Page 196 - Foundations of Marketing

Consumer Buying Behavior | Chapter 6 163

another. In the United States, we take into account many factors, including occupation, educa-
tion, income, wealth, race, ethnic group, and possessions. A person who is ranking someone
into a class does not necessarily apply all of a society’s criteria. Sometimes, too, the role of
income tends to be overemphasized in social class determination. Although income does help
determine social class, the other factors also play a role. Within social classes, both incomes
and spending habits can differ significantly among members.
Analyses of social class in the United States commonly divide people into either three to
seven categories. Social scientist Richard P. Coleman suggests that, for purposes of consumer
analysis, the population is divided into the three major status groups shown in Table 6.4 ,
which are upper, middle, and lower classes. However, he cautions marketers that considerable
diversity exists in people’s life situations within each status group.
To some degree, individuals within social classes develop and assume common behavioral
patterns. They may have similar attitudes, values, language patterns, and possessions. Social
class influences many aspects of people’s lives. Because people most frequently interact with
others within their own social class, people are more likely to be influenced by others within
their own class than by those in other classes. Social class can influence choice of religion,
financial planning decisions, access to education, occupation, and leisure time activities.
Social class also influences people’s spending, saving, and credit practices. It can deter-
mine the type, quality, and quantity of products a person buys and uses. For instance, it
affects purchases of clothing, foods, financial and health-care services, travel, recreation,
entertainment, and home furnishings. Behaviors within a social class can influence others as
well. Most common is the “trickle-down” effect, in which members of lower classes attempt
to emulate members of higher social classes, such as purchasing desirable automobiles, large
homes, and even selecting certain names for their children. Couture fashions designed for
the upper class influence the styles of the clothing sold in department stores frequented by
the middle class, which eventually is sold to the working class who shop at discount clothing
stores. Less often, status float will occur, when a product that is traditionally associated with
a lower class gains status and popularity among upper classes. Social class also affects an
individual’s shopping patterns and types of stores patronized. In some instances, marketers
attempt to focus on certain social classes through store location and interior design, product
design and features, pricing strategies, personal sales efforts, and advertising. Many compa-
nies focus on the middle and working classes because they account for such a large portion
of the population. Outside the United States, the middle class is growing rapidly in places
such as India, China, and Brazil, making these consumers increasingly desirable targets for
marketing messages.
Some firms target different classes with a range of products at different price points. Even
designers who previously only made clothing for the wealthy have learned about the benefits
of offering items at different price points. Numerous fashion houses, such as Lanvin and Jason
Wu, have produced collaborations with retailers such as Target and H&M, coming out with
8
affordable lines for the middle class.
Culture and Subcultures

Culture is the accumulation of values, knowledge, beliefs, customs, objects, and concepts
that a society uses to cope with its environment and passes on to future generations. Culture
permeates most things you do and objects you interact with, from the style of buildings in
your town, to the education you receive, to the laws governing your country. Culture also
includes society-specific core values and the degree of acceptability of a wide range of
behaviors. For example, in U.S. culture, customers and businesses are expected to behave
ethically.
culture The accumulation of
Culture influences buying behavior because it saturates our daily lives. Our culture
values, knowledge, beliefs,
determines what we wear and eat and where we reside and travel. Society’s interest in the
customs, objects, and concepts
healthfulness of food affects food companies’ approaches to developing and promoting their that a society uses to cope with
products. Culture also influences how we buy and use products and the satisfaction we derive its environment and passes on
from them. to future generations

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