Culture is defined as the sum total of learned beliefs, values & customs that Social class refers to the
to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in Reference groups & Consumer Behaviour:Reference groups that influence
serve to direct the consumer behaviour of members of a particular society. -
ideas, norms, morals, values, knowledge, skills, technology, tools, material
objects & behaviour. Enculturation is the process of learning one’s own
culture. teaches an individual the accepted norms and values of the culture or
society in which the individual lives. The six things of culture that are learned
are: technological, economic, political, interactive, ideological and world view.
Enculturation can be conscious or unconscious. -Direct teaching of a culture is
done mostly by the parents when a person is told to do something because it
is right and not to do something because it is bad. For example, when children
ask for something, they are constantly asked "What do you say?" and the
child is expected to remember to say "please.“
Acculturation is the process of learning a new culture. If enculturation is first-
culture learning, then acculturation is second-culture learning. This has often
been conceived to be a unidimensional. Elements of Culture: 1.Values: Value
is a term that defines an individual's cultural values. Values are ideas of what
is good and attractive versus what is bad and unappealing.. 2. Norms: Norms
are rules of behavior. A norm, or social norm, is a rule that is socially
enforced.eg:handshake,eyecontact. 3. Rituals: extend over human life cycle.
Eg mehandi to tattoo 4. Myths: Myths are stories that express some key
values of society. A myth is generally a sacred story concerning the origins of
the world or how the world and the creatures in it came to have their present
form. Characteristics of Culture – 1. Culture is learnt. 2. Culture regulates
society standards as a part of culture. 3. Culture makes living more
efficient:there is no fresh learning required every time. 4. Culture is adaptive:
as the environment undergoes changes, culture will adapt itself to the new
environmental characteristics. 5. nested hierarchically- smaller groups within
it. Variations in Cultural values- 1. Other-oriented values These reflect a
society’s view of the appropriate relation ship between individuals & groups
within that society.2. Environment oriented values: The consumer behaviour
will be different in a society which stresses a problem solving, risk taking,
performance oriented approach to its environment. 3. Self-oriented values:
These reflect the objectives & approaches to life that the individual members
of society find desirable. Dimensions of Cross- Cultural Values: a. Small vs.
Large Power Distance-Power distance refers to the degree to which less
powerful representatives of organisations and institutions (including families)
identify with and predict unequal power distributions. In a large power
distance society, parents teach children obedience, while in a small power
distance society, parents treat children as equals. B. Individualism vs.
collectivism-Individualism emphasises a person's goals and rights as an
individual. Collectivism is concerned with group goals, what is best for the
whole, and personal relationships. c. Masculinity vs. femininity -refers to the
weight that is given to typically male or female ideals. Competitiveness,
assertiveness, motivation, and the accumulation of wealth and material
possessions are valued in masculine cultures, while relationships and quality
of life are valued more in feminine cultures. d. Uncertainty avoidance- (e.g.
about religion and food) e. Long vs. short term orientation. f. Youth/Age: To
what extent the primary activities of a family will focus on the needs of the
children. g. Extended/Limited Family h. Cleanliness- Are homes, offices &
public spaces expected to be very clean i. Tradition/Change: are they loyal or
not j. Problem solving or Fatalistic k. Nature & environment l. Active/passive
o. Hard Work/Leisure
societies or cultures. Factors affecting Social Class-a. Occupation b. Education and
qualifications c. Income- personal, household and per capita d. Wealth or net
worth, including the ownership of land, property, means of production, etc
Characteristics of Social Class:1.Rank Ordering: Social classes are ranked in terms of
social prestige.2. Relative Permanence: A person’s social class does not change
from day to day or even from year to year & it is relatively permanent.
3. Intergenerational mobility: A person is likely to move out of the social class of his
or her birth & into a higher or lower class by acquiring the values, resources, &
behaviours of the new class.4. Internal Homogeneity:Persons belonging to the
same social class tend to be similar in terms of the types of occupations, the kind of
neighborhoods they live in, their food habits.5. Distinct from income: Though
income is an important determinant of social class, there is no one-to-one
correspondence between the two. Social class depends equally on other factors like
education, occupation, personal tastes. Manifestations of Social Class- Many who
are able to rise to positions of power in a society will often adopt distinctive
lifestyles in order to highlight their status and elevate their status within the
influential class. determining class status a. Costume and grooming b. Manners and
cultural refinement c. Political standing d. Reputation of honor or disgrace
e. Language-Language-the distinction between "upper-class" and "lower classes”
Life styles: Values, Attitudes & Lifestyles (VALS) a. Innovators- take-charge people
with high self esteem & abundant resources. b. Thinkers-reflective people who
value order, knowledge & responsibility. C.Achievers: They are successful career &
work oriented people who like to feel in control of their lives. d. Experiencers:
These are young, enthusiastic, impulsive & rebellious. They seek variety &
excitement. e. Believers: They are conservative, conventional people with
commitment to family, church, community & the nation. F.Strivers: They seek
motivation, self definition & approval from the world around them. g. Makers: They
are practical people who have constructive skills. H.Survivors: They tend to be
chronically poor, uneducated, low skilled, elderly, & concerned about their health.
