1. Subcultures and
Consumer
Behavior
CHAPTER
TWELVE

2. SubcultureSubculture
A distinct cultural group
that exists as an
identifiable segment
within a larger, more
complex society.
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3. Relationship Between Culture and
Subculture - Figure 12.2
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4. Examples of Major Subcultural Categories
Table 12.1
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5. Nationality Subculture - Hispanic
• Stronger preference for well-established
brands
• Prefer to shop at smaller stores
• Prefer to cook with fresh foods vs frozen or
prepared foods.
• Large and strong family structure. Family
oriented.
• Youths are more fashion conscious than non-
Hispanic peers
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6. 6
Nationality Subculture – Hispanic
U.S. Hispanic Population by Place of Origin
Figure 12.3
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7. Religious Subcultures
• 200+ organized religious groups in the U.S.
• Primary organized faiths include:
– Protestant denominations
– Roman Catholicism
– Islam
– Judaism
• Consumer behavior symbolically and
ritualistically associated with the celebration of
religious holidays.
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8. Regional Subcultures
• Many regional differences exist in
consumption behavior
– Westerners have a mug of black coffee
– Easterners have a cup of coffee with milk and
sugar
– White bread is preferred in the South and
Midwest
– Rye and whole wheat are preferred on the East
and West coasts
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9. Major Racial Subcultures
African American
• The African American Consumer
– 13 percent of the U.S. population
– Purchasing power estimated at $845 billion
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10. Major Racial Subcultures
African American
• Prefer leading brands over private-label
brands
• Brand loyal
• Higher than average trips to grocery store
and higher spending
• Spend more then other segments on
telephone services
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11. Major Racial Subcultures
Asian American
• Fastest growing racial segment
• Diverse group including 6 major ethnicities:
– Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean,
and Japanese
• 95% live in metropolitan areas and business
ownership is high
• Increasing buying power
• Diverse so few trends
• Many prefer ads in English
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12. Major Age Subcultures
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13. Generation Y
• According to sources, born 1977-1994 OR
1982-2000
• Three groups
– Gen Y Adults – 19-28
– Gen Y Teens – 13-18
– Gen Y Tweens 8-12
• Twixters – 21-29 and live with parents
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14. Generation X
• Born between 1965 and 1979
• No rush to marry, start a family or work
excessive hours.
• Do not like designer labels, are cynical, and do
not want to be marketed to
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15. Baby Boomers
• Born between 1946 – 1964
• More than 40 percent of the adult population
• Motivated consumers
• Not anxious to retire and handle it as:
– Opportunity for a new start
– A continuation of preretirement life
– Unwelcome disruption
– Transition to old age
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16. Older Consumers
• Roughly 65 years and older
• Growing segment due to better medical care,
declining birthrate and the aging of the large
baby boomer segment
• Three segments by age
– The Young-Old (65-74)
– The Old (75-84)
– The Old-Old (85 and older)
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17. Older Consumers
• Segmentation can also be done on
motivations and quality-of-life orientation
• Cyberseniors
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18. How Seniors Use the Internet
Figure 12.9
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19. Issues in Understanding Gender as a
Subculture
• Sex Roles and Consumer Behavior
– Masculine vs. Feminine Traits
• Consumer Products and Sex Roles
• Women as depicted in Media
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20. Working Women
• Segments of ALL women
– Stay-at-home
– Plan-to-work
– Just-a-job working
– Career-oriented working
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21. SubculturalSubcultural
InteractionInteraction
Marketers should strive
to understand how
multiple subcultural
memberships jointly
influence consumers
behavior
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