Deck 3: The Changing American Society: Values

Question 1

Describe the current American culture in terms of each of the 18 values discussed in this chapter.

Answer 1

Culture refers to the behavior of people, ideas, beliefs, and customs, a social and working life of a particular society. Culture is transmitted from one generation to another and sometimes from one society to other. It is learned through the members of the society. The behavior of a person depicts the culture of which he belongs.
Cultural values are common standards or principles on which a society is formed or stand. These values guide the members of the society about good or bad, right or wrong etc. Traditions, customs, rituals etc. together make values. The cultural values that describe the values of country A people are classified into three categories and these are further categorizing into the subcategory. These are different from each other which are described below:
1. Individual\Collective: This is the degree to which a person is supposed to be individual or remain into groups or family. In an individualistic approach, a person emphasizes on himself and his immediate family. In the collectivist approach, a person remains with the society in which he born and appreciates group conformity and cooperation. The people of A are more like to do anything individually and they also like to live individual not with the family.
2. Performance\Status: When the opportunities, prestige, and rewards based on the performance of an individual are known as performance orientation and when the opportunities, prestige, and rewards based on the status of family, society, position or class are known as status orientation. The people of A give more focus on performance than status.
3. Tradition\Change: The existing behaviors or a pattern which are considerably not changed by the society is known as tradition. The new patterns or a behavior inherited by the society for the wellbeing of the society are known as change. The people of A are more prone to accept change than the tradition.
4. Limited\Extended family: The family having immediate relatives such as wife and children only and have limited obligations to the need of other relatives such as mother and father is known as limited family. The extended family is where a family is large in size and has obligations to the need of all of the relatives in a family. The family in the country A is generally limited as they value individualism.
5. Active\Passive: In an active orientation, a person is having a physically active approach to life and works while in passive orientation, a person is having a less active approach to life and work and depends on others. The approach of the people of country A to life is very active. They always ready to work and fun.
6. Material\Nonmaterial: When the goods and wealth have pursued the accomplishment of the task it is known as material orientation and when the goods and wealth are pursued their own sake is known as nonmaterial orientation. The A people are very materialistic and they work hard to get the possession of the material.
7. Hard work\Leisure: When the work is valued for itself, without consideration of any reward is known as hard work and when the work is only done for completion of the task is known as leisure. The people of country A are known for their hard work and they are still continuing this tradition.
8. Risk-taking\Security: These values relate to the uncertainty avoidance and tolerance. In risk-taking orientation, a society is less oriented towards rules and regulations and readily agrees to change and take greater risks. In security orientation, a society is more oriented towards rules and regulations to minimize the amount of risk. The value of people of A about risk is changed from 1930 to mid-1980. They now give more emphasis on security, not a risk.
9. Masculine\Feminine: It emphasizes the extent to which a society supports or discourages the traditional role of male power, control, and achievement. In masculine orientation, a man dominates the society as well as woman and structure of power. In feminine orientation, there is no such discrimination and differentiation is seen. The women are treated the same as men in the society in all aspects. A society has a great thought that a woman can do anything that a man can do. The value of A is changed from masculine to both equal masculine-feminine.
10. Competitive\Cooperative: These values relate to an individualistic and collectivistic approach. In competitive orientation, the path of success is found by competing with the other person and defeating them. In cooperative orientation, the path of success is found by forming an alliance with the other person or groups. The value of A people is changed from competition to cooperation.
11. Youth\Age: It is focused on the extent to which in a family the primary needs of the children are considered more than the adult members. The role in decision taking the children or older people plays in the family. Either the youths of the family are giving importance or to the older one. In country A, old people are considered wiser than the young people.
12. Problem-solving\Fatalistic: In problem-solving orientation, people welcome the obstacles and disasters and try to overcome these problems while in fatalistic orientation people only think about the future consequences of the problem. The nature of A people is problem-solving. They love to take the challenge to fix anything and mostly complete the task. They feel pride in solving the problem.
13. Diversity\Uniformity: In diversity orientation, the members of the culture embrace the variations in terms of political beliefs, ethnic background, and religions. In uniformity orientation, the members of the culture would not like any change in their taste and preferences. As the A people values individualism, then they value uniformity in their life.
14.
Postponed gratification\Immediate gratification: In postponed gratification, members of the society utilize the resources safely and encouraged to save the resources for the future generation. In immediate gratification, people use the resources without having anxiety for future generation. This type of people lives in present and for themselves. The A people are generally unwilling to postpone their pleasure.
15. Sensual gratification\Abstinence: The acceptance to satisfying the one's desires for food, sex etc. beyond the minimum requirement is known as sensual gratification and denying to satisfying the one's desires for food, sex etc. beyond the minimum requirement is known as abstinence. When the A society was more secular the sensual gratification was also more but now sensual is less important to consumers.
16. Religious\Secular: The extent to which the activity of a person is related to religious work is religious orientation and a person when not influence towards the religious activities is known as secular. The A people are more religious almost 90 percent people in A are accept that they are religious.
17. Admire\Overcome Nature: The people A bend nature according to their desires. For them, their desires are first in the priorities.
18. Cleanliness: This value focuses on the cleanliness of the environment and concern of people about the environment. The values of A people are also given importance to the environment and they show their concern about the cleanliness of the environment.

