solomon17im.docx

solomon17im.docx

《solomon17im.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《solomon17im.docx（24页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

solomon17im

17

THECREATIONANDDIFFUSIONOFGLOBALCONSUMERCULTURE

ChapterSUMMARY

Thestylesprevalentinacultureatanypointintimeoftenreflectunderlyingpoliticalandsocialconditions.Thesetofagentsresponsibleforcreatingstylisticalternativesistermedacultureproductionsystem.Factorssuchasthetypesofpeopleinvolvedinthissystemandtheamountofcompetitionbyalternativeproductformsinfluencethechoicesthateventuallymaketheirwaytothemarketplaceforconsiderationbyendconsumers.

Cultureisoftendescribedintermsofhigh（orelite）formsandlow（orpopular）forms.Productsofpopularculturetendtofollowaculturalformulaandcontainpredictablecomponents.Ontheotherhand,thesedistinctionsareblurringinmodernsocietyasimageryfrom“highart”isincreasinglybeingincorporatedintomarketingefforts.

Realityengineeringoccursaselementsofpopularcultureareappropriatedbymarketersandconvertedtovehiclesforpromotionalstrategies.Theseelementsincludesensoryandspatialaspectsofeverydayexistence,whetherintheformofproductsappearinginmovies,odorspumpedintoofficesandstores,billboards,themeparks,andvideomonitorsattachedtoshoppingcarts.

Diffusionofinnovationreferstotheprocesswherebyanewproduct,service,orideaspreadsthroughapopulation.Innovatorsandearlyadoptersarequicktoadoptnewproducts,andlaggardsareslow.Aconsumer’sdecisiontoadoptanewproductdependsonhisorherpersonalcharacteristicsaswellasoncharacteristicsoftheinnovationitself.Productsstandabetterchanceofbeingadoptediftheydemandrelativelylittlechangeinbehaviorfromusers,areeasytounderstand,andprovidearelativeadvantagecomparedtoexistingproducts.

Thefashionsystemincludeseveryoneinvolvedinthecreationandtransferenceofsymbolicmeanings.Meaningsthatexpressculturalcategories（e.g.,genderdistinctions）areconveyedbymanydifferentproducts.Newstylestendtobeadoptedbymanypeoplesimultaneouslyinaprocessknownascollectiveselection.Perspectivesonmotivationsforadoptingnewstylesincludepsychological,economic,andsociologicalmodelsoffashion.Fashionstendtofollowcyclesthatresembletheproductlifecycle.Thetwoextremesoffashionadoption,classicsandfads,canbedistinguishedintermsofthelengthofthiscycle.

Becauseaconsumer’scultureexertssuchabiginfluenceonhisorherlifestylechoices,marketersmustlearnasmuchaspossibleaboutdifferencesinculturalnormsandpreferenceswhenmarketinginmorethanonecountry.Oneimportantissueistotheextenttowhichmarketingstrategiesmustbetailoredtoeachcultureversusstandardizedacrosscultures.Followersofaneticperspectivebelievethatthesameuniversalmessageswillbeappreciatedbypeopleinmanycultures.Believersinanemicperspectivearguethatindividualculturesaretoouniquetopermitsuchstandardization—marketersmustinsteadadapttheirapproachestobeconsistentwithlocalvaluesandpractices.Attemptsatglobalmarketinghavemetwithmixedsuccess;inmanycasesthisapproachismorelikelytoworkifthemessagesappealtobasicvaluesand/orifthetargetmarketconsistsofconsumerswhoaremoreinternationallyratherthanlocallyoriented.

TheUnitedStatesisanetexporterofpopularculture.ConsumersaroundtheworldhaveeagerlyadoptedAmericanproducts,especiallyentertainmentvehiclesanditemsthatarelinkedsymbolicallytoauniquelyAmericanlifestyle（e.g.,Marlborocigarettes,Levi’sjeans）.Despitethecontinuing“Americanization”ofworldculture,someconsumersarealarmedbythisinfluenceandareinsteademphasizingareturntolocalproductsandcustoms.Inothercases,theyareintegratingtheseproductswithexistingculturalpracticesinaprocessknownascreolization.

ChapterOutline

1.Introduction

TheCreationofCulture

a.Bigcorporationsarecurrentlyworkinghardtocapturemarketshareinthe

rapidlygrowingblackurbanculture.Theyarelookingforthenexthotfashion.

b.Itisquitecommonformainstreamculturetomodifysymbolsidentifiedwith

“cuttingedge”subculturesandpresentthesetoalargeraudience.

1）Asthisoccurs,theseculturalproductsundergoaprocessofco-optation,where

theiroriginalmeaningsaretransformedbyoutsiders.

2）Inmanyinstances,culturalchangesarebroughttotheaveragepersonvia

advertisingandthefashionindustry.

*****UseFigure17-1Here*****

DiscussionOpportunity—Ask:

Canyouthinkofanexamplewhereco-optationhasoccurred?

Whatevidenceofthiswasinadvertisingoronthemassmedia?

Hint:

ThinkofslanglanguageusedbyAfrican-Americanrappersthathasbecomecommontoourdailyexpressions.

