Demographic and Socio-cultural influences Flashcards
- Sex and gender - Cultural values - Hofstede’s cultural dimensions (37 cards)
1
Q
What is sex?
A
Being biologically male or female in terms of physiology, including neurophysiology, and considered a major source of differences in human behaviour by evolutionary psychologists.
2
Q
What is a brand example linking to sex and how this influences branding etc and how is this shown in advertising?
A
- Sanitary pads and tampons transformed feminine care when they were introduced about 100 years ago, but their marketing has only recently started to address their true purpose.
- For many years, ads used euphemisms that reflected the shame many people feel about their periods. Tampons were often described as “worn internally” without mentioning female anatomy. In 2010, when Kotex tried to use the word “vagina” in an ad, TV networks banned it, almost a decade after tampons were first sold.
- Brands like Procter & Gamble’s Tampax and Kimberly-Clark’s Kotex initially focused on themes of female empowerment. Their ads showed women enjoying life “in complete comfort,” but they still avoided mentioning periods, which remained a taboo topic. The word “period” was first used in a Tampax ad in 1985.
3
Q
What is gender?
A
- The roles associated with being male or female in society, generally regarded as being socially constructed & a product of learning.
- However, both in practice and modern research it can be noted a broadening of the definitions and categories that fall within gender/sex so that now they incorporate: transgender, intersex, agender, bigender, androgynous etc.
4
Q
What is a brand example linking to gender and how this influences branding etc and how is this shown in advertising?
A
- On International Day of the Girl, the LEGO Group is promoting inclusive play by encouraging parents and children to share photos of their LEGO creations with an AR backdrop that says “Get the World Ready for Me.”
- They’ve also made short films featuring inspiring girls from the UAE, the US, and Japan to support the “Ready for Girls” campaign. This initiative aims to empower girls and invite more of them to engage with LEGO, ensuring that all children, regardless of gender identity, feel free to build and explore their creativity.
- LEGO’s campaign highlights how gender impacts advertising by challenging traditional stereotypes about play. By focusing on girls and promoting inclusivity, LEGO reinforces its commitment to gender equality and encourages all kids to express their creativity.
5
Q
What are gender stereotypes?
A
- Gender stereotypes refer to oversimplified and
overgeneralised beliefs about what men and women are like and what traits and behaviours are expected of them or considered appropriate. - Gender roles have long been shaped by traditional ideas. In the past, men were often seen as the main earners—focused on work, confident, and independent. Women, on the other hand, were usually shown as caregivers, doing housework, raising children, and working in lower-paid jobs. Today, families are more equal, with both partners sharing responsibilities, and women have gained more rights and opportunities than before.
- Gender stereotypes effect peoples beliefs, opinions and attitudes.
6
Q
What is gender stereotype advertising?
A
- May regarded as discriminatory and non-representative of the modern society and consumer beliefs, as well as being potentially damaging to children’s choices, self-esteem and behaviours.
- We start to see changes in these stereotypes in today’s advertising with regards to gender and other types of stereotypes. Campaigns include Always - #LikeAGirl campaign;
- Ariel – When we #SeeEqual, we #ShareTheLoad campaign
7
Q
What is an example of gender stereotyping in advertising?
A
A significant example that illustrates the issues surrounding gender stereotyping in marketing is the Yorkie bar campaign by Nestlé. With its tagline “Not for girls,” Yorkie’s branding approach was explicitly targeted at a male audience, sending a clear message that this product was exclusively for men. This advertising strategy not only alienated potential female customers but also reinforced the notion that certain products are inherently masculine. Such messaging perpetuates outdated gender stereotypes, suggesting that women should not engage with products deemed “masculine” and limiting the choices available to them.
8
Q
What is an example where gender stereotyping in advertising where traditional norms are broken?
