CULTURE AND SUBCULTURE ON THE BASIS OF

CATAGORIAL CLASSIFICATION
Jagdeep Singh
M.com 4th sem.
7651

INTRODUCTION
In todays world, culture and behavior are transmitted from one to another through various
sources of media and also through internet services. So the products which are popular in one
culture are treated for those popular in another. For example the waves of music or styles of
United States of America affected Indian music. Culture is very much affected by different
factors i.e. how consumer behaves, how he or she consumes, buy or use the products and
services etc.
CULTURE: It means:

The beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time

A particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.

A way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization (such as a

business)

The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the
capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations

SUB CULTURE: Subcultures are values and norms distinct from those of the majority and are
held by a group within a wider society. Marketers use sub cultural classification of consumers to
help determine goods and services needed. All nations around the globe are made up of various
subcultures. It is essential that marketers realize this.

FACTORS AFFECTING SUB CULTURE: It includes followings

Ethnic/Nationality sub cultures - Blacks, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Euro Americans,
Native Americans, etc
Religious sub cultures
Gender sub culture
Age sub culture
1. Ethnic/Nationality based sub culture Nationality affects the attitudes and behavior of
consumers. When people from same nation immigrate to a new country, they typically
initially live close together. It includes following: Black or African-American Subculture: It has following features

A common heritage
More than 36 million consumers in US
Younger with very high numbers living in cities
1999 earnings: $491 billion
1999 purchases: $207 billion (ninth largest economy in the world)
Approximately 28% of families had an annual income of $50,000 or more in
1999
The group is very diverse

African-American consumers expect respect within the marketplace and must

feel a sense of acceptance

Black Subculture: It has following features

A high proportion of families are headed by women
Black women influence many purchases that might otherwise be purchased by men
Advertising often appeals to the strength black women portray in life
Often unavailability of shopping areas in neighborhoods causes great disparity in
spending power

Differences in decision making patterns and in media usage

Asian American Subculture: It has following features
Approaching 11.9 million, 2000 Census

High incomes, high education

Multicultural: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Indian

are the largest sectors

Often mistakenly grouped into one segment
Asian- and Pacific Island-American Subculture: It has following features
It consists of 29 distinct groups
Their nationalities range from Chinese to Filipino, Korean, and Pacific Island
The group earned $350 billion in 2000 with the median income per household
at approximately $36,100
They tend to be conservative and family oriented
Hispanic Subculture: It has following features
Fastest growing ethnic market in US
37.4 million people, reported in March 2002 by the Census Bureau
2000 purchasing power: $340 billion
Median income is about two thirds of the average in the U.S.
In 2000, 9.6% percent of Hispanic families had incomes of more than $50,000
Marketing to Hispanic-Americans

They are a diverse group, bound together by a common language and cultural heritage

They are very brand loyal

90% use Spanish language media for product information

65% listen to Spanish-language radio, 80% watch Spanish-language TV, 40% read
Spanish-language newspapers, and 20% read Spanish-language magazines

They have positive attitudes toward advertising

2. Religious sub culture: For many religious groups, beliefs are a major influence on
marketplace behavior, determining everything from acceptable dress to food and
beverage consumption patterns to entertainment options. However, it is difficult, and
often a mistake, to make generalizations about a population group based on the religion it
professes. The Protestant religions, for example, run the full spectrum from
conservative to liberal; some favor traditional family structures while others embrace

alternative lifestyles and gender roles. Nationality also makes a differencethe values
and behaviors of African American or Korean Protestants and Hispanic American
Catholics are not the same as their traditional American counterparts. For a number
of religious groups, religious calendars influence product selection, affecting food,
clothing, beverages, and entertainment choices. During Lent, for example, Roman
Catholics are restricted in their food choices. Religious events or seasons can also offer
special opportunities. Ramadan, Christmas, Passover, and Advent, for example, are
all times when consumers buy special products. Geographic concentrations of religious
sects are also important to marketers. The Amish in northeast Indiana, the Black
Muslims in Chicago, the Jewish people in New York City, the Confucianists in San
Francisco, the Catholics in Boston, the Mormons in Utah, and the Quakers in parts
of Pennsylvania all affect distribution and sales patterns.

