Family Purchasing Behaviour...

So moving onto the final subject... Family Purchasing Behaviour.  We looked at marketing for children, marketing for social class, marketing to genders.  But now its time to finally look at how these all come together and affect family purchasing behaviour.  Family is a social aspect which affects buyer behaviour and in the UK there are many different types of family.  Different types of families are shown below:

1) Nuclear Family - This includes a father, mother and children who live together.
2) Extended family - This includes the usual nuclear family plus other relatives such as; grandparents, aunts etc.
3) Family of Orientation - This is the family which a person was born into.
4) Family of Procreation - This is the family which is founded through marriage.

However changes in family structure are occurring rapidly. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s 92% of families with dependant children had a married or cohabiting couple.  This proportion fell remarkably in 2008 when only 77% of dependant children had married or cohabiting parents.  Families with a lone mother also raised from 7% in 1971 to 22% in 1998 and has remained the same.  Also the dependant children with a lone father has slightly risen from 1970s but has since stayed around 2-3%  Therefore in 1971 the proportion of the population who had a lone parent was around 8% which has increased to 23% in 2008.

So moving on to Family as Consumers....
The needs of a family will change and will be affected by the number of children, their ages and it will also depend on the amount of adults which are employed outside the home.  The family life cycle will also affect the needs of a family, this is shown below:

During the Bachelor, Newly married, empty nest 1 and 2, Solitary Survivor 1 and 2. Couples will have no dependant children therefore they have a high disposable income and will spend more on luxury items.  However during the Full Nest 1,2,3 stages money will be spent more on the family, there possibly will be less disposable income and the buyer decision process will be different than previously.

During the full nest stages 1,2,3 the buyer decision making is different, and according to a marketing theory it suggests that there are five main roles in a family buying process: Initiator, this is the person who first suggests or thinks of the idea of buying a particular product or service.  Then there is the influencer which is the person whose view or advice influences the buyer decision.  Then its the decider who has the power and/or financial authority to make the ultimate choice regarding which product to buy.  Next it is the buyer who concludes the transaction and finally the user who actually used the product or services.  Marketers have discovered that the family unit is considered the most important buying organisation in society.  Marketers are continuously interested in the role and influence of the husband, wife and children on the purchases of a large variety of products and services.

According to tutor2u (2011) there is evidence now that the traditional husband-wife buying roles are changing.  Almost everywhere in the world, the wife is traditionally the main buyer for the family especially in things such as; food, household products and clothing.  However as there is an increasing number of women going into full time work, and increasing amounts of men becoming house-husbands the roles are reversing.  Therefore marketers need to understand how this family role reversal may affect the demand of a product or service and how they can now attract male buyers as well as females.  Marketers also need to discover the main decision maker in the household.  It has changed from the traditional family, where the man earns it and then the women spends it, in the more modern family there is a shared participation.  However advertisers also need to understand that its the cultural background which will impact the dominance of husband and wife.

Within the lecture we were given a "Family Purchasing Survey" which included a list of different things such as; car, computer equipment, wine etc.  We were asked to label who pays, who makes the decisions and who is consulted or involved in the process.  My results showed that mum and dad both paid together however mum made most the decisions and was involved more.  Whilst dad came second, and the children made less decisions and was less involved.  My results were supported by the information from Statistics.gov (2007) which showed different family buyer behaviour.  They were as followed:

• Women are more likely to shop - Women 75%, Men 53%
• Men are more likely to do DIY - Men 46%, Women 26%
• Men are more likely to play computer games - Men 27%, Women 12%
• Women shopped more online for groceries - Women 24%, Men 17%
• Men are more likely to use the Internet - Men 49%, Women 40%

This information can also be shown by Davis and Riguax (1974) which shows a diagram based around the husband-wife roles in family decisions by product category:

Marketers can use this when they advertise a product to a certain target audience.  If they know that the wife is more likely to buy kitchenware, then a kettle or toaster would be advertised in a way which appeals to them.  Whilst hardware decisions are usually made by the husband therefore adverts will appeal to men.  Whilst car fridge and holiday are not normally gender specific when selling to a family, due to the fact that the buyer decisions of these products are generally joint.  Here are some adverts targeting both the parents, the wife and then just the husband:

This is an advert aimed for both the joint parents, it shows them in a family situation even though the wife or mother figure is not there , the advertisers have still included the parent and child factor which shows that is aimed for families and most important the two decision makers of a car, the wife and husband.

This shows another advert aimed at just the wife this time.  This is shown in another family situation but just with the mother and child.  It appeals to women and they are more likely to want to make their home nice for their family and wants it to be fresh and vibrant.  Also marketers know that it is usually the wife which makes the buyer decision about cleaning products and similar things.

