Chapter 9 Consumer Culture

·         Know cultural norms (concept question) Slide 6

- the rule that specifies the appropriate consumer behavior in a given situation within a specific
culture

·         Know definition of cultural sanctions Slide 7

- a penalty associated with performing a non-gratifying or culturally inconsistent behavior

·         Know definition of tradition Slide 11

- the customs and accepted ways of everyday behavior in each culture

·         Know the Core Social Value dimensions-specifically Individualism and what they value Slide 15

- the extent to which people are expected to take care of themselves and their immediate
families, Highly individualistic societies place high value on self-reliance, individual initiative, and
personal achievement; nations with low individualism are high in collectivism.

·         Know acculturation, and enculturation (concept questions) Slides 27 & 28- one each, diff between
two

- enculturation -the way people learn their native culture, represents the way in which consumers
learn and develop shared understandings of things (objects, products, services, actions, rituals)
with their families.
- Acculturation -the process by which consumers come to learn a culture other than their natural,
native culture, Acculturation is a learning process.
1. Old beliefs are replaced by new beliefs.
2. Children generally become acculturated more quickly than adults.

·         Know definition of modeling Slide 33

- the process of imitating others’ behavior; a form of observational learning, Modeling is an

important way in which consumers are socialized into a specific culture either through acculturation or
enculturation.

1. Young children observe their parents and model their behavior.

2. Adolescents may be more susceptible to modeling their friends’ behavior

·         Know definition of etiquette Slide 43

- the customary mannerisms consumers use in common social situations

 
Chapter 10 Microculture

·         Understand the U.S. Micro cultural Groups (concept questions):

- Regional Microculture Slide 11

1. Lifestyles and culture vary as you travel around the United States. This captures the
fact that priorities among consumers do vary regionally. Brand and food
preferences, choices of favorite beverages, favorite sports, and even the names of
things vary by region

- U.S. Generational Cohorts (pay attention to the Greatest Generation) Slide 16

1. a group of people who have lived the same major experiences in their lives. Life
experiences have many different effects on a cohort. American consumers who
were young adults during World War II; they were born prior to 1928, Their lives
and values are shaped by World War II and their post-war experiences, they tend to
be thriftier and price conscious. approximately 0.5 percent,

- Social Class and status Slide 27

1. a culturally defined group to which a consumer belongs based on resources like
prestige, income, occupation, and education, class tends to be a better predictor of
purchases that involve value and lifestyles, as well as symbolic and highly visible
products,
2. Some consumers strive to move up the social ladder; some do not.
3. Some consumers are born into a social class (ascribed status), whereas others work
their way into a class (achieved status).
4. Class strongly influences lifestyles, opinions, attitudes, and behaviors

- Street Microculture Slide 29

1. Microcultures can grow around any number of phenomena (sports, music, gaming)
2. One way to refer to these microcultures is by using the label street microcultures.
3. The hip-hop microculture is one such group.
4. The “Gothic” (or “goth”) microculture represents another prevalent microculture in
the United States.
5. The “emo” subculture has been considered an emotional evolution of hardcore
punk rock, alternative, or underground music
6. The more easily microcultures can be reached, the better marketers can connect
with them through value-added communications and products.
·         Know Demographic Analysis & importance in consumer research (concept question) Slide 37

1. a profile of a consumer group based on their demographics.

2. Demographic information becomes valuable when it is combined with
geodemographic information because members of microcultures often live-in close
proximity to one another
3. Demographic analyses provide the basis of a demographic segmentation strategy.

Chapter 11 Consumers in Situations

·         Know situational influences and types (specifically time of day - circadian rhythm “cycle”) Slide 14

- cycle (level of energy) of the human body that varies within a 24-hour period
- Consumers would prefer to sleep between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. and from about 1 to
3 p.m.
- Circadian rhythms are responsible for productivity in many activities.