3. Gender sub culture: All societies tend to assign certain roles to women and others to
men. For example: the masculine role is that of aggressiveness and competitiveness,
whereas the feminine role is that of neatness, tactfulness, gentleness and talkativeness
Gender Difference Study
A study was conducted to understand the gender differences in reactions to similar prints. It was
found that women show superior affect and purchase intent towards ads that are verbal,
harmonious, complex and category oriented. Men show superior affect towards ads that are
comparative, simple and attribute oriented. It was concluded that it may be best to advertise
differently to men and women.
Consumer products and Gender Roles
Products are either exclusively or strongly associated with the members of one sex. For example
shaving equipment, cigars, pants, ties and work clothing are for men. Bracelets, hairsprays, hair
dryers, sweet smelling perfumes are considered feminine products.
Men are Hunters; Women are Nurturers
(Internet Surfing Trends across the Genders)

The appeal for internet seems to be different for both men and women. Women go online to seek
out reference materials, online books, medical information, cooking ideas, government
information and chat sites. Men tend to focus on exploring and discovering, identifying free
software and investments opportunities. Women are less likely to purchase on the internet (32%
for men VS 19% for women). Lesser purchase rate on the internet is because of heightened
concerns about online security and privacy.
Women as Depicted in the Media
Media and advertising create an expectation of beauty for women that they can never meet which
is why most women demand the definition of beauty to change. Responding to this call from
women an international brand of soap challenged the traditional sense of beauty and "Real"
women were portrayed in the company's ads with grey hair, wrinkles and flawed skin. 65% of
women 35-40 years of age felt good. 50% found ads to be old fashioned.
Segmenting the Women Work Wise
According to the work status, women may be segmented into following categories:

Stay at home housewives

Plan to work housewives
Just a job working women
Career oriented working women
Just a job working woman seems to be motivated to work primarily by a sense that family

requires the additional income

Career oriented working women who tend to be in professional or managerial position
are driven by the need to achieve and succeed in their chosen careers

4. Age sub culture: Important shifts occur in individual's demand for specific types of
products and services as he or she goes from being a dependent child to a senior citizen.
A major age sub grouping of the population may be thought of as a separate subculture
e.g. teens influence purchases in approx all product categories. They select the stores in
which they spend their own money. By appealing to preteens, marketers build brand
loyalty at an early stage. The medium of choice for advertising for them is television. It
includes following:
Teens: it has following features
They make up 6% of the population, but growth will be flat until 2010
They have been segmented into several lifestyle groups

 Increasing influence on purchasing

Increasing spending power
Teens are preoccupied with their appearance
They are open to new ideas and new products
Teens are avid television viewers
Young adults (generation x) : it has following features
Those born between 1965 and 1977 (40 million people)
They are distrustful of marketing
They look for a balance between work and leisure
Gen X-ers are close to their parents and they tend to live at home

They are not drawn to traditional forms of advertising (i.e., hyping up

products)

Gen X-ers express their need to stay in control by purchasing communications

equipment such as beepers, fax machines, e-mail, and mobile phones

They prefer products based on their practicality

Baby boomers: it has following features

Those born between 1946 and 1964 (78 million)
Total income is over $1 trillion, increasing at a rate of 10% per year (versus

5% for the rest of the population)

They have a high level of education
They have more discretionary income than other groups and they buy more

and save less

Boomers are health conscious
They are becoming less materialistic in outlook and their product and service
selections reflect their concern for the environment and quality of life
They

use

Boomers

credit

cards

keep

and

buy
up

expensive
with

exercise

equipment

fashions

The marketing of nostalgia works well with them (especially older baby
boomers)
Seniors: it has following features
There were approx. 35 million people over 65 in 2000, it is the fastest growing
segment of the population

Households are small and their need for new purchases is limited
They enjoy convenience in the marketplace and appreciate their leisure time
They spend more on themselves
They perceive themselves as younger than their years, cognitive age versus

chronological age
Although brand loyal, they tend to try new products or brands if given good

reasons to do so
The senior market can further be segmented on the basis of age, activity level,
health, and mobility

CONCLUSION
Subcultures are dynamic and ever changing, influenced by both external and internal forces and
processes. Substantial knowledge gaps exist at each level of explanation, and precisely how they
relate to each other is not well understood. Subcultures both effect social change and adapt to it,
and for this reason they are important theoretically, empirically, and as they reflect and influence
social policy.

REFERNCES

www.google.com
www.encyclopedia.com
www.wikipedia.com