This shows an advert aimed for men.  Advertisers know that men are the decision makers of DIY things and also likes to get things done quick and fast so that they can relax.  Therefore in this advert a  man is painting his fence faster than his neighbour who is also a male (showing who it is targeted for) and the tag line also appeals to the husband as it says "The fastest and Easiest way to do you fence."  It also shows that it is aimed at a husband in the family rather than a single male, as within the garden there are children toys which straight away identifies it as being a family home and him being the father figure.



Cadillac Catera for Women

 However due to the changes in the family structure, stated by zainbooks.com (2008) marketers who used to just sell products to just men or women are now trying to advertise and appeal to the opposite sex.  Research shows that women now are making nearly half of all DIY and hardware purchases.  Therefore DIY shops are now making female and family friendly stores, to attract more women.  Also the fact that research also shows that women are now making up 34% of the luxury car market, Cadillac are paying more attention to this segment.  As previously discussed in my blog on Marketing to Children, they have a strong influence on family buying decision.  Marketers now provide adverts for children so that they ask or 'nag' their parents until the purchase has been made. (Look at my blog on Marketing to Children, to see how children relate to family purchasing behaviour).

I have also looked at a diagram which shows the different things that husbands do in Europe this is according to both the wives and the husbands.  Here it is shown below:

It shows the basic tasks of a family and how much wives think their husbands do compared to what their husbands believe.  It generally shows that women believe that husbands do less than what they do, whilst husbands believe they do more tasks.



Who is the Main Decision Maker in Your Family?

Group Conformity, Peer Pressure and Opinion Leaders...

Right so the next topic on the agenda is.... Group Conformity, Opinion Leaders and Peer Pressure! Not just one topic but three thrown in together. So how exactly does this big topic relate to Buyer behaviour? Well, lets begin with the basics...

A simple definition of a Group is "a collection of individuals who have regular contact, frequent interaction, mutual influence, common feeling of camaraderie, and who work together to achieve a common set of goals," (businessdictionary 2011).

According to Solomon et al (2010) conformity is described as a change in the beliefs or actions of a person due to real or perceived group pressure.  In psychological terms explained by about.com (2011) conformity is based upon an individuals tendency to follow the unspoken rules or behaviours of the social group which a person belongs.  Therefore putting these definitions together Group Conformity is when a person conforms, and changes their beliefs or actions based upon a certain group who have rules or behaviours which they intend to follow.  Conformity actually is not an automatic process, there are many factors which contribute to the likelihood that consumers will change their behaviour due to others.  Here are a few reasons that Solomon et al (2010) has detailed as to why people conform:

1) Cultural Pressures

2) Fear of deviance

3) Commitment:

4) Group unanimity, size and expertise

5) Susceptibility to interpersonal influence

During the 1950s psychologist Solomon Asch conducted many experiments which were used to show the power of conformity in groups.  In these experiments, the participants were told they were taking a 'vision test.'  They were shown 4 lines, 2 of which were the same length, they were asked to choose the matching pair of lines.  However the subject did not know the other participants were all assistants of the experimenter.  They would provide correct answers for a few but then provided incorrect answers.  This was used to discover if a person chose the same incorrect line as the group or if they decided to chose the correct line which no one else identified.  After these trials it was shown that the individual participants did conform to the group incorrect answer at least one third of the time.  These experiments also showed how a number of people who effect if a person conforms or not.  When one other person was present it had no impact, two participants caused a tiny effect whilst three or more people cause a far more significant effect.

Therefore these results suggest that conformity can be influenced by the need to fit in and a feeling that all other people are smarter or better informed. Due to Asch's experiments, conformity may be even stronger in real life situations where stimuli are more ambiguous or difficult to judge, (about.com 2011).  Therefore Marketers will use this when trying to sell a product or service to a consumer.   They know that in society today many people feel the pressure to conform within a group.   Marketers have realised that some groups and individuals have a greater influence on a consumers decision, for an individual this could be a person, celebrity, friends, team members etc. An example of an advert which does this is:



This advert is a good example of group conformity.  It shows a popular boy group 'JLS' playing the wii and Mario Kart for this console.  It makes people believe that this is a 'trendy' and 'cool' thing to do and as they are celebrities they influence a consumers decision.  As there are also many of them, it makes the audience believe that they should conform and play the game like JLS are.