A
One of the biggest successes of the Dove campaign is that it started a global conversation about beauty. The campaign focused on the problem of using unrealistic images in advertising, which narrow the idea of beauty. Dove wanted to change this by featuring real women who don’t fit traditional beauty standards, like older women with wrinkles and plus-size women. These women connected with the audience because they were relatable and offered a fresh perspective. The campaign became very popular, with models appearing on major American talk shows like The View, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Ellen, and Geraldo. This attention led to about $150 million in free publicity for Dove.
9
Q
What is the role of ASA in tackling gender stereotypes in the media?
A
- In 2019, the UK made a big change in advertising by banning harmful gender stereotypes. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which oversees ads in Britain, introduced new rules to stop ads that could offend, cause harm, or reinforce unfair gender ideas.
- The goal was to show people in more diverse and realistic ways, moving away from old stereotypes that limited how men and women are seen. Since ads can shape how society thinks, the ASA wanted to make sure they support fairness and equality.
10
Q
What are the age categories and their definitions? (Based on Barak and Schiffman, 1981)
A
- Chronological age: Actual age.
- Biological age: Relative to lifespan.
- Social age: Relative to changing social roles – e.g. FLC.
- Cognitive age: Relative to your self concept – how old you see yourself.
- Subjective age: Also self concept and a component of cognitive age Age relative to other groups – e.g. middle aged, old etc
- Personal age: Also self concept & a component of cognitive age . How old you feel & look & interest in & doing things typical of a particular age group
- Other perceived age: How you think ‘others’ perceive your age.
11
Q
What are age influencers?
A
- A consumer’s age exerts a significant influence on his/her identity
- Age cohort (“my generation”)
- Marketers target specific age cohorts
- Our possessions let us identify with others of a certain age/life stage. e.g M&S using a multigenerational strategy.
12
Q
Give an example where age influences are seen within brands - M&S multigenerational strategy?
A
- Through its partnerships, the business can provide a wider range of products, filling gaps in categories like toys and enhancing its offerings in popular areas such as dresses. This approach helps attract new customers, increase shopping frequency, and boost spending, while ensuring that most orders include core M&S products.
- The platform now features over 90 brand partners operating under various models developed over the years. This strategy aligns with M&S’s multigenerational approach by catering to diverse customer preferences and needs across different age groups.
13
Q
What is some facts about the tween-teen demographic for shopping behaviours?
A
- Consumers 10-12 years old
- Increasing purchasing power
- Influence of family purchase decisions
- World’s teens have similar tastes, attitudes, preferences.
- Brand loyalty— develops at a younger age
- Positioning— establish identity, rebelling, peer acceptance
14
Q
What are the purchasing habits of the senior - Grey/mature market?
A
- Over 65 years old.
- Women outnumber men.
- Reduced information processing skills.
- Tend to be brand loyal.
- Fastest growing group of Internet users.
- Often neglected by marketers.
Ageing population: - Health-related products/services
- Retirement communities
- Marketing communications
- Oldies radio
- Lifestyle-related events
- Specialised sales and promotion
15
Q
What are the social class influences?
A
- Products can be status symbols.
- Discretionary Income: The money available to a household over and above what it requires to have a comfortable standard of living.
- How we spend varies based in part on our attitudes toward money.
- Tightwads hate to part with their money and actually experience emotional pain when they make purchases.
- Spendthrifts enjoy nothing more than spending.
16
Q
What is an example that links to social class influencers?
A
- People are eager to wear brand-name clothing and own luxury products, often paying a premium for them, primarily to gain social status. Status refers to a higher position compared to others in areas considered important by society, such as wealth, attractiveness, or skills.
- In economics, it is understood that spending on items that offer no functional benefits can provide value as symbols of social status. The preference for more expensive items over cheaper, similar alternatives is known as conspicuous consumption. Psychological studies have shown that the desire for status is a significant factor driving the market for luxury goods.
- From an evolutionary standpoint, the human inclination towards luxury consumption may stem from a natural tendency to display traits that enhance social status, a behaviour also seen in other social primates (Nelissen and Meijers, 2012).
