Chapter 14 Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Subcultures

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Chapter 14Ethnic, Racial, and Religious
Subcultures
By Michael R. Solomon
Consumer Behavior Buying, Having, and Being Sixth
Edition
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Opening Vignette Maria

• Why does Marias mother refuse to use convenience
  products?
• What would you guess is Marias ethnic
  background?
• Is the family gathering indicative at all of her
  culture?
• What activities does she undertake that identify
  her with a culture?

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Subcultures and Consumer Identity

• Subcultures
• Group memberships within society at large
• Ethnic and Racial Subcultures
• Ethnic Subculture A self-perpetuating group of
  consumers who are held together by common
  cultural or genetic ties, and is identified both
  by its members and by others as being a
  distinguishable category.
• Ethnicity and Marketing Strategies
• High-context Culture Group members tend to be
  tightly knit, and they are likely to infer
  meanings that go beyond the spoken word.

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Mountain Men

• Contemporary Mountain Men share a strong sense of
  identity and community.

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Marketing to Subcultures
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Ethnic Products

• Tex-Mex cuisine is popular in Scandinavia. This
  ad appeared in a Swedish magazine.

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Is Ethnicity a Moving Target?

• De-ethnicization
• Refers to the process whereby a product formerly
  associated with a specific ethnic group is
  detached from its roots and marketed to other
  subcultures.
• The Big Three American Subcultures
• African Americans
• Hispanic Americans
• Asian Americans
• New Ethnic Groups
• Ethnic and Racial Stereotypes

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Tiger Woods

• Tiger Woods multiracial background illustrates
  the complexity of ethnic identity in the United
  States.

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De-ethnicization of Bagels

• Bagels have been de-ethnicized and are now part
  of mainstream culture.

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Discussion Question

• Advertisers frequently try to depict the big
  three consuming their products as this ad for
  The Childrens Place clothing does.
• What are the benefits of using multi-ethnic
  models in advertisements? Does this
  advertisement do a good job reflecting ethnic
  diversity of the target audience?

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African Americans and Hispanic Americans

• African Americans
• 12.3 percent of the U.S. population (2000 Census)
• Differences between blacks and whites in
  consumption are very subtle
• Hispanic Americans
• Hispanic describes people of many backgrounds
• 60 percent of Hispanic Americans are Mexican
• Puerto Ricans are the next biggest group at 10

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African Americans in Advertising

• Many national brands routinely use African
  American models.

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Distinguishing Characteristicsof the Hispanic
Market

• Youth
• Median Age is 23.6 (U.S. average 32)
• Family Size
• Average household is 3.5 people (U.S. average
  2.7)
• Importance of Family
• Preference to spend time with family affects
  consumption activities
• Going to the movies is a family event
• Convenience products are not as important

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Ethnic Products

• Hispanic celebrities such as Shakira, Ricky
  Martin, and Gloria Estefan are increasingly
  successful in popular music.

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Levels of AcculturationUnderstanding Hispanic
Identity

• Acculturation
• Refers to the process of movement and adaptation
  to one countrys cultural environment by a person
  from another country.
• Ethnography
• The study of immigrants as they adapt to life in
  a new country.
• Acculturation Agents
• People and institutions that teach the ways of a
  culture.
• Culture of Origin
• Culture of Immigration

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Segmenting Hispanics by Acculturation
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A Model of Consumer Acculturation
Figure 14.2
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Processes of Immigrant Adaptation

• Movement
• Refers to the factors motivating people to
  physically uproot themselves from one location to
  another.
• Translation
• Attempting to master a set of rules for operating
  in the new environment.
• Adaptation
• Cultural learning that leads to new consumption
  patterns
• Assimilation
• When immigrants adopt products, habits, and
  values that are identified with the mainstream
  culture.
• Maintenance
• Resistance
• Segregation

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Perspectives on Ethnic Adaptation

• Ethnic Pluralism
• Argues that ethnic groups differ from the
  mainstream in varying degrees, and that
  adaptation to the larger society occurs
  selectively.
• Progressive Learning Model
• Assumes that people gradually learn a new culture
  as they increasingly come in contact with it.
• Host Culture

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Asian Americans

• Chi
• An invisible energy current that is believed to
  bring good or bad luck
• Feng Shui
• Translated literally as the wind and the water
• Fastest growing minority group in the U.S.
• The most affluent, best educated, and most likely
  to hold technology jobs of any ethnic subculture
• Prosperous Asians tend to be very status
  conscious
• Advertising featuring celebrities can be very
  effective in reaching this group

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YesAsia.com
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Discussion Question

• Asians are often depicted using high-technology
  products as in this ad for McAfee Security
  software.
• Why are Asians a good target audience for this
  product? What other products would do well to
  target the Asian segment of the population?

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Religious Subcultures

• The Rise of Spirituality
• Explosion of religion in popular culture
• Old and New Religions
• The Impact of Religion on Consumption
• Not studied extensively in marketing (too
  taboo)
• Religious affiliation has the potential to be a
  valuable predictor of consumer behavior

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Megachurches

• Some U.S. megachurches have more than 20,000
  members.

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Meeting the Needs of Subcultures

• Specialized ethnic media, like this magazine for
  Muslim women, are springing up to meet the needs
  of underserved American subcultures.

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Influence of Religious Groups

• Religious groups can influence companies
  decisions by encouraging their members to boycott
  products or stage protests.