Group conformity is also related to self concept and the way a consumer wants others to perceive them.  A major influence on a consumers choice of a certain brand is that an individual feels the brand will enhance their image and how others perceive them.  If a group of people all have a similar brand because it is 'trendy' it is more likely a person will conform to that brand too. This also leads to stereotyping and the grouping of people because they wear the same brand or similar clothes.  Such as 'Chavs' or 'Goths':

Group Conformity also relates to the subject of Peer Pressure, Using dictionary.com (2011) the definition of Peer Pressure is "The social influence a peer group exerts on its individual members, as each member attempts to conform to the expectations of the group." Many people feel the pressure that once they are part of a group, they should be similar to other members in clothes, the way they talk, interests etc.  They feel the need to 'fit' into the group and pressure is put onto a person if they are different in any aspects.  Normally peer pressure affects the way a person thinks about either a product or brand, if members of a group dislike a brand they use peer pressure to make others think and believe the same things as them.  Advertisers use this in the same way as Group Conformity.

Opinion Leaders - According to Solomon et al., even though consumers get information from personal sources many tend to ask others about purchases.  People who are knowledgeable about products and whose opinions are taken seriously are known as 'Opinion Leaders.'  They frequently are able to influence other's attitudes and behaviours.  Marketers would use opinion leaders to help sell their product to a group of people.  Due to the fact that many opinion leaders are very influential, this is usually a success.  Marketers will usually try and gain consumer acceptance for their products through the use of professional opinion leaders such as; doctors or scientists, who can recommend products to their customers

Many opinion leaders are everyday consumers who feel strongly about a product, they also have certain social characteristics that helps them sell a product these include;

• They are technically competent and therefore are convincing because they possess expert power.
• They have pre-screened, evaluated and synthesized product information in an unbiased way.  Therefore they possess knowledge power.
• They tend to be socially active and highly interconnected in their community
• They usually hold offices in community groups and clubs.  This means they already have legitimate power due to their social standing.
• They have similar values and beliefs to their consumer.
• They have slightly higher educational attainment and status therefore can influence people in lower social classes as them.
• They tend to buy the newest products therefore absorb more of the risk.  This means that it reduces the uncertainty of others who listen to the opinion leader as they know they have experienced it first.

However it is hard for marketers to find a person with all these characteristics, therefore due to the fact that influential opinion leaders such as celebrities are easier to find, many advertisers will use them in their adverts to influence others about how good a product is.  A good example of this is:

This advert shows 'Gary Lineker' as an opinion leader.  Even though he does not describe a product or recommend it.  He influences people because he has been the face of Walkers for a long time therefore the product must be good to keep is loyalty.  Furthermore consumers are influenced by this Opinion Leader to go and buy the product as it is being shown in a good light by an influential celebrity.
Marketers use Opinion Leaders due to the fact that Word of Mouth marketing is normally are more influential on the consumers than actual advertising is.  People believe what others consumers say about a product whether good or bad more than they would if a brand presented it in a good or bad way.  Also word of mouth from opinion leaders help spread the word of new products.  Therefore it is a good tool to marketers.
 Have You Ever Felt The Need To Conform?

Social Class...

Social Class today and a century ago has changed dramatically.  However it still plays a huge part in buyer behaviour, therefore this is the next topic I will be discussing.  Firstly, as usual, we will look at the actual definitions of social class. According to Solomon et al (2010) social class is "the overall rank of people in society; people who are grouped within the same social class are approximately equal in terms of their social standing, occupations and life style."  Another definition, which I believe is a perfect summary is stated by Krech, Crutchfield and Ballachey (2000) which said that social class is a division of society made up of people who possess certain common social characteristics.  These are used to qualify them for equal intimate, status relations with each other and it limits their interaction with members of other social classes. OK, so now we understand what a social class is, we need to look further within the subject.

Social Grade Classification
The Social Grade Classification was created by the National Readership Survey over 50 years ago.  This was to grade a person based on their occupation status and income.  Here is the classification:

Grade                    Occupation
A                             Higher Managerial, Administrative or Professional
B                             Intermediate Managerial, Administrative or Professional
C1                          Supervisory or Clerical and Junior Managerial, Administrative
C2                          Skilled Manual Workers
D                             Semi and Unskilled Manual Workers
E                             Causal or Lowest Grade Workers, Pensioners and other who depend on the 
                                State for their Income.

The British society has also been considered to be divided into three main groups of classes. These are;
1) The Upper Class - These are people who inherited wealth and usually include some of the oldest families, with many being titled aristocrats.
2) The Middle Class - This is the majority of the population in Britain.  This includes industrialists, professionals, business people and shop owners.
3) The Lower or Working Class - These include people who are agricultural, mine and factory workers.

