Cross-cultural

influences in
Consumer Behaviour
Based on the text by
Schiffman and Kanuk
City University of New York
Lecture by
S.Victor Anandkumar
University of Mauritius
The imperative to be
multinational
Acquiring exposure to other cultures
 Through consumers’ own initiatives
 Through movies, theatre and art
 Through new products/services
 Culture transfer through international marketing
 Country of origin effects
 Consumers use their knowledge of where products are made in

the evaluation of their purchase options

 Common associations

 France – perfumes, wine, clothing

 Italy – shoes, sports cars, furniture
 Japan – cameras and consumer electronics
 Germany – cars, tools and machinery
 India – spices, textiles, jewellery
 US – computers, entertainment, fast-food
A product recognition
continuum for Global
marketing
Stage 1: Local consumers have heard of a brand marketed elsewhere
but cannot get it at home; unavailable but may be desirable; e.g.
Havana cigars made in Cuba
 Stage 2: Local consumers view a brand made elsewhere as ‘foreign’;
made in a particular country but locally available; the fact that the brand
is foreign makes a difference in the consumer’s mind; e.g. French wine
 Stage 3: Local consumers accord imported brand ‘national status’; i.e.
its national origin is known but does not affect their choice; e.g. Ford
autos in southern Europe
 Stage 4: Brand owned by a foreign company is made (wholly or partly)
domestically and has come to be perceived by locals as a local brand;
its foreign origins may be remembered but the brand has been
‘adopted’ (‘naturalized’); e.g. Coke in Japan, Sony in the US
 Stage 5: Brand has lost national identity and consumers everywhere
see it as ‘borderless’ or global; not only can people not identify where it
comes from but they never ask this question; e.g. Associated Press,
Nescafe, Aspirin
Basic research issues in cross-
cultural
 Differencesanalysis
in language and meaning, e.g. restroom
 Difference in market segmentation opportunities,
e.g. age while buying the first car
 Difference in consumption patters, e.g. mail catalogs
 Difference in the perceived benefits of products and
services, e.g. yogurt
 Differences in the criteria for evaluating products
and services, e.g. credit cards
 Difference in economic and social conditions and
family structure, e.g. family soap
 Differences in marketing research and conditions,
e.g. direct-mail lists
 Differences in marketing research possibilities, e.g.
telephone surveys
Acculturation
 …process by which a narrow and culturally myopic view is
overcome
 …a dual process for marketers.
 First, the marketers must thoroughly orient themselves to the values,
beliefs and customs of the new society to appropriately position and
market their products
 Gillette’s finding – 30% of European women ‘wet shave’ as compared to
75% of US women. In some European countries like Spain and Italy,
women wanting to remove hair go to waxing salons, rather than shaving
themselves with a razor.
 An appreciation of China’s ‘one child’ policy means that foreign
businesses will understand that Chinese families are open to particularly
high quality baby products for their single child
 Second, to gain acceptance for a culturally new product in a foreign
society, they must develop a strategy that encourages members of
that society to modify or even break with their own traditions
 Tampax tampons greatest challenge is addressing certain religious and
cultural mores that suggest that the use of this product results in a
violation of the body
Segmenting the world market
 Result of a study surveying 15000 adults in 14 countries on 5
continents to identify distinct global consumer segments that
share attitudes, values and actual purchasing patterns
 The segments are:
 Strivers – lead active lives, under stress, prefer products that are

sources of instant gratification

 Achievers – affluent, assertive and society’s opinion and style

leaders; value status and quality in the brands they buy

 Pressureds – mainly women, find it difficult to manage all the

problems in their lives, have little time for enjoyment

 Adapters – older consumers who live comfortably, recognize

and respect new ideas without losing sight of their own values;
willing to try new products that enrich their lives
 Traditionals – embody the oldest values of their countries and

cultures; resistant to change, content with familiar products

Cross-cultural psychographic
segmentation: A New York Times
survey
 Strivers (23%) – Value wealth and status and products like
cellphones and computers; consider material things extremely
important
 Devouts (22%) – Have more traditional values like faith, duty,
respect for elders; least involved with the media and least likely
to want western brands
 Altruists (18%) – Very outer focused – interested in social issues
and causes; generally well educated, older and more female
 Intimates (15%) – these are ‘people people’ and focus on
relationships close to home; very heavy users of media – gives
them something to talk about to others
 Fun seekers (12%) – youngest group; value excitement and
looking good; loves electronic media and is more global in its
lifestyle
 Creatives (10%) – dedicated to technology, knowledge an
learning; highest consumers of media especially books,
magazines and newspapers
 A framework for
alternative global
marketing strategies
COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
Product Standardized Localized
Vs. communication Communication
Communication

Standardized GLOBAL MIXED

product STRATEGY STRATEGY
PRODUCT
STRATEGY
Localized product MIXED LOCAL
STRATEGY STRATEGY
International Marketer’s
dilemma: To standardize or to
differentiate
 Think global; Act local
 Have a global face; Wear a local mask
 Standardization
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
 Differentiation
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
Cross-cultural
Marketing Mix
 Product problems
 Promotional problems

 Pricing problems

 Distribution problems
Sequence of product
differentiation factors
MEASUREMENT UNITS

PACKAGE SIZES

LABELING

PACKAGING AESTHETICS

CONSTITUENTS

MANDATORY
PACKAGING PROTECTION CHANGES

PRODUCT FEATURES

USAGE INSTRUCTIONS

BRAND NAME
PARTLY OPTIONAL
CHANGES WHOLLY OPTIONAL
CHANGES