Transcript cbch14

Chapter 14
Social Class and Reference Group
Influences
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Chapter Spotlights
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Social class
Social class in the United States
Values, attitudes, and lifestyles across
social classes
Social class and marketplace behavior
Reference group types and influences
Social power
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Social Class
“Birds of a feather flock together”
 Social class – a status hierarchy by which
groups and individuals are classified on the
basis of esteem (regard, respect) and
prestige (reputation, influence derived from
achievements). – American Marketing
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Association
The different lifestyles of social classes lead
to different benefits being sought
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Social Class Membership
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Members of the same social class tend to
share common values, beliefs, and behaviors
that unite them (as opposed to simple
demographics).
Common factors used to place people into
different social classes: occupation, source of
income, possessions, associations with
others, and level of influence.
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Occupation
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What a person does for
a living.
It is an indicator of
other signs of class
membership: income,
personal associations,
and status.
Further, class
assumptions within an
occupation may be
based on performance
level.
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Income Source
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Level of income is not by itself a good
indicator of class.
Income source along with occupation may
help us determine whether two individuals
that have the same income belong in the
same class: investments, inheritance, old
wealth, etc.
Does a professional athlete making $20
million belong in the same social class with a
physician making $150,000?
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Associations
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Consumption patterns and interaction
networks are inherently linked.
People tend to associate with others that
share the same tastes and recreational
activities.
Class consciousness – sense of belonging to a
certain class is reinforced by our associations.
The higher our class the more class conscious
we are.
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A mechanic wins a $50 million in the lottery…will
his/her social class change?
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Level of Influence
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Membership in a higher
class generally leads to
greater influence within
the workplace,
organizations, and
society as a whole.
The more responsibility
one has the greater the
influence s/he can exert
on others.
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Assigning Individuals to Social
Classes
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The five indicators may be used singly or in
combination to establish an individual’s class
status.
Methods normally used to classify people into
social classes include (all are subjective):
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The reputational approach
The subjective approach
Objective approaches:
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Single-item measures
Multiple-item measures
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Social Class in the United
States
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A five-class hierarchy
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Upper class (Upper – “Landed gentry”, Lower “New money”)
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Upper-middle class (Professional class, Cultural protectors)
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Salespeople, clerical workers, supervisors, construction contractors,
small retail store owners, “white collar”
Upper-lower class (“Monotonous” existence)
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Professionals, independent businesspeople, corporate executives
Lower-middle class (Moral compass of society, “Typical American”)
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Attend elite schools, old/new money, in/not in the “register”
Skilled and semi-skilled blue-collar workers, narrow existence
Lower-lower class
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Lower blue-collar workers, the unemployed, families on welfare, and
unskilled workers
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Values, Attitudes, and
Lifestyles across Social Classes
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Social class is an important
source of beliefs, values, and
behaviors
Different social classes value
education differently.
Attitudes toward family life,
raising children, the role of
women, etc. vary from class
to class.
People in various social
classes exhibit markedly
different lifestyles.
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Influence on media use
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Lower-class people are less likely to subscribe to
newspapers than are members of the middle
class.
Choice of magazine is likely tied to education and
reading ability
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Lower-middle class – Reader’s Digest, Ladies Home
Journal
Upper-middle class – Time, SI, The New Yorker, etc.
Broadcast media choice also varies by social class
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Lower-middle class – more responsive to audiovisual
forms of communication
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Influence on Advertising
Acceptance - Observations
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Lower-status consumers are more
receptive to advertising that depicts
activity, ongoing work and life,
expressions of energy, etc.
Upper-middle class consumers are more
critical of advertising, suspicious of
emotional appeals and skeptical of
claims
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Influence on Shopping and
Choice Behavior
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Lower-class women are the most “impulsive” about
shopping.
Outlet choice varies by social class (class match very
important)
Upper-lower class women are likely to respond to
promotions offering coupons or other special
inducements
Bowling, TV, and bingo are favorite lower-class
leisure pursuits
Most activities enjoyed by middle- and upper-class
people are less time consuming than lower-class
choices.
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Reference Group Influences
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A reference group is the
group whose
perspective an
individual takes on in
forming values, beliefs,
attitudes, opinions, and
overt behaviors.
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They set levels of
aspiration
They help define the
actual items/services
considered acceptable for
displaying those
aspirations.
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Social Norms and Conformity
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Social norm – any rule or behavior for
meeting societal expectations  normative
system
Conformity pressures – actions taken to
encourage or force members to act, think
and/or express themselves in certain ways.
The more important a group is in our lives,
the greater our desire to accept and conform
to its norms
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Homan’s Equation
The difference between the “price” we pay
for conformity and the rewards obtained for
doing so determines for each of us whether
we will conform to group expectations and
to what extent.
Price:
•Loss of freedoms
•Time commitment
•Financial commitment
•Etc.
Rewards:
•Levels of acceptance
•Advancement within the group
•Prestige gained
•Etc.
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Reference Group Types
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Primary reference group: one with which the
individual has frequent face-to-face contact and in
which members are close-knit.
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Examples: families, households, study groups, work teams,
roommates, etc.
Secondary reference group: one in which interaction
with other members is less frequent
Formal group: one in which there is some sort of
structure and/or for which there are specific
membership requirements.
Informal group: one that has no special membership
or attendance requirements, other than common
interests.
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Reference Group Types
(continued)
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Membership group: one to which a person
currently belongs.
Aspirational group: a group that a person
would like to be part of, but to which he or
she does not currently/ may never belong
Dissociative group: a group that an individual
avoids or denies connection with.
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Reference Group Influences
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Reference groups as
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part of the socialization process
setters of roles