However these divisions have dramatically changed since the beginning of the 1900's to present day.  The diagram to the right presents the change in structure.  Its shows that at the beginning of the 1900's there were three main levels, and the majority of people were in the working and lower classes.  Whilst today there are eight specific sections.  The smallest part is the working class section, whilst the biggest parts are lower middle and middle middle class. But how does Social Class relate to consumer buyer behaviour both within the 1900s and present day? Well...

The shopping behaviour of a person varies by social class.  People will usually match their values and expectations with a stores status and will tend to avoid stores which make a person feel out of place.  This leads to stereotyping a store to a social-status.  This results in certain products and brands being bought in different outlets by members of different social classes.  Therefore it is important for marketers to allow the consumer a social-class identification of store through advertisements that they use.

Through research of the shopping behaviour of a group of women, stated by studymarketing.org (2011) there are many insights which influence the shopping process for different social classes these are:

• Lower Classes enjoyed buying new clothes or household items, while upper-middles and higher frequently more specified a pleasant store atmosphere and display.
• All classes enjoyed recreational and social aspects of shopping whilst being exposed to new things and bargain hunting
• Middle and upper class women shopped more frequently than those in the lower class.
• The higher the social class the more she thought it was important to shop quickly.
• The middle to working class women browsed more without buying anything.
• A greater percentage of lower class consumers favoured discount store than consumers in the middle and upper classes. 
• The appeal of high fashion stores was related to social class.

OK so these are the usual patterns of buyer behaviour based on social class.  But lets make it more specific:

Upper and Upper Middles - Consumers in this category are usually more critical of advertising and are usually suspicious of emotional appeals and skeptical of claims.  Consumers in this social class are more knowledgeable about what they want, where and when to shop.  They  are both selective and wide ranging when they shop.  Marketers understand that these consumers usually search for information prior to purchase therefore, advertisers know that they should advertise in places such as; brochures, newspapers as these are usually read by the upper class before they make a purchase decision.  It is important for marketers to play on the goals of people in the upper class.  For the upper class this is usually bargain deals and an emphasis on savings. Products must be shown as unique and special that they must have one.When advertising it was important to show the important details first for specific social classes. The upper classes should be shown the exact special features and specification of the product first and then the price and bargaining deals. Here are some examples of adverts aimed for the upper class:

Middle Class - Consumers in this class show more anxiety when they purchase new things.  Consumers in this category are normally value-conscious and try to find the best buy for their product. When marketers advertise a product to the middle class they need to apply a certain language which fits their class.  For the middle and lower class the words are more simple and the general tone is best so that they are not intimidated.  Whereas the upper class will have a more sophisticated style which tries to impress them. Marketers know that the more appropriate the style of language used, the more likely they will gain trust in the product.  Also when advertising it is good to use the appropriate artistic style for each class.  The middle class approves of simpler and more popular designs in adverts whilst the upper class are more picky and enjoy professional and elegant adverts.
Here are some examples of adverts aimed for the middle class:

Working Class and Lower Class - Advertisers have discovered that lower- status consumers are more responsive to advertising which shows activity, ongoing work and life and expressions of energy.  As consumers in these groups have strong concerns about personal relationships they normally shop together.  This attitude also explains why many have loyalty to certain shops and brands.  The working class usually purchase buy making buyer decisions once in the shop.  Therefore marketers understand that to target this type of people they should make an emphasis on the use of enticing point of purchase displays and easy availability of a product.  The lower class usually purchase on impulse.
Here are some examples of adverts aimed for the working and lower class:

Advertisers also have to consider the placement of their marketing campaigns.  They need to recognise who their target audience is and make sure they advertise in places which specifically relate to that class.  A good example of this is newspapers.  Different social classes will read a variety of newspapers.  People usually with the classification C1 and C2 read 'The Sun' newspaper therefore marketers will advertise here products which are specifically for this group.  Radio broadcasts are another example of marketing communications which do this.

I have also decided to look at how another country measures Social Class.  I decided to look at the ancient Egypt structure.  Digitalegypt.ucl (2003) states that the Egyptian society in relation to social class was structured into 6 different levels.  These were Kings, The Ruling Class, Craftsmen, Farmers, Marginalised Groups and Slaves.  This shows that it was actually quite similar to the structure we have present.  Even though the titles have changed, the basic formation and levels are the same.  Labourers and farm workers are listed lower on the hierarchy whilst skilled workers are middle and then the highest earners and most powerful are at the top.  The structure of society has not really developed, marketers know how to target certain groups and appeal to them due to the fact it has been the same throughout many years.

Social Classes... Have They Changed at all?

