Subculture and Consumer

Behavior
Definitions:
Subculture is the segment
of the main culture that
shares
distinguishing
patterns of behavior.

 Subculture is a distinct
cultural group that exists as
an identifiable segment
within a larger, more
complex society.

 For marketing purpose, a

subculture may be described as
any cultural patterning that
preserves important features of the
dominant society, but provides
values and life styles of its own.

Few major Types of subculture:

1. Ethnic (nationality based)

2. Religious
3. Regional
4. The subculture of the aging/elderly or
senior citizens
5. The singles subculture
6. The subculture of the poverty, and
many more

1. Ethnic subculture:
It is based on the original nationality of
people who have migrated from their
motherland to some other country.
Ethnic identification is actually preserved
from one generation to the next through
different institutions.

 Functions of Ethnic subculture:

To provide a psychological source of group
identification.
Members of ethnic subculture gain a sense of
identity from association with their own people.
To offer a patterned network of groups and
institutions.
If a member wishes, he or she may maintain primary
relationships with others in the ethnic subculture
throughout life.
To serve as a frame of reference for viewing the new
culture.
The members of such a subculture retain a cultural
heritage through which they perceive the values and
norms of the new society.

 Reaching Ethnic sub-cultural groups:

It requires study of such subculture from
different group perspective.
For example, there is no reason to believe
that all Italians living in a foreign country
will consume same products and services.
Ethnic markets like any large groups must
be further segmented by age, sex etc.
Marketing significance.

2. Religious subculture:
This subculture is based on peoples
religious affiliation or their bondage with
the religions.
There are still norms that restrict or dictate
certain products and services for devout
(pious) members of religious subcultures.
For example, cine magazines can be easily
marketed to some Muslims while others
may reject them.
Marketing significance.

3. Regional subculture:
It is based on where people live
(geographic area) or from which part
of a country they have migrated to the
other part and live there.
People actually display different
patterns of behavior according to
where they live.

 Fashions, entertainment etc. vary according

to where people live, and as result of which
marketers require to develop different
varieties of the same product for people
living in different areas.
Example includes Chanachur offered in
different flavors and tastes for people of
different geographic areas of Bangladesh.
Marketing significance.

4. The subculture of the aging:

It consists of people who have reached
a particular age or who are retired from
their active profession.
The have few characteristics including:

live with children

deteriorating health
emotional difficulties
lack of employment and so on.

 As they have special needs, marketers

require to adopt different strategies for
them.
Marketers who can recognize the unmet
and special needs of older people reap
considerable success.
Example include diet food, sugar free
sweetmeats, leisure services etc.

 Marketers should remain careful about

the problems communicating with the
elderly.
One major reason that old people are
seldom addressed directly in
advertising is that they resent being
depicted as old.
People dislike to admit to themselves
or others that they are no longer young.

 The most successful communications are

those that show a mixture of age group using
the product.
Older people have a greater tendency toward
comparison shopping.
They seem to rely on personal judgment
while younger people depend more on
informed sources of knowledge about
products and hence personal selling is
effective.
Marketing significance.

5. The singles subculture:

It consists of unmarried individuals and
individuals who were married before and
are now single and live independently.
Single subcultures are well established in
urban areas and increasingly found in
suburban and small towns.

 Reasons for single subculture growing

prominent are:
postponement of marriage
higher divorce rate etc.

 They have different and some specific

needs.
Need specialized products such as
singles night clubs, dating services,
exotic telephone talk services, artificial
sexual organs, certain types of
magazines etc. will have good market
prospects in the days to come.
Marketing significance.

6. The subculture of poverty:

it consists of people who live below
the poverty level.
People living below the poverty level
spend larger shares of their incomes
on the necessities such as food and
shelter than people with larger
incomes.

 Low income families emphasize on low

cost, fresh staple items than prepacked, instant, and more expensive
items.
Marketing significance.