Post on 16-Dec-2015
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Chapter 14Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Subcultures
By Michael R. Solomon
Consumer BehaviorBuying, Having, and Being
Sixth Edition
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Opening Vignette: Maria
• Why does Maria’s mother refuse to use convenience products?
• What would you guess is Maria’s ethnic background?
• Is the family gathering indicative at all of her culture?
• What activities does she undertake that identify her with a culture?
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Subcultures and Consumer Identity
• Subcultures– Group memberships within society at large
• Ethnic and Racial Subcultures– Ethnic Subculture: A self-perpetuating group of consumers
who are held together by common cultural or genetic ties, and is identified both by its members and by others as being a distinguishable category.
• Ethnicity and Marketing Strategies– High-context Culture: Group members tend to be tightly
knit, and they are likely to infer meanings that go beyond the spoken word.
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Ethnic Products
• Tex-Mex cuisine is popular in Scandinavia. This ad appeared in a Swedish magazine.
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Is Ethnicity a Moving Target?
• De-ethnicization– Refers to the process whereby a product formerly
associated with a specific ethnic group is detached from its roots and marketed to other subcultures.
• The “Big Three” American Subcultures– African Americans– Hispanic Americans– Asian Americans
• New Ethnic Groups
• Ethnic and Racial Stereotypes
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Tiger Woods
• Tiger Woods’ multiracial background illustrates the complexity of ethnic identity in the United States.
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De-ethnicization of Bagels
• Bagels have been de-ethnicized and are now part of mainstream culture.
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• Advertisers frequently try to depict the “big three” consuming their products as this ad for The Children’s Place clothing does.
• What are the benefits of using multi-ethnic models in advertisements? Does this advertisement do a good job reflecting ethnic diversity of the target audience?
Discussion Question
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African Americans and Hispanic Americans
• African Americans:– 12.3 percent of the U.S. population (2000 Census)– Differences between blacks and whites in
consumption are very subtle
• Hispanic Americans:– “Hispanic” describes people of many backgrounds– 60 percent of Hispanic Americans are Mexican– Puerto Ricans are the next biggest group at 10%
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African Americans in Advertising
• Many national brands routinely use African American models.
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Distinguishing Characteristicsof the Hispanic Market
• Youth:– Median Age is 23.6 (U.S. average: 32)
• Family Size:– Average household is 3.5 people (U.S. average:
2.7)
• Importance of Family:– Preference to spend time with family affects
consumption activities– Going to the movies is a family event– Convenience products are not as important
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Ethnic Products
• Hispanic celebrities such as Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Gloria Estefan are increasingly successful in popular music.
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Levels of Acculturation:Understanding Hispanic Identity
• Acculturation:– Refers to the process of movement and adaptation to one
country’s cultural environment by a person from another country.
• Ethnography:– The study of immigrants as they adapt to life in a new
country.
• Acculturation Agents:– People and institutions that teach the ways of a culture.
• Culture of Origin
• Culture of Immigration
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Processes of Immigrant Adaptation
• Movement: – Refers to the factors motivating people to physically uproot
themselves from one location to another.• Translation:
– Attempting to master a set of rules for operating in the new environment.
• Adaptation:– Cultural learning that leads to new consumption patterns
• Assimilation:– When immigrants adopt products, habits, and values that
are identified with the mainstream culture.• Maintenance• Resistance• Segregation
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Perspectives on Ethnic Adaptation
• Ethnic Pluralism:– Argues that ethnic groups differ from the
mainstream in varying degrees, and that adaptation to the larger society occurs selectively.
• Progressive Learning Model:– Assumes that people gradually learn a new culture
as they increasingly come in contact with it.• Host Culture
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Asian Americans
• Chi:– An invisible energy current that is believed to bring good or
bad luck
• Feng Shui:– Translated literally as “the wind and the water”
• Fastest growing minority group in the U.S.– The most affluent, best educated, and most likely to hold
technology jobs of any ethnic subculture
– Prosperous Asians tend to be very status conscious
• Advertising featuring celebrities can be very effective in reaching this group
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• Asians are often depicted using high-technology products as in this ad for McAfee Security software.
• Why are Asians a good target audience for this product? What other products would do well to target the Asian segment of the population?
Discussion Question
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Religious Subcultures
• The Rise of Spirituality:– Explosion of religion in popular culture
• Old and New Religions
• The Impact of Religion on Consumption:– Not studied extensively in marketing (too “taboo”)– Religious affiliation has the potential to be a
valuable predictor of consumer behavior
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Meeting the Needs of Subcultures
• Specialized ethnic media, like this magazine for Muslim women, are springing up to meet the needs of underserved American subcultures.