Marketing to Children...

Children, what a lovely subject.  An even better subject is marketing to children.  According to media-awareness (2011) children are an important demographic to marketers due to the fact that they have their own purchasing powers.  They can influence their parents buying decisions, known mainly as 'Pester Power' which is the repeated nagging by children to their parents to buy certain products.  As well as them making their own buyer decisions and  also due to the fact that they are the future adult consumers.  There has been extreme increased amounts of advertisements within the past two decades which have been aimed at children.  In America they spent $100 million in 1990 for adverts which steadily increased to around $2 billion in 2000, this shows how the expenditure has changed rapidly.  According to crosswalk.com (2009) children aged between 2-11 see more than 25,000 advertisements a year on TV alone.Therefore the question is: Why Has This Happened?

Well, the answer to this question is simple.  Parents are more willing to buy products for their children due to different trends such as:

1) Latchkey Kids also known as working mums - These parents usually feel guilty as they normally only have a limited amount of time they can spend with their children due to work.  Therefore they substitute material goods for time spent with their children.

2)  Divorce rates and step families - At present, there are increased numbers of step families, which means more grandparents, which live longer, older step siblings and ofcorse the stepparent.  This means that children are being bought more toys, games, clothes etc as there are more people buying for them.

3) Reducing birth rates - Due to the fact that nowadays most families are quite small, and most on average have around 2 children, and have them later in life.  This means that they have higher disposable incomes which they can spend on the children.

Therefore marketers will increase the amount they advertise, as they know the likelihood of someone buying the product for the child has increased dramatically. Also marketers know the more times a child is exposed to an advert the more likely they would want the product and will ask for it.  This increased the chances of it being bought for them as well.  There are many different strategies which marketers adopt to target children and teens:

Pester Power - Children in society today have more decision-making power within their family than in previous generations, therefore it is obvious that children are more vocal about what they want their parents to buy.  This is known as 'Pester Power.'  This is based upon a child's ability to nag their parents into purchasing items, which generally they would not actually have bought.  Marketing to children is generally based around 'Pester Power' as advertisers know how powerful this technique is. Kidfluence (2001) explains that there are two types of nagging; persistence and importance.  Persistence nagging is a repeated plea and is not as effective as importance nagging.  This method is when a parent feels guilty and has a desire to provide the best for their children.

Building Brand Name Loyalty - Marketers will make target brand recognition to very young children, as they hope this will grow into brand loyalty in later life.  Apparently babies as young as six months can form mental images of corporate logos.  Brand loyalties can form at the early age of two and when children start school they can recognise hundreds of brands.  Good examples of these are fast food brands such as; McDonald's, toy and clothing brands.

Commercialization in Education - Budget cuts in schools means that big corporations are offering cash, computers and educational materials in exchange for access to students.  They advertise products through a number of ways; sponsored educational materials, supplying vending machines which hold branded products, sponsors of school events, sponsored prizes such as; vouchers and gift cards, and certain advertisements showing in classrooms in exchange for funding.

The Internet - Marketers will use the Internet to target to the young audience due to the fact that they know it is becoming increasingly popular within society.  The generation today are growing up with the Internet and it is becoming a daily routine of their life.  Parents often do not know the extent of how much children are being targeted online, and are generally unsupervised.  The Internet is also unregulated therefore marketers can regulate whatever they like.  Finally new sophisticated technologies make it easy for companies to gather information on young children so that marketers can then create personalised advertising.

Other aspects that marketers need to consider when targeting children according to allbusiness.com (2011) include the following:

1) The language they use in advertisements - Age appropriate language is important, using current phrases, and children must not be spoken down to, otherwise most will notice and not pay attention.

2) Children should be shown in groups as many like to fit in with the crowd.

3) Show Diversity - Children like adults are not all the same, so marketers should include different types of children in adverts; tall, short, blonde, brunette and different nationalities.

4) Interesting Packaging - Children love colourful things, interesting boxes and shapes.

5) Being responsible and appropriate - Marketers need to make sure that they are not presenting a misleading message that can be shown in a negative way.  Wording and photographs need to be checked again and again.

6) Think Parents - Children normally ask the parents for specific products therefore, marketers need to persuade the parents to buy as well as the child. They need to be price sensitive and demonstrate good value for money.

