Cultural Influenceson Consumer Behaviour

Chp. 14 with Duane Weaver

Outline

• Culture and Culture Variability• Norms• Myths• Rituals• Sacred & Profane Consumption• Desacralization/Sacraliztion

Culture and Culture Variability

• Culture: Values, ethics, rituals, traditions, material objects and services produced or valued by the members of a society

• A cultural system consists of 3 functional areas:

Ecology Social Structure Ideology

Adaptation to habitat How social order is maintained

Shared ethos: moral and aesthetic values

Culture Variability

Although every culture is different, four dimensions account for most of the variance:

Power Distance Uncertainty Avoidance

Masculinity/Femininity Individualism

Power impact on relationships How the society handles ambiguity (religion?)

How a society defines gender roles (examples?)

Collectivist or individualist focused society?

Norms

Enacted Norms

Norms

CresciveNorms

Customs Mores Conventions

Rules that govern what is right or wrong.

Rules/guides Taboos - punishable

Subtleties (suggested appropriate behaviour) - dressing, dining…

Culturally embeddedExplicitly decided

MythsMyth: a story containing symbolic elements that expresses the

shared emotions and ideals of a culture– Myths serve four interrelated functions in a culture

Metaphysical

Cosmological

Sociological

Psychological

Explain the origins of existence

Emphasize that all components of the universe are part of a single picture

Help maintain social order by authorizing a social code

Provide models for personal conduct

Rituals

• Ritual– A set of symbolic behaviours that occur in a

fixed sequence and tend to be repeated periodically.

• (Let’s discuss Table 14-1 for examples)

• Ritual Artifacts• Items used in the performance of rituals

– Wedding cakes, birthday candles…(others??)

Sacred Places Sacred PeopleSacred Events

Sacred and Profane Consumption• Sacred Consumption

– Involves objects and events that are set apart from normal life and are treated with some degree of respect or awe

• Profane Consumption– Involves consumer objects and events that are ordinary or of

the everyday world• Domains of Sacred Consumption

Desacralization & Sacralization

Desacralization A sacred item or symbol is removed from its special place, or is

duplicated in mass quantities (Eiffel tower, Mona Lisa) It becomes profane as a result

Sacralization When ordinary objects, events or people take on sacred meaning

to a culture or to specific groups within a culture– The Stanley Cup (hockey)– World Cup (soccer)– Confucius– Abraham Lincoln