Chapter 13 Subcultures and Consumer Behavior Ninth Edition

Chapter Outline • • What Is Subculture? Nationality Subcultures Religious Subcultures Geographic and Regional Subcultures Racial Subcultures Age subcultures Sex as a Subculture Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 2

Subculture Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall A distinct cultural group that exists as an

Relationship Between Culture and Subculture - Figure 13. 1 Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall

Table 13. 1 Examples of Major Subcultural Categories CATEGORIES EXAMPLES Nationality Greek, Italian, Russian Religion Catholic, Hindu, Mormon Geographic region Eastern, Southwestern Race African American, Asian, Causasian Age Teenagers, Xers, elderly Gender Female, male Occupation Bus driver, cook, scientist Social class Lower, middle, upper Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 5

An ad showing many racial subcultures Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 6

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 nonethnic American-style supermarkets – Youths are more fashion conscious than non-Hispanic peers Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 7

Table 13. 4 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 Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 8

Discussion Question Why is it important to have a Web site devoted to Hispanic

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. Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 10

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 Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 11

Boston. com is one of the strongest regional news Web sites. weblink Copyright 2007

Table 13. 8 Product Purchase/Usage by Leading Metropolitan Market PRODUCT PURCHASE/USAGE Body power Energy drinks Artificial Sweetener Total beer/ale Ground coffee Gasoline Jams and Jellies Hair growth products Attend an auto show Grated cheese Attend a movie once a month Own a mountain bike Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall HIGHEST PURCHASE/ USAGE New York San Francisco LOWEST PURCHASE/ USAGE San Francisco Philadelphia Los Angeles Chicago Boston Dallas-Fort Worth Cleveland Dallas-Fort Worth Philadelphia Los Angeles New York San Francisco New York Detroit Philadelphia Boston San Francisco Boston Washington, D. C. Los Angeles Dallas-Fort Worth New York 13 - 13

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 Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 14

Table 13. 10 Comparison of Purchase Patterns Dental floss ANGLOWHITE 102 AFRICAN AMERICAN 86 HISPANIC AMERICAN 91 Mouthwash 97 122 102 Hand body cream 97 118 100 Vitamin and dieting supplements 103 77 86 Energy drinks 93 137 161 Car rental – business use 94 137 90 Own a digital camera 107 45 71 Greeting card 103 85 81 Instant breakfast 97 121 98 Barbeque and seasoning sauces 101 103 86 Ready-to-drink cappuccino 96 115 133 Cat treat 109 45 57 PRODUCT/ACTIVITY Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 15

This ad for Vibe Vixen magazine targets the African American Urban subculture. Copyright 2007

Major Age Subcultures Generation X Market Generation Y Market Seniors Market Baby Boomer Market

This ad generates pride in your “age” generation. Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13

Generation Y Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall Born between 1977 and 1994; also called

Three Subsegments of Gen Y • Gen Y Adults • Gen Y Teens •

Discussion Question • Is it ethical for marketers of high priced goods, an i.

In addition to younger girls, American Girl also targets tweens. weblink Copyright 2007 by

Generation X Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall Born between 1965 and 1979; post baby

Baby Boomers Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall Individuals born between 1946 and 1964 (approximately

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 Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 25

Seniors Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall Generally older consumers. Consist of subcultures, including the

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

AARP is one of the organizations in the U. S. dedicate to seniors. weblink

Discussion Question • How might the three senior segments differ in their consumption of food products? • How might a marketer of a food product market differently to the three subgroups? Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 29

How Seniors Use the Internet Figure 13 -6 Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13

Issues in Understanding Sex as a Subculture • Sex Roles and Consumer Behavior – Masculine vs. Feminine Traits • The Working Woman – Segmentation Issues – Shopping Patterns Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 31

Consumer Electronics Products Women Are Most Interested in Buying Figure 13 -7 Copyright 2007

Segmenting the Working Women Market • Four Segments: – Stay-at-Home Housewives – Plan-to-Work Housewives – Just-a-Job Working Women – Career-Oriented Working Women Copyright 2007 by Prentice Hall 13 - 33