DiscussionOpportunity—Ask:

WhatevidenceistherethattheVietNamWarandthe“FlowerPower”generationstillinfluencesthecultureoftoday’syouth（ifitdoes）?

Giveexamples.

CulturalSelection

c.Weinhabitaworldbrimmingwithdifferentstylesandpossibilities.Consumers

mayattimesfeeloverwhelmedbythesheernumberofchoicesinthemarket-

place.

1）Theselectionofcertainalternativesoverothers（suchasanautomobile）is

theculminationofacomplexfiltrationprocessresemblingafunnel.

2）Manypossibilitiesinitiallycompeteforadoption,andthesearesteadily

winnoweddownastheymaketheirwaydownthepathfromconceptionto

consumptioninaprocessofculturalselection.

*****UseFigure17-2Here*****

DiscussionOpportunity—Whatnewstyleshaveyouseenappearinthelastsixmonths?

Howmanyofthesehavebeguntoappearontelevision（eitherintheadsorontheshows）?

Howlongdoyouthinkthestyleswilllast?

3）Stylesarenotformedinavacuum.

d.Someofthecharacteristicsoffashionandpopularcultureare:

1）Stylesoftenareareflectionofdeepersocialtrends（e.g.,politicsandsocial

conditions）.

2）Stylesusuallyoriginateasaninterplaybetweenthedeliberateinventionsof

designersandbusinesspeopleandspontaneousactionsbyordinaryconsumers.

3）Theseculturalproductscantravelwidely.

4）Astylebeginsasariskyoruniquestatementbyarelativelysmallgroupof

people.

5）Moststyleseventuallywearout.

CultureProductionSystems

e.Thesetofindividualsandorganizationsresponsibleforcreatingandmarketinga

culturalproductisacultureproductionsystem（CPS）.

1）Thenatureofthesesystemshelpstodeterminethetypesofproductsthat

eventuallyemergefromthem.

2）Factorssuchasthenumberanddiversityofcompetingsystemsandthe

amountofinnovationversusconformitythatisencouragedareimportant.

3）Thedifferentmembersofacultureproductionsystemmaynotnecessarilybe

awareoforappreciatetherolesplayedbytheothermembers,yetmanydiverse

agentsworktogethertocreatepopularculture.

f.Acultureproductionsystemhasthreemajorsubsystems:

1）Creativesubsystem—responsibleforgeneratingnewsymbolsand/orproducts.

2）Managerialsubsystem—responsibleforselecting,makingtangible,mass

producing,andmanagingthedistributionofnewsymbolsand/orproducts.

3）Communicationssubsystem—responsibleforgivingmeaningtothenew

productandprovidingitwithasymbolicsetofattributesthatare

communicatedtoconsumers.

*****UseTable17-1Here*****

DiscussionOpportunity—Thinkofanexampleofacultureproductionsystemandidentifythemembersofthesystemforapopularcustomortrendthatimpactscollegestudents.

g.Manyjudgesor“tastemakers”influencetheproductsthatareeventuallyofferedto

consumers.Theseculturalgatekeepersareresponsibleforfilteringtheoverflow

ofinformationandmaterialsintendedforconsumers（collectively,thisisknownas

thethroughputsector）.

DiscussionOpportunity—Ask:

Whodoyouknowthatmightbeclassifiedasaculturalgatekeeper?

Explain.

HighCultureandPopularCulture

h.Cultureproductionsystemscreatemanydiverseproducts,butsomebasic

distinctionscanbeofferedregardingtheircharacteristics.

1）Artsversuscrafts.

a）Anartproductisviewedprimarilyasanobjectofaestheticcontemplation

withoutanyfunctionalvalue.

b）Acraftproductisadmiredbecauseofthebeautywithwhichitperforms

somefunction（suchasaceramicashtray）.

*****UseConsumerBehaviorChallenge#2Here*****

2）Highartversuslowart.

3）Massculturechurnsoutproductsspecificallyforamassmarket.Manyof

theseproductsfollowaculturalformula（wherecertainrolesandprops

oftenoccurconsistently—asinapulpdetectivestoryoraromancenovel）.

*****UseTable17-2Here*****

DiscussionOpportunity—Thinkofanillustrationwhereaculturalformulamightbeusedinmarketingaproduct.

DiscussionOpportunity—Ask:

Cananyculturalformulasbeappliedtocollegelife?

Explain.

4）Aestheticmarketingresearch.

a）Creatorsofaestheticproductsareincreasinglyadaptingconventional

marketingmethodstofinetunetheirmass-marketofferings.

b）Marketingresearchisusedtotestaudiencereactionstoconcepts.

c）Contentofmoviesisofteninfluencedbyconsumerresearch.

*****UseConsumerBehaviorChallenge#3Here*****

RealityEngineering

i.Realityengineeringoccursaselementsofpopularcultureareappropriatedby

marketersandconvertedtovehiclesforpromotionalstrategies.

1）Theseelementsincludesensoryandspatialaspectsofeverydayexistence.

2）Realityengineeringisacceleratingduetothecurrentpopularityofproduct

placementsbymarketers.

3）Mediaimagesappeartosignificantlyinfluenceconsumers’perceptionsof

reality,affectingviewers’notionsaboutsuchissuesasdatingbehavior,racial