categories
Describe McDonaldization of Culture
Many people resent (übelnehmen) the breaking down of cultural barriers that occurs when global firms expand into new markets.
“Eating is at the heart of most cultures and for many it is something on which much time, attention and money are lavished. In attempting to alter the way people eat, McDonaldization poses a profound threat to the entire cultural complex of many societies.” Sociologist George Ritzer
Describe and compare High‐ and Low‐Context Cultures
High Context
– Information resides in context
– Emphasis on background, basic values, societal status
– Less emphasis on legal paperwork
– Focus on personal reputation
e.g. Saudi Arabia, Japan
Low Context
– Messages are explicit and specific
– Words carry all information
– Reliance on legal paperwork
– Focus on non‐personal documentation of credibility
e.g. Switzerland, U.S., Germany
Describe Hofstede’s Cultural typology
- Individualism/Collectivism
- Power Distance
- Uncertainty Avoidance
- Achievement/Nuturing
- Long‐term Orientation
Describe the Self‐Reference Criterion and Perception
Unconscious reference to one’s own cultural values; creates cultural myopia
- How to Reduce Cultural Myopia:
1. Define the problem or goal in terms of home country cultural traits
2. Define the problem in terms of host‐country cultural traits; make no value judgments
3. Isolate the SRC influence and examine it
4. Redefine the problem without the SRC influence and solve for the host country situation
Describe the Diffusion Theory: The Adoption Process
The mental stages through which an individual passes from the time of his or her first knowledge of an innovation to the time of product adoption or purchase
- Awareness
- Interest
- Evaluation
- Trial
- Adoption
Describe the Diffusion Theory: Characteristics of Innovations
Innovation is something new; five factors that affect the rate at which innovations are adopted include:
– Relative advantage: How the product compares with existing ones
– Compatibility: The extent to which a product is consistent with existing values and past experiences of adopters
– Complexity: The degree to which an innovation or new product is difficult to understand and use.
– Divisibility: The ability of a product to be tried and used on a limited basis
– Communicability: The degree to which benefits of an innovation or the value of a product may be communicated to a potential market
Describe Marketing Implications of Social and Cultural Environments
Cultural factors must be considered when marketing consumer and industrial products
Environmental sensitivity reflects the extent to which products must be adapted to the culture‐specific needs of different national markets
Describe Environmental Sensitivity
Independent of social class and income, culture is a significant influence on consumption and purchasing
- Food is the most culturally‐sensitive category of consumer goods
* Bottled water is a convenient alternative in countries where well or tap water may
be contaminated. Bottled water consumption as tripled in India, doubled in China
in the last five years– Starbucks overcame cultural barriers in Great Britain and today has over 800 locations