17
Q
What are the determinants of social class?
A
- Income versus social class — income not
strongly related. - Occupation & education — strongest
determinant of class standing. - Other indicators: Inherited status vs. Earned
status. - Social class (Lower, Middle, Upper) is better
predictor of lower to moderately priced
symbolic purchases. - Income is better predictor of major non-status/non-symbolic expenditures.
- Need both social class and income to
predict expensive, symbolic products.
18
Q
What is the criticism of social class determinants?
A
- Social class may not be the best market segmentation variable.
- Why not?
- Ignores subjective social class
- Ignores consumers’ aspirations to change class standing
- Ignores the social status of working wives
19
Q
What are the household influences on consumer behaviour?
A
Family: Nuclear & Extended
- Types of Households
- Single person living alone
- Group of individuals living together
- Sandwich generation: adults who care for their parents as well as their own children
- Boomerang kids: adult children who return to live with their parents. Spend less on household items and more on entertainment
- Nonhuman family members: Pets are treated like family members
- Roles in the household: decision maker, influencer, buyer, user, etc.
20
Q
What is the modern family life cycle stages?
A
- Young single
- Young married without children - links to young divorced without children and middle aged married with children
- Young married with children
- Middle aged with children
- Middle aged married without children
- Older married - links to middle aged married with children
- Older married/widow - links to middle aged divorced without children
21
Q
What are the 3 distinct markets that children make up?
A
- Primary market: kids spend their own money
- Influence market: parents buy what their kids tell them to buy (parental yielding)
- Future market: kids “ grow up ” quickly and purchase items that normally adults purchase (e.g., technology products).
22
Q
What is culture?
A
- ‘Culture is a set of socially acquired values that society accepts as a whole and transmits to its members through language and symbols” (Assael, 2004: 312).
- “Culture may be thought as a society’s personality. Culture is an accumulation of shared meanings, rituals, norms ad traditions among the members of an organisation or society” (Solomon et al. 2012 : 465).
23
Q
What are the key Characteristics of Cultural Values?
A
- Cultural values are learnt
- Enculturation = learning values from one’s culture
- Acculturation = learning values from another culture - Cultural values guide behaviour
- Cultural norms (i.e., unspoken rules)
- Sanctions and restrictions - Cultural values are enduring
- Cross-generational influences - Cultural values are dynamic
- Changes due to economic crisis, wars
- Materialism, work ethic
- Individualism, youthfulness - Cultural values are widely held
24
Q
What are examples of how cultural values are dynamic?
A
1980s:
- Live to work
- Family, religion
- Conspicuous consumption
- Home as a cocoon
1990-2002:
- Work to live
- New alternatives
- Prudent purchasing
- Home as resource centre and entertainment
25
What's an example of religion as a dimension of culture?
“With 5 million potential consumers, demand for halal food in France is soaring. Industry and supermarket chains are taking notice. But there's no regulatory body ensuring compliance with religious law. … [This is a] burgeoning market, where profit often supersedes religious concerns.”
26
What are Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions?
1. Individualism/collectivism
2. Power distance
3. Uncertainty avoidance
4. Long/short-term orientation
5. Masculinity/femininity
6. Indulgence/Restraint
- Long-term orientation replaced by the pragmatic/normative dimension
- Indulgence/restraint = 6th dimension
27
What is individualism/collectivism?
Individualism: self
- People looking after themselves and their immediate family only
- Individual rewards
- Collectivism: group, society, etc.
- People belonging to in-groups that look after them in exchange for loyalty; solidarity
- “Shame” societies, “Face” critically important
- Group rewards
Examples:
- Highly individualist cultures: USA/Canada
- Highly collectivist cultures: Singapore/China
- Adaptation vs standardisation
28
What is power distance?
- Hierarchy is very important
- Extent to which members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed unequally
- High power distance societies: Everyone has their rightful place in a natural hierarchy
- Example: Malaysia (high) vs. Australia (low)
- Counterfeit luxury goods or IKEA which focuses on afforable living.