Influence of Group on Consumer Behaviour-1 Social group-A Social group is usually
defined as a collection of persons, who share certain characteristics, interact with
one another. a reference group is simply a group that an individual uses as a guide
for behaviour in a specific situation. 2 Classification of Groups a. Nature of
Membership-Membership groups-the head or leader of the group as also the key
members of the group recognise the membership of the individual who claims
membership of this group. symbolic groups, there is no provision or procedure for
granting membership & the group leader or the key members may even deny
membership for the individual. b. Frequency of Contact-refers to how much
interpersonal contact the groups have with each other. 1. Primary groups-The
members of primary groups consider the opinion or norms of the entire group as
important to follow. The examples are- family, work organisations, business
associations, etc. 2. Secondary groups-The norms of secondary groups are
considered as less binding or obligatory. Examples are- distant relatives,
occupational groups like doctors, lawyers, accountants, theatre artists. C. Degree of
Formality-formal group & informal groups. D.Freedom of Choice - Choice groups
are those where the individuals voluntarily choose to join examples are- friendship
groups. The ascribed or assigned groups are those wherein the membership is
automatic for someone who has the characteristic that defines the group. The
examples are- family, relatives,
general or broadly defined values or behaviour are called as Normative
Reference Groups.For example, the child will learn which foods to select for
good nutrition, which are the appropriate dresses for which occasion.
Reference groups that serve as bench marks for specific narrowly defined
behaviour are called as Comparative Reference Groups. eg maintenance of
their garden, choice of home furnishings. Indirect Reference groups which
consist of those individuals or groups with whom a person does not have a
direct face to face contact, such as movie stars, sports heroes. Factors that
affect Reference Group Influence: 1.Credibility, Attractiveness & Power of the
Reference Group: obtaining the accurate information about the product
quality or performance credibility. When a consumer is primarily concerned
with the acceptance or approval of the person or group they like attraction.
Power.2. Conspicuousness of the Product-A visually conspicuous product will
is the one which stands out & be noticed. a verbally conspicuous product is
the one which may be highly interesting or it may be easily described to
others 3.Reference Groups & Consumer Conformity-change consumer
attitudes consumer conformity. consumers to be different & not just follow
the crowd when making purchase decisions. non- conformity. Consumer
Related Reference Groups: a.Friendship Groups b. Shopping Groups c. Work
Groups d. Virtual Groups or Communities e. Virtual World.
Reference Group Appeals-a. Celebrity Appeals: Celebrities like movie stars, TV
personalities. i. Testimonial: Based on personal usage, the celebrity attests to
the quality of the product or service. ii. Endorsement: Celebrity lends his or
her name & appears on behalf of a brand with which he or she may not be an
expert. iii. Actor: Celebrity presents a product or service as part of a character
in the ad story. iv. Spokesperson: Celebrity represents the brand or company
over an extended period of time. b. Expert- ask the experts eg loreal c.
Common Man: stand up comedy. d. The Executive and Employee
Spokesperson. e. Trade or Spokes-characters: Familiar cartoon characters like
Ninja Turtles, Mickey Mouse Classification of families: Families worldwide can
be classified into four types: a. Authoritarian Families, b. Neglectful Families,
c. Democratic Families & d. Permissive Families. Permissive Families- Unlike
the neglectful parents, permissive parents watch children’s interests & then
exercise freedom. Intergenerational Influence (IGI): This refers to the
transmission of values, attitudes & behaviours from one generation to
another. a. Forward Influence: This transfer of influence is from parents to the
children. b. Reverse Influence: The revere influence is from children to
parents. Family Relationship refers to then respect & trust between the
parents & the children.