·         Know the difference between utilitarian & hedonic shopping values (definition) Slide 26

- Utilitarian shopping value – the worth obtained because some shopping task or job is
completed successfully
- Hedonic shopping value – the worth of a shopping activity because the time spent doing the
activity itself is personally gratifying

·         Know retail personality – difference between functional quality & affective quality (definition) Slide
28

- Retail personality – the way a retail store is defined in the mind of a shopper based on the
combination of functional and affective qualities
- Functional quality – the retail positioning that emphasizes tangible things like a wide selection
of goods, low prices, guarantees, and knowledgeable employees
- Affective quality – the retail positioning that emphasizes a unique environment, exciting décor,
friendly employees, and, in general, the feelings experienced in a retail place

·         Know impulsive consumption vs. unplanned shopping (concept question) Slides 33 & 34

- Impulsive consumption – the consumption acts characterized by spontaneity, a diminished

regard for consequences, and a need for self-fulfillment. Internet shopping, although often
viewed as utilitarian in nature, can provide hedonic value as part of impulsive consumption.
Consumers who feel they have restrained their spending behavior in the past may indulge in
impulsive purchases as a reward for past good behavior.
- Unplanned shopping – the shopping activity that shares some, but not all, of the characteristics
of truly impulsive consumer behavior; being characterized by situational memory, a utilitarian
orientation, and feelings of spontaneity. Situational memory characterizes unplanned acts
 because something in the environment usually triggers the knowledge in memory that
something is needed.
- Utilitarian motivations drive many unplanned purchases.
- Unplanned acts are done without any significant deliberation or prior decision making

Distinguishing Impulsive and Unplanned Consumer Behavior

- Some unplanned acts are impulsive, and many impulsive acts are unplanned.
- Simple unplanned purchases usually lack any real emotional involvement or significant amounts
of self-gratification.
- Unplanned purchases often involve only minimal, if any, negative consequences

·         Know atmospherics and service scape – specifically the effect of odors and olfactory senses
(concept question) Slide 48

- Atmospherics – the emotional nature of an environment or the feelings created by the total
aura of physical attributes that comprise a physical environment
- Servicescape – the physical environment in which consumer services are performed
- Olfactory – the reference to humans’ physical and psychological processing of smells
- Odors are prominent environmental elements that affect both a consumer’s cognitive
processing and affective reaction
- Citrus odors produce positive responses in practically all consumers
- Research suggests that consumers express a higher maximum acceptable price in the presence
of pleasant odors
Chapter 12 Decision Making I: Need Recognition & Search

·         Steps in the consumer decision-making process - specifically evaluation of alternatives (concept

question) Slides 4 & 5

- Need recognition
- Search for information
- Evaluation of alternatives
- Choice
- Post-choice evaluation

·         Classifications of Decision-Making Approaches

1. specifically social risk - The risk associated with how other consumers will view the purchase
2. extended decision (more expensive more risk) -a decision-making approach when consumers
move diligently through various problem-solving activities in search of the best information that
will help them reach a decision. Information can come from both internal sources and external
sources. This process is generally rather lengthy. It occurs when involvement is high and when
there is a significant amount of purchase risk involved with the decision

3. limited decision-(less expensive less risk) –(2 concept questions on each)- a decision-making
approach when consumers search very little for information and often reach decisions based
largely on prior beliefs about products and their attributes. Given the time constraints that
consumers often feel, this type of decision making occurs with great frequency. It usually occurs
when there are relatively low amounts of purchase risk and product involvement.

·         Need recognition - specifically desired state (concept question) Slide 28

- Desired state – a perceived state for which a consumer strives. Desired states can be impacted
by unanticipated needs, reference group information, consumer novelty seeking, and cognitive
thought processes

·         Categories of Consumer Search Behavior - specifically internal search (choose example) Slide 32

- Internal search – the retrieval of knowledge stored in memory about products, services, and
experiences. Knowledge from an internal search is related directly to consumers’ experiences
with products and services. Consumers often perform internal searches before any other type of
search begins.

         Role of price and quality in the search process (choose the statement that is true of quality
perceptions) Slide 37

- Price – the information that signals the amount of potential value contained in a product
- Quality – a perceived overall goodness or badness of some product

Generally, we think of a high price as being a bad thing because a higher price means greater
sacrifice to obtain a product. This view of price is referred to as the negative role of price.
However, a positive role for price also exists. In this sense, price signals how desirable a product
is and how much prestige may be associated with owning the product.

Quality perceptions take place both before and after purchase. However, consumers do not
always seek high quality, because many times consumers do not need the “best” product
available. Price and quality perceptions are related, as consumers generally assume that higher
prices mean higher quality. This relationship is altered, however, by other variables.