29
What is Masculinity and femininity?
- Acceptance of gender role overlapping
- Values in masculine societies: achievement and success
- Values in feminine societies: values caring for others and quality of life
- Examples: Sweden (Feminine) vs. USA (Masculine)
- Dove's real beauty campaign.
- Nike just do it.
30
What is Uncertainty avoidance and Long-term orientation (Confucian dynamism)?
- The tolerance of ambiguity, i.e. rules
- The extent to which people feel threatened by uncertainty and ambiguity and try to avoid these situations
- Examples: Greece (high) vs. Singapore (low)
- HUA= Greece & Japan - Focus on insurance, security and avoiding risks.
- LUA= USA - Exciting and technological like Tesla who embrace technological advancements.
Long-term orientation (Confucian dynamism)
- Save for the future vs. Live in the moment.
- Examples: USA - ST, India, China and Japan - LT.
- Focus on trends or FOMO with sales.
- Toyota cars which focus on long lasting and reliable investments.
31
What is indulgence/restraint?
- Added in 2010.
- An indulgent society prioritises personal happiness, freedom, and the fulfilment of desires, valuing leisure and self-expression. In contrast, a restrained society emphasises self-control, discourages the open expression of emotions, and places less importance on leisure and individual satisfaction.
- Indulgent (USA) - Freedom of speech.
- Restraint (Russia) - Strictly prescribed gender roles
32
What are the criticisms of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions?
- Outdated data
- Biased data
33
What are Schwartz’s Cultural Value Systems?
56 values:
- 7 nation-level value types
Examples:
- Autonomy (Affective +Intellectual): Freedom
- Conservatism: Forgiving
- Hierarchy: Authority
- Egalitarianism: Responsible
- Mastery: Ambitious
- Harmony: World of beauty and peace.
34
What are the 2 key strategies for managing cultural differences):
Standardisation vs Adaptation
35
What is standardisation and adaptation?
- Standardisation refers to using the same marketing mix (the 4-7 Ps) across all countries. In this approach, a company implements the same strategy without making any changes in the various markets where it operates. Generally, businesses that choose a standardisation strategy are either entering international markets for the first time or aiming to save costs through economies of scale, as adapting to each market can be very expensive.
- Adaptation means that each country or market has its own Marketing Mix. This strategy focuses on meeting the specific needs of each market and planning business activities to effectively address local consumer values. For example, when beer companies enter a new market, they often find that some countries prefer non-alcoholic beer (Sramkowski, 2021)
36
What is an example of standardisation?
- When Coca-Cola aimed to enter new international markets, they chose a global standardisation strategy. They realised they could promote their product similarly across different countries since Coca-Cola is a beverage enjoyed by many. The product itself remained mostly the same, but the language used on packaging varied by location.
- This approach was both cost-effective and efficient. Today, Coca-Cola operates in over 200 countries. The key is to maintain a consistent marketing strategy while being aware of local audiences. Coca-Cola ensured that their design could be adapted for different regions.
- Once the design was established, adjusting the language was straightforward. Keeping brand consistency is essential, but it requires careful planning to implement effectively across various countries.
37
What is an example of adaptation?
The differences in menu offerings make sense both for business and culinary reasons. McDonald's adapts its menu to reflect the tastes and traditions of the countries where it operates, ensuring that cultural differences are respected. Each country's division has the flexibility to create menu items that align with local preferences. For instance, serving a lot of beef in India or pork in Israel wouldn't be appropriate due to religious dietary restrictions. Including familiar local dishes or flavours helps introduce foreign cuisine to the local diet. Some unique McDonald's menu items that aren’t available in the U.S. include breakfast broth with pasta in Hong Kong, a chicken and spaghetti combo called Chicken McDo in the Philippines, and a Pineapple Oreo McFlurry in Colombia (Pisano, 2023)