Question 2

Describe additional values you feel could, or should, be added to Figure 3-1. Describe the marketing implications of each.

Answer 2

Any culture has many values which could impact decisions of marketers. Country A culture also has many values in its core that need to be focused. Apart from the given values, there still can be a long list. A few of them can be as follows:
Formal Vs informal:
In Country A culture, people are more informal. Though people are work oriented, their nature while talking to people is very frank. They do not do any formalities and be friendly while being social or even when at work. This kind of nature will affect selection of products like clothes. In the informal culture, more social groups can be created. Products that make people look cool and be easy with others can be sold here.
Cautious Vs adventurous:
Country A culture is a mixture of cautious and adventurous people. This trait can help decide liking of people. For example, a bike company may like to know how many people like easy going risk free bikes while how many people would love to have a high speed bike that can satisfy their adventurous behavior.
Punctual Vs lazy:
One important value of Country A culture is being punctual. People don't like to run late in America. It's a good habit to be on time for any person or society, but this value can be an opportunity for sellers who is producing products that are easy to use and help making routine faster.
Traditional belief Vs logical:
Countries A people are more logical than following taboos. Marketers in eastern countries can sell things in the name of God and fate which might not be possible here. There are beliefs in this culture too, but they don't feel restricted with such beliefs and do proper analysis. This can restrict marketers in selling products by relating illogical things, but they can introduce more focused and segmented products as people are interactive and explain their demands very well.

Question 3

Interview a career-oriented working wife and a traditional housewife of a similar age. Report on differences in attitudes toward shopping, products, and so forth.

Answer 3

NO ANSWER

Question 4

How is voluntary simplicity related to the materialism value What are the marketing implications of voluntary simplicity Do these implications vary by product class

Question 5

Pick the three values you feel the authors of this book were most in accurate about in the chapter in describing the current American values. Justify your answers.

Question 6

Form a team of five. Have each team member interview five married adult males. Based on these interviews, develop a typology that classifies them by their attitude toward and participation in household or child-rearing activities.

Question 7

What is green marketing

Question 8

Pick the three values you feel the authors were most in accurate about in describing the emerging American values. Justify your answers.

Question 9

Pick two different environmental segments from Table 3-1. Find one advertisement you think is particularly appropriate or effective for each. Copy or describe each ad and justify its selection.

Question 10

What values underlie green marketing

Question 11

Respond to the questions in Consumer Insight 3-1.

Question 12

Interview a salesperson for each of the following. Ascertain the interest shown in the item by males and females. Determine if males and females are concerned with different characteristics of the item and if they have different purchase motivations.
a. Art
b. Automobiles
c. Golf clubs
d. Personal care items
e. Clothing
f. Gardening tools

Question 13

How is enviropreneurial marketing related to new product success and market share Link this to the value of green marketing in creating a competitive advantage.

Question 14

Which values are most relevant to the purchase or use of the following Are they currently favorable or unfavorable for ownership\use Are they shifting at all If so, is the shift in a favorable or unfavorable direction
a. Dietary supplements
b. The Salvation Army
c. Financial investments (stocks, mutual funds, etc.)
d. Home theater systems
e. Tanning salon
f. Expensive Jewelry

Question 15

Interview 10 male and 10 female students. Ask each to describe the typical owner or consumer of the following. If they do not specify, ask for the gender of the typical owner. Then probe to find out why they think the typical owner is of the gender they indicated. Also determine the perceived marital and occupational status of the typical owner and the reasons for these beliefs.
a. Pet snake
b. Pasta maker
c. Large life insurance policy
d. Power tools
e. Habitat for Humanity contributor
f. Personal fitness trainer

Question 16

Describe the basic conflict between the environmental movement and many businesses.