Cultural Variations in Nonverbal communications
a. Time :It is almost like a physical object which can be scheduled, wasted, lost
& so on. This is known as monochromatic time perspective. People &
relationships take priority over schedules & activities occur at their own pace
rather than according to predetermined time table. This is known as
polychromic time perspective.
b. Space c. Symbols: d. Friendship: g. Etiquette:
Learning is the acquisition and development of memories and behaviors, Shaping is a technique that uses reinforcement to
including skills, knowledge, understanding, values. elements of learning get a response closer and closer to the desired
1. Motivation act as a catalyst for learning Many of those who are response. Types of loyalty- 1.no loyality :no
inspired will look for education and awareness about the product or purchase at all. 2.covetious loyality: no purchase
service they are interested in..2. Cues The stimuli that guide these but strong attachment towards the brand.3. Inertia
motives are known as cues. A individual purchasing a high-end fashion loyalty: purchasing the brand because of habit and
dress, for example, would prefer to find it in an elegant store rather than convenience but without any emotional attachment
a regular store..3. Response: How a consumer reacts to a stimulus or cue to the brand. 4.Premium loyalty: high attachment
is the ‘response’.4. Reinforcement: Reinforcement increases the to the brand and high repeat purchase
probability of a specific response to specific signals or stimuli in the Characteristics of learning-1.strength of learning
future. For example for preventing hair fall there may be three products importance message involvement mood
to be used one after another. If the first product provides some relief it reinforcement punishment repetition imagery
provides some reinforcement to go in for the second level. Theories of 2.extension 3. stimulus generalization 4.stimulus
Learning or stimulus-response’ theories-1. Cognitive Learning-This is the discrimination 5.response environment
process of acquiring new information from written or oral
communication a.Rote learning-The major practice involved in rote
learning techniques is learning by repetition, based on the idea that one
will be able to quickly recall the meaning of the material the more it is
repeated. b. Informal learning occurs through the experience of day-to-
day situations. C. Formal learning is learning that takes place within a
teacher-student relationship, such as in a school or college system.
2. Classical Conditioning or Pavlovian or Respondent Conditioning- A
stimulus is combined with another stimulus that invokes a known
response, which helps to generate the same response when used alone,
according to behaviour learning theory.(conditioned stimulus (CS),
unconditioned stimulus (US) = Conditioned Response). Strategic
application of classical conditioning a.repetition -Slow the pace of
forgetting advertising wear out is a problem.eg amul product repeated
ad b. stimulus generalization-Having same response to slightly different
stimuli eg Vim bar to vim liquid c.stimulus discrimination-Selection of
specific stimuli among similar stimuli. Eg Honda Amaze & Swift dzire.
3.Operant Conditioning or Instrumental conditioning (B.F.Skinner)-
According to this theory, learning happens by trial and error. This
learning model can be applied to a variety of situations in which
customers are learning about goods, services, and retail stores. Types of
reinforcement a.positive -is followed by a favorable stimulus that
increases the frequency of that behavior- b.negative-It is an unpleasant
outcome that also serves to increase a specific behaviour examples of life
insurance c.extension-Learn response no longer rainforest d.forgetting-
Here behaviour is an learn because lack of use rather than lack of
reinforcement.4. Modeling: In this model the individual learns by
observing others. Children learn from their parents, from their teachers.
Psychology of Simplification & Complication: 1.Simplification As a result
of his or her lifetime exposure to a large amount of market-related
knowledge, the customer develops a strategy for simplifying this
enormous challenge through a mechanism known as "psychology of
simplification." When the same problems arise frequently, they become
‘routinized' in terms of their solutions.. 2.Complication-three factors-
a.Boredom-food, clothing, perfume, b.Maturation-This is not the case of
getting bored with the old; it is rather a feeling that old choices are no
longer appropriate to the current time & age. C.forced irrelevance of
Current solutions-Governments may bring in new regulations like
banning gutka, banning smoking in public places, banning certain
imports, etc. which will force the consumer to look for a change
Attitude-Attitude is a learned predisposition to behave in a consistently
favorable or unfavorable manner with respect to a given object. Concepts
of attitudes- The attitude is toward an object, Attitudes are a learned
predisposition, either through direct experience or from others, Attitudes
have consistency, but are not necessarily permanent and can change over
time. Attitudes occur within a situation. Models of Attitudes-1-
Tricomponent Attitude Model 2- Multi Attribute Attitude Model 3-
Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model. Tricomponent Attitude Model-
a.Cognitive- Awareness and perceptions gained from a combination of
direct experience with the object and relevant information obtained from
different sources..b.Affective-A consumer’s emotions or feelings about a
particular product or brand or any other object.c.Conative-Individual's
tendency to take a particular action in response to the attitude item.
Multi Attribute Attitude Model-consumer attitude in terms of selected
product attributes or beliefs. A.The attitude-toward-object model-
Consumers will like a brand or product that has an adequate level of
attributes that the consumer thinks are important.b.The attitude-toward-
behavior model-Is the attitude toward behaving with respect to an
object, rather than the attitude toward the object itself c.Theory-of-
reasoned-action model(tra)- There are cognitive, affective, and conative
elements of this programme. The model includes subjective norms (social
pressure) on how a customer is affected by others in addition to attitude.
