SOCIAL GROUPS AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

Social Groups and Consumer Behavior



Social Groups and Consumer Behavior

Introduction

The study of consumer behavior is also sometimes very complex because of the multitude of variables involved and their tendency to interact with each other and influence each other. To cope with the complexity of models have been designed into consumer behavior. The models serve to organize our ideas about consumers in a consistent whole by identifying relevant variables, to discover its fundamental characteristics and to specify how the variables are interrelated. (George 2009 01)

External Variables

The external environment consists of six specific factors: culture, subculture, social class, social, family and personal factors.

The study of culture is the study of all aspects of a society: language, knowledge, laws, customs, etc. that give the company a distinctive character and personality. In the context of consumer behavior, culture is defined as the sum of beliefs, values and habits acquired and transmitted from generation to generation, which serve to regulate the behavior of a given society. (Clemons 2007 32)

The impact of culture in society is so natural and so deeply rooted that its influence on behavior is remarkable. Culture offers order, direction and guidance to members of a society at all stages of resolution of human problems. Culture is dynamic and progressive, and transforms continuously to suit the needs of society.

Culture is learned as part of social experience. From child acquires the setting of a series of beliefs, values and customs that contribute to their culture. They are acquired through formal, informal and technical. Advertising improve learning by strengthening formal models of desirable behavior or expectations and providing informal learning improvement models. Because the human mind has the capacity to absorb and process symbolic communication, marketing can successfully promote tangible and intangible products and product concepts through mass media. (Scott 2008 44)

The elements of culture are transmitted by three institutions: family, church and school. A fourth institution plays a major role in the transmission of culture, are the media, through both editorial content and advertising.

Some manifestations of culture

National character

Subculture

Nonverbal language, postures, gestures, food preferences

Importance of symbols, taboos, prohibitions, attitudes, rituals (rites of transition: graduation, marriage, retirement and death)

The cultural meaning is drawn from the same world of culture and transferred to a consumer through advertising and the fashion system. Then transferred to property to consumer behavior through consumer rituals (Del 2007 78)

Subculture:

Subculture analysis allows marketers to segment the market to reach the needs, motivations, perceptions and attitudes that are shared by members of a particular subcultural group. A subculture is a distinct cultural group that exists as an identifiable area within a large and complex society. Its members have beliefs, values and customs that set them apart from other members of the same society. The main sub-cultural categories are: nationality, race, religion, geographic location, age, sex and education.

Ethnic Subculture: Serving origins.

Descent from common ancestors: they tend to form close vizier, tend to marry people of the ...