Question 17

Do you believe Americans' concern for the environment is a stronger value than their materialism

Question 18

Cause Marketing "Baked into the Brand" at Toms Shoes
A Target store popped up on Times Square in New York City, one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the country. The store interior was blanketed in a sea of pink products-pink bicycles, sweaters, flip-flops, tee shirts. Outside a coffee cart served pink donuts. All proceeds during the store's short one-month existence went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. 61 For every home Habitat for Humanity builds for the homeless in North America, Whirlpool donates a range and a refrigerator. 62 Hand in hand with the Red Cross, P G Tide's "Loads of Hope" provides mobile laundromats to victims of natural disasters (e.g., New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina). 63
These cause-marketing campaigns establish a partnership between a corporation and a nonprofit and often result in "doing well by doing good." Marketers increase their bottom line amid a halo of goodwill, while nonprofits receive needed contributions and public attention, and consumers purchase goods for themselves and thus contribute to a worthy cause. Despite the benefits of a win-win-win, critics have pointed out the downside of cause marketing. Corporations may come to lose consumer trust if consumers perceive the corporate-cause relationship as exploitation of the charity. Rather than contribute directly to nonprofits, cause marketing may be teaching consumers to contribute only when they receive something in return and at no cost to themselves. Unlike the unfettered contributions received directly from the public, the contributions charities receive in partnership with corporations may come with strings and obligations. 64
However, the success of Toms Shoes puts a new twist to cause marketing. Toms Shoes does not partner with a nonprofit or charity. Rather, Toms Shoes is a "for profit" company with the cause "one for one" baked into the brand. For each pair of Toms shoes consumers buy, the company donates a pair of Toms shoes to children who need shoes but cannot afford them. In spring 2013 Toms Shoes donated 13 million pairs of shoes in 59 countries. It is now expanding its efforts to eyeglasses in 15 countries. The "baked in brand" strategy of Toms Shoes has been described as a metastory-story telling through action. The consumer act of buying Toms shoes tells the story about the brand and the consumer. The story came first. The "for profit" status of the firm makes doing the right thing sustainable. 65
Should marketers, whose primary motivation is to increase the bottom line, deserve the goodwill and burnished reputation that arise through partnerships with nonprofit organizations

Question 19

What is cause-related marketing Why is it often successful

Question 20

What ethical issues do you see relating to green marketing

Question 21

Cause Marketing "Baked into the Brand" at Toms Shoes
A Target store popped up on Times Square in New York City, one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the country. The store interior was blanketed in a sea of pink products-pink bicycles, sweaters, flip-flops, tee shirts. Outside a coffee cart served pink donuts. All proceeds during the store's short one-month existence went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. 61 For every home Habitat for Humanity builds for the homeless in North America, Whirlpool donates a range and a refrigerator. 62 Hand in hand with the Red Cross, P G Tide's "Loads of Hope" provides mobile laundromats to victims of natural disasters (e.g., New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina). 63
These cause-marketing campaigns establish a partnership between a corporation and a nonprofit and often result in "doing well by doing good." Marketers increase their bottom line amid a halo of goodwill, while nonprofits receive needed contributions and public attention, and consumers purchase goods for themselves and thus contribute to a worthy cause. Despite the benefits of a win-win-win, critics have pointed out the downside of cause marketing. Corporations may come to lose consumer trust if consumers perceive the corporate-cause relationship as exploitation of the charity. Rather than contribute directly to nonprofits, cause marketing may be teaching consumers to contribute only when they receive something in return and at no cost to themselves. Unlike the unfettered contributions received directly from the public, the contributions charities receive in partnership with corporations may come with strings and obligations. 64
However, the success of Toms Shoes puts a new twist to cause marketing. Toms Shoes does not partner with a nonprofit or charity. Rather, Toms Shoes is a "for profit" company with the cause "one for one" baked into the brand. For each pair of Toms shoes consumers buy, the company donates a pair of Toms shoes to children who need shoes but cannot afford them. In spring 2013 Toms Shoes donated 13 million pairs of shoes in 59 countries. It is now expanding its efforts to eyeglasses in 15 countries. The "baked in brand" strategy of Toms Shoes has been described as a metastory-story telling through action. The consumer act of buying Toms shoes tells the story about the brand and the consumer. The story came first. The "for profit" status of the firm makes doing the right thing sustainable. 65
Cause marketing teaches consumers that they can improve the world by their consumption, to contribute only when they receive something in return and at no additional cost. Do you agree with that statement

Question 22

What are the major decisions a firm faces with respect to the gay market

Question 23

Explain greenwashing and its possible role in the FTC's revision of the Green Guides.