Here are some examples of adverts which are suitable and aimed for children:

Many people right now are probably thinking, well it can't be that hard to market to children, you can just use bright colours and cartoons.  Well, yes, advertisers can do this, but it is also important to remember that there are so many other aspects that marketers have to consider when targeting such a young set of consumers.  There is a list of requirements which advertisers have to follow when creating marketing campaigns aimed for children.  Some of these are:

• Adverts must not take advantage of a children inexperience or their natural credulity and sense of loyalty, this helps to avoid arousing unrealistic expectations.
• Adverts for expensive toys must show an indication of their price and the cost must not be minimised by the use of such words as "only" or "just".
• Adverts must avoid anything likely to encourage poor nutritional habits and an unhealthy lifestyle in children.
• Food adverts must not directly ask children to buy or ask their parents or any other advert to make a purchase.
• Any promotional offers should be used with responsibility and must not target nursery or primary school children.
• Adverts must not imply a children will be inferior to others or encourage/condone bullying in any form.

So Ha... Its Been Proven... Nagging Mum Does Work!

Culture in Marketing....

So moving onto the next subject... Culture in Marketing!  Whilst in the lecture, we were asked to identify what Culture actually is, here are a list of some of the things which we came up with:

• "The Way Things are Done..."
• "Beliefs and Values."
• "Traditions and History."
• "Religion." Therefore after the lecture I decided to research the actual meaning of culture to compare them with, what we as students believe it is. Here are some definitions:

1)  I believe that the easiest definition of Culture is "the values, ethics, rituals, traditions, material objects and services produced or valued by members of the society." (Solomon et al., 2010). However the other definitions found were:

2) Roshan-institure (2011) states that culture refers to different ways of Life including; language, arts and sciences, thought, spirituality, social activity and interaction.  Apparently the combination of the above define the meaning of culture

3) Using thefreedictionary.com (2011) they define culture as being "the totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought."

This shows that as a group, we were able to clearly identify what culture was.  However the next step was to consider culture in terms of marketing.  Culture is important to marketers as many believe that a culture of a person is a learned behaviour, which ultimately leads to consumer buyer decisions based on this cultural behaviour. According to businessweek (2011) cultural marketing is a way a brand, product or advertising message caters to a specific cultural group.  It is explained that increasing amounts of businesses are using cultural marketing to grab the attention of specific demographic groups.

As culture plays a huge part in  consumer buyer behaviour, marketers need to take this into consideration when they begin international marketing into a different countries market.  The Terpstra and Sarathy Cultural Framework shown right, is used by marketing managers to asses the cultural nature of an international market.  It includes eight different categories that need to be considered, but these all change specifically to different countries.  These are used so that the right people are targeted and that correct marketing techniques are executed.  If this is done correctly a product can be sold successfully in an international country and a brand can gain

international respect.  The eight different categories a marketers need to consider when creating advertising campaigns for different cultures are as followed:

1) Language - Hall and Hall 1986 believe that when considering wording within an advert they firstly need to understand whether or not the national culture is mostly a high context culture or a low context culture.  In a High context culture a verbal communication will not tend to carry a direct message, therefore in these cultures, hidden cultural meaning needs to be considered. This includes Japan.  A low context culture spoken language carries emphasis of the communication this is usually within Australia and the Netherlands.

2) Religion - An organisation needs to make sure that their products and services are not distasteful, offensive or unlawful to a specific nation and culture, therefore religion needs to be considered in the promotion and branding. According to marketingteacher (2011) in 2007 China banned all advertising which included pigs, as it was the year of the pig.  This was done to maintain harmony with the Muslims of the country.

3) Values and Attitudes - These changed due to different nations, so therefore marketers need to seriously consider this when taking a product overseas.  This may include changing promotional material or branding messages. in 2004 china banned a Nike television advert because they believed the ad insulted the Chinese national dignity. Below is the advert:

4) Education -  The level of education in different cultures will vary.  This impacts the type of message or even the marketing communications used within that nation.  For example in low literacy levels, advertisers would avoid communications which are written and would rather use a radio advertisement, with an audio message or visuals such as posters.  Whereas different types of campaigns can be used in the UK as there are many different literacy levels of people in this country.

5) Social Organisations - This element relates to how a national society is organised.  Marketers will need to understand the role of women in a society, how a country is governed and the level influence of class or casts upon a society.

6) Technology and Material Culture - Marketers will need to consider how advanced technologies are in different countries.  When offering a product to a country they need to consider things like if there is energy to power the product, if there is transport to distribute the goods to the consumers, how quickly does technology evolve and most importantly do the consumers actually buy materialistic products.  A goo example of this is when Trevor Baylis launched the clockwork radio in the African Market.  This was a huge success due to batteries in Africa being expensive and power supplies were non-existent in rural areas.

