Consumer Behavior,

Eighth Edition

SCHIFFMAN & KANUK

Chapter 13

Subcultures and Consumer

Behavior

13-1
 A distinct cultural group
that exists as an
Subculture identifiable segment
within a larger, more
complex society.

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 Figure 13.1 Relationship Between
Culture and Subculture

Subcultural Dominant Subcultural

Traits Cultural Traits
of Traits of of
Easterners U.S. Citizens Westerners

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 Table 13.1 Examples of Major
Subcultural Categories
CATEGORIES EXAMPLES
Nationality Jamaican, Vietnamese, French
Religion Mormon, Baptist, Catholic
Geographic region Northeast, Southwest, Midwestern

Race Pacific Islander, Native American,

Caucasian
Age Senior citizen, teenager, Xers
Gender Female, Male
Occupation Bus driver, mechanic, engineer
Social class Lower, middle, upper

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 Issues in Studying Hispanic American
Subcultures

• Hispanic Consumer Behavior

– Stronger preference for well-established brands
– Prefer to shop at smaller stores
– Some are shifting food shopping to non-ethnic
American-style supermarkets
– Youths are more fashion-conscious

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 Table 13.2 Traditional Characteristics of the
Hispanic American Market

Prefer well-known or familiar brands

Buy brands perceived to be more prestigious
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 what their parents bought
Prefer fresh to frozen or prepared items
Tend to be negative about marketing practices
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 Table 13.3 Traditional
“Hispanic”Variables
• Spanish Surname • Spanish spoken at
• Country of Origin home
• Country of family • Self-identification
ancestry • Degree of
identification

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 Figure 13.3
Targeting
Hispanic-
American
Consumers

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 Figure 13.4 Hispanic Linguistic
Challenge

Bilingual/ prefer
Spanish
Bilingual/ no
preference
Bilingual/ prefer
English
Spanish only

English only

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 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 products that are symbolically and
ritualistically associated with the celebration of
religious holidays

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 Figure 13.5 Ad
Containing
Kosher
Indicator

13-11
 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

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 Table 13.4 Product Purchase/Usage by
Leading Metropolitan Market
HIGHEST LOWEST
PURCHASE/ PURCHASE/
PRODUCT PURCHASE/USAGE USAGE USAGE
Own Rollerblades/in-line skates Detroit Dallas
New domestic car Detroit San Francisco
New imported car Washington, D.C. Detroit
Have life insurance Cleveland San Francisco
Drink Scotch whiskey Dallas Cleveland
Purchased men’s jeans Cleveland New York
Have a bowling ball Detroit Boston
Use eyeliner Dallas Philadelphia
Use artificial sweeteners Dallas-Fort Worth San Francisco
Used cough syrup (past 6 months) Chicago Washington, D.C.
Popcorn (past 6 months) Detroit New York
Lottery tickets (past 12 months) Cleveland Washington, D.C.
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 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

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 Table 13.8 Comparison of Purchase
Patterns
ANGLO HISPANIC
PRODUCT/ACTIVITY AFRICAN
WHITE
Purchased men’s jeans 105 69 104
Dress shoes 99 104 85
Women’s designer jeans 96 118 117
Regular women’s jeans 103 80 100
Have a bowling ball 109 40 58
Have a rifle 112 22 72
Noncola soft drink 2+ glasses per week 104 69 92
Diet-cola soft drink 2+ glasses per week 108 59 82
Cough syrup 2+ times in past 30 days 92 155 120
Baby powder 5+ times in past 7 days 97 129 146
Hair coloring past 6 months 98 116 126
Women’s eyeliner 100 95 117
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 Major Age Subcultures

Generation X Generation Y
Market Market

Seniors Baby Boomer

Market Market

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 Born between 1977
and 1994; also called
Generation
echo boomers and
Y
millennium
generation

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 3 Subsegments of Gen Y
• Gen Y Adults
• Gen Y Teens
• Gen Y Tweens

13-18
 Figure 13.6
Gen Y Adult
Appeal

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

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

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 Baby Boomers
• The largest age category alive today
• Frequently make important consumer
purchase decisions
• Include a small subsegment of trendsetting
consumers (yuppies) who influence
consumer tastes of other age segments

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 Figure 13.7 Appealing to Baby
Boomers’ Sense of Self

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 Figure 13.8
Appealing to
Yuppies

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

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

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

13-27
 Segmenting the Female Market

• Four Segments:
– Stay-at-Home Housewives
– Plan-to-Work Housewives
– Just-a-Job Working Women
– Career-Oriented Working Women

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