Question 24

Cause Marketing "Baked into the Brand" at Toms Shoes
A Target store popped up on Times Square in New York City, one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the country. The store interior was blanketed in a sea of pink products-pink bicycles, sweaters, flip-flops, tee shirts. Outside a coffee cart served pink donuts. All proceeds during the store's short one-month existence went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. 61 For every home Habitat for Humanity builds for the homeless in North America, Whirlpool donates a range and a refrigerator. 62 Hand in hand with the Red Cross, P G Tide's "Loads of Hope" provides mobile laundromats to victims of natural disasters (e.g., New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina). 63
These cause-marketing campaigns establish a partnership between a corporation and a nonprofit and often result in "doing well by doing good." Marketers increase their bottom line amid a halo of goodwill, while nonprofits receive needed contributions and public attention, and consumers purchase goods for themselves and thus contribute to a worthy cause. Despite the benefits of a win-win-win, critics have pointed out the downside of cause marketing. Corporations may come to lose consumer trust if consumers perceive the corporate-cause relationship as exploitation of the charity. Rather than contribute directly to nonprofits, cause marketing may be teaching consumers to contribute only when they receive something in return and at no cost to themselves. Unlike the unfettered contributions received directly from the public, the contributions charities receive in partnership with corporations may come with strings and obligations. 64
However, the success of Toms Shoes puts a new twist to cause marketing. Toms Shoes does not partner with a nonprofit or charity. Rather, Toms Shoes is a "for profit" company with the cause "one for one" baked into the brand. For each pair of Toms shoes consumers buy, the company donates a pair of Toms shoes to children who need shoes but cannot afford them. In spring 2013 Toms Shoes donated 13 million pairs of shoes in 59 countries. It is now expanding its efforts to eyeglasses in 15 countries. The "baked in brand" strategy of Toms Shoes has been described as a metastory-story telling through action. The consumer act of buying Toms shoes tells the story about the brand and the consumer. The story came first. The "for profit" status of the firm makes doing the right thing sustainable. 65
Do the concerns that surround cause marketing apply to the new form of cause marketing such as Toms Shoes

Question 25

What is meant by gender

Question 26

Cause-related marketing is done to enhance a firm's sales or image. Some critics consider such marketing to be unethical. What is your position

Question 27

What is gender identity

Question 28

In which of the four categories of responders to cause-related marketing are you Why

Question 29

What is a gender role

Question 30

Suppose AT T showed a gay couple using its long-distance service or P G showed a gay couple using one of its laundry products in ads on network television. Is a backlash by those who do not accept the gay community a likely response How are such consumers likely to respond Why

Question 31

How does an ascribed role differ from an achievement role

Question 32

Do you think housewives may be defensive or sensitive about not having employment outside of the home If so, what implications will this have for marketing practice

Question 33

What is happening to male and female gender roles in America

Question 34

Develop an advertisement for the following for each of the four female market segments described in the chapter.
a. Bicycles
b. iPad
c. Exercise equipment
d. Breakfast cereal
e. Vacation cruises
f. Cosmetics

Question 35

What are the differences between a traditional and a modern gender role orientation

Question 36

Find and copy or describe an advertisement for an item that reflects Americans' position on the following values:
a. Active\Passive
b. Material\Nonmaterial
c. Hard work\Leisure
d. Postponed\Immediate gratification
e. Sensual gratification\Abstinence
f. Religious\Secular
g. Cleanliness
h. Performance\Status
i. Tradition\Change
j. Risk taking\Security
k. Problem solving\Fatalistic
l. Admire\Overcome nature
m. Individual\Collective
n. Limited\Extended family
o. Diversity\Uniformity
p. Competition\Cooperation
q. Youth\Age
r. Masculine\Feminine

Question 37

Describe a segmentation system for the female market based on employment status and gender role orientation.

Question 38

Interview a person who consumes one or more organic food items. What values influence this consumption pattern

Question 39

What is a cultural value Do all members of a culture share cultural values

Question 40

What are some of the major marketing implications of the changing role of women

Question 41

Interview a salesperson who has been selling the following for at least 10 years. See if this individual has noticed a change in the purchasing roles of women over time.
a. Electric guitars
b. Cell phones
c. Computers
d. Homes
e. Financial services