7) Law and Politics - The political views and laws a nation has will affect the way a marketer will advertise or promote a product.  They will need to be make sure they are unoffensive and are obeying the laws of a country.  The UK is largely market-driven and has a democratic society which has laws based upon precedent and legislation.  However a country like Iran has a political and legal system which is based mainly round teachings and principle of Islam and a Sharia tradition.

8) Aesthics - This relates to a persons senses, and the appreciation of the artistic nature of something, including the smell, taste and ambiance. This changes due to a persons culture as someone may view something as beautiful whereas a person from a different culture may not agree.

During the lesson we were assigned a country to look at their culture.  The country we were assigned was Italy and this is what we discovered...

In 1861 Italy was still not united, there was a lot of different independent nations which had their own Culture and Language.  However still today Italy is not culturally united and there are still big differences between the North and South of Italy.  Catholic Religion in Italy was overwhelming until the late 1960's.  Then in 1968 the cultural revolution scaled down the power of the Pope.  Currently now most young people in Italy do not trust religion anymore and think the Pope should not interfere with Italian Governments.  Other things such as; humour, adverts, names are also different compared with the UK.  In Italy specific colours represent varied things for example: Red Flowers given mean Secrecy, Yellow flowers indicate Jealously and Purple is a symbol of Bad Luck.  There are also differences in the cultural names in the two countries.  Italian names include things such as; Mario, Antonio, Leonardo, Gina, Mona, Sofia.  The Italian male names usually end with an o or and i.  Whilst English names are more biblical and include things such as; Adam, Edward, Matthew, Katherine, and Mary.

The main Italian humour identified was Roberto Bengini which is mainly Slap Stick, whilst in the UK there are many comedians such as; Peter Kay, Lee Evans and Russell Brand.  These all present different types of humour, ranging from Sarcasm to Blunder.

Lee Evans... UK Humour

Roberto Bengini... Italian Humour

When comparing the UK and Italy, Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory was used.  Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions is what Hofstede belived could describe national cultures.  After collecting and analysing data Hofsted developed a model that identifies four primary dimensions to differentiate cultures and then later added a fifth. These five cultural dimensions are:

• Power Distance Index (PDI) - This according to mindtools (2011) is the degree of inequality that exists and is accepted among people with and without power.  A High PD in a country will show people accept unequal distribution of power and many people know their 'place' in society. Whilst a Low PD means that the power is usually spread and shared equally, and society members consider themselves equal.

• Individualism (IDV) - This is the strength of the bonds between people in the same community. A High IDV indicates loose connections with people, this means there is usually a lack of interpersonal connections.  Whereas a Low IDV indicated a strong group cohesion, this means there will be large amounts of loyalty and respect for each other.

• Masculinity (MAS) - This is how much a society decided to stick with and values the traditional male and female roles.  Within a country which has a High MAS, men are expected to be strong and tough and will usually be described as the provided. Low MAS scores do not exactly reverse the roles, but these are usually blurred, men and women will work together.

• Uncertainity/Avoidance Index (UAI) - This is based upon how much anxiety society members recieve when in uncertain or unknown situations. Usually a High UAI score indicate nations which try to avoid ambiguous situations, they are usually governed by rules and order.  Low UAI nations indicate that a society enjoys novel events and values differences.  In these countries there are few rules.

• Long Term Orientation (LTO) - Finally this element refers to how much society values long-standing traditions and values. Countries with a High LTO score deliver on social obligations and will avoid 'loss of face' and believe these to be important whilst a  country with a Low LTO score would not.

Below shows the comparison of the UK and Italy's Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions....

Marketers can use this theory when creating advertising campaigns as they can link the marketing messages with the aspects of culture that people may hold.  For example due to the fact Italy scored high in the Individualism (IDV) section, adverts that are shown to them will often show usually one person rather than a group, this is so that it appeals to them. Whilst as the UK has scored low on the Uncertainity/Avoidance Index (UAI) section the adverts shown may include ambigous and strange events which do not exactly follows the rules, which the Italians would not like. Therefore marketers can gain mass appeal through Culture, and their product or service can become as successful as possible.

Culture Rocks!!

Female vs Male... The Gender Differences in Buyer Behaviour....

Admittedly it is quite easy to see the differences between a female and a male.  However it is now relevant to discover the differences between genders when it relates to Buyer behaviour.  It is necessary to explore what influences a man and a woman to buy a product or service and what appeals primarily to them.  Marketers can not promote to men the same way they do to women due to the fact that both genders are "different biologically, psychologically, and socially," (talentzoo 2010).  Therefore to sell products to both sexes accurately, they need to consider a range of different techniques.