Attitude-Toward-the-Ad Model- As a result of exposure to an
advertisement, the consumer develops various feelings (affects) and
perceptions (cognitions), which influence the consumer's attitude toward
the ad and attitude toward the brand. Attitude Change- factors such as:
personal experience, personality effects, family influence, and marketing
communications. Strategies of Attitude Change-1- Changing the Basic
Motivational Functions- An effective way to change consumer attitudes
toward a product or brand.a.Utilitarian- function is how the product is
useful to us.b.ego-defensive- function would show how the product
would make them feel more secure and confident.c.value-expressive
function would more positively reflect the consumer’s values or
lifestyle.d. knowledge -function would satisfy the consumer’s “need to
know” and help them understand more. 2- Associating the Product with
an Admired Group or Event- Attitudes are linked to certain classes, social
activities, or causes, at least in part. It is important to shift people's minds
about corporations and their goods by emphasising their connections to
these groups, activities, or causes.eg vivo ipl, amul sa ri ga ma pa. 3-
Altering Components of the Multiattribute Model-a.Changing
consumer’s evaluation of attributes. Example: Perhaps the customer
thinks the product is good because it is cheap, but a marketer can point
out that better quality is always worth paying a little more for..b.Changing
brand beliefs. Example: Maybe a consumer thinks a brand is very
expensive when in fact it is less expensive than several other brands.c.
Adding an attribute. d. Changing the overall brand rating :Example:
using statements like the largest selling brand. 4- Changing beliefs about
the attributes of competitors’ brands:eg-How Is Valvoline’s Attempt to
Change Attitudes Toward a Competing Brand Likely to Impact Attitudes
Toward Its Own Brand? Ans- By Showing Better Wear Protection
Consumer Research Paradigms-Quantitative Research-Descriptive in
nature. Enables marketers to “predict” consumer behavior. Findings are
descriptive, empirical and generalizable. Positivism- A consumer
behaviour research approach that considers the discipline of consumer
behaviour to be an applied marketing science. It is primarily concerned
with customer decision-making. Qualitative Research-Consists of depth
interviews, focus groups, metaphor analysis, collage research, and
projective techniques. Administered by highly trained interviewer-
analysts. Small sample sizes. Interpretivism- A postmodernist approach
to the study of consumer behavior that focuses on the act of consuming
rather than on the act of buying. Use depth interviews. Depth
Interviews- A lengthy and relatively unstructured interview designed to
uncover a consumer’s underlying attitudes and/or motivations. Can
provide marketers with valuable ideas about product design and
provide insights for positioning or repositioning the product. Consumer
Research Process-defining the objectives of the research, collecting and
evaluating secondary data ,designing a primary research study,
collecting primary data, analyzing the data, preparing a report on the
findings. Developing Research Objectives- A statement of objectives
helps to define the type and level of information needed. Secondary
Data-Data that has been collected for reasons other than the specific
research project at hand. Primary Research- Original research
undertaken by individual researchers or organizations to meet specific
objectives. Collected information is called Primary Data. Designing
Primary Research- Quantitative, Qualitative. Data Collection Methods-
1.Observational Research- Helps marketers gain an in-depth
understanding of the relationship between people and products by
watching them buying and using products.2. Experimentation- Can be
used to test the relative sales appeal of many types of variables. Only
one variable is manipulated at a time, keeping other elements
constant.3.Surveys-Personal Interview, Mail, Online, Telephone.
Quantitative Data Collection Instruments- Questionnaires, Personal
Inventories, Attitude Scales, Discussion Guides. Validity-The degree to
which a measurement instrument accurately reflects what it is designed
to measure. Reliability-The degree to which a measurement instrument
is consistent in what it measures. Attitude Scales- 1.Likert scales: easy
for researchers to prepare and interpret, and simple for consumers to
answer.eg:1 = Agree Strongly 2 = Agree 3 = Neither Agree or Disagree 4
= Disagree 5 = Disagree Strongly. 2.Semantic differential scales:
relatively easy to construct and administer.eg.3.Rank order: subjects
rank items in order of preference in terms of some criteria
Qualitative Data Collection Methods-Depth Interviews, Focus groups ,
Projective Techniques, Metaphor Analysis.Focus Group-A qualitative
research method in which about eight to ten persons participate in an
unstructured group interview about a product or service concept.
Projective Techniques- Consumers' subconscious thoughts and
motivations are identified by research procedures. According to the
theory, respondents' inner emotions have an effect on how they
interpret stimuli. Analysis-Qualitative Research: Moderator or test
administrator usually analyzes responses.Quantitative Research:
Researcher supervises the analysis.