Firstly marketers take into consideration the issues of femininity and masculinity which play a huge part in society today.  These are also considered strong aspects of identity and self concept.  Before marketers construct promotional campaigns they need to identify the different attributes/traits that are associated with both men and women, which ultimately groups them into either gender.  For example the most stereotypical traits that males are known for are; Brave, competitive, aggressive, active and strong.  Whilst women on the other hand are usually stereotyped as being; sensitive, gentle, caring and emotional.  Advertisers will use these stereotypical traits to create products and marketing material which appeal to a certain gender

According to Solomon et al., (2010) the reason there,  is a difference in gender buyer behaviour is that many products are sex-typed, which leads to differences in gender buyer decisions, as a product usually holds feminine or masculine attributes which consumers can often associate with one gender or the other.  Marketers are the main reason why products are usually sex-typed, for example; colour coded pink baby toys and princess play houses hold the feminine attribute, which therefore will not usually appeal to a men  This also occurs with major brand names, many names containing alphanumerics (Formula 409 and Clorox 2) are assumed to be quite technical therefore assumed to be masculine.  There is also a gender difference which influences the things consumers may buy.  Studies show that men tend to buy instrumental and leisure items whilst women will tend to buy symbolic and self expressive goods.

Marketers usually discover that alternative methods may need to take place when a potential customer is male rather than female for example the use of colour in a promotion, advertising and packaging can all create and present a gender message to consumers.  Colours in adverts usually identify what gender it is aimed at.  Light pink, lilacs and reds are often aimed for women, whilst men usually relate to royal blues and greens.  In 1984 Schiebe and Condry examined different advertisements according to product type and found major gender differences in the values promoted in adverts.  For women, the promotions emphasised beauty and youth whilst with the men it was upon value ambition and physical strength.
Here are some examples of this:

This is an average advert aimed for women.  It includes both the usual emphasis on beauty and youth.  The product is based around this also.  By using an older women looking younger adds to appeal of beauty and youth, this advert would not have the same effect if it had an image of a wrinkly old women.

This advert is a classic example of a mans advert.  It shows strength through the use of a healthy looking model, who is muscly and young. The use of the sea also indicates health and strength.  The blue colours also appeal to the males.  By using a young model it tries to appeal to men as this is the type of person most men inspire to be like.

According to nielsenwire (2009) marketers who wish to appeal to women effectively, the need to get product design, packaging, pricing, branding and messaging correct.  They also need to understand how the female subconscious mind receives and processes information and directs behaviour.  Marketers also need to understand that women have better memories for more detailed information than men do however men tend to have better spatial ability and ability to build systems.  There are also many other factors/implications that advertisers need to consider these are:

For women the main implications are as followed:

1) Adverts are often more detailed

2) Women appreciated very fine distinctions such as; five different variations of shampoo.

3) Women like a collaborative conversational style dialogue

4) Women preferred strong colours and evocative images

5) Girls prefer more feminine qualities in an advert such as; soft music.

Here are some examples of adverts which appeal to women, due to many of these reasons:

The main implications for a male may include:
1) Adverts usually focus on one main object
2) Men usually pick up on one or two very obvious kinds of cues.
3) Men will need to be shown the big picture as they think in a more macro way.
4) Men are less likely to process complex metaphors.
5) Men enjoy humour in adverts and are usually more crude and aggressive.
6) Sex in adverts sell to men
7) Men find a 'chatty' style in adverts annoying.  They prefer hard data and concise language.
8) Men do not really respond to any colours and images seem irrelevant.
Here are some examples of adverts which appeal to most men:

So what is the reason behind these differences?
This part identifies scientifically the reasoning behind why buyer behaviour is different for both genders.  So here goes... Firstly the hormones each human has is responsible for the development of the body and brain.  The testerone in a person influences the growth of the body halves and brain hemispheres.  A Person can either develop a bigger left body half known as an E Type of develop a bigger right body half known as an S-type.  Every human is either born one or the other and normally stays this way all through life.

So how does this relate to gender differences?

Well... Firstly S Type people are systematises, a person like this are usually characterised by their small spectrum of interests and a high attentiveness for details.  These types of people are usually males.  Whereas an E-type person is usually a woman.  The E stands for Empathics.  This means that the consumers with this type are able to identify with a large amount of defined human emotions.  It also means that the perception and understanding of cognitive and emotional process with another person is good.  This leads to interests and other factors being different to that of an S Type person.  Therefore these are the ultimate reasons why genders behave how they do.  Due to how we were developed, our buyer behaviours are based from our brain core, when we were born.  Things that appeal to women may not appeal to men due to these facts.

Can You Think of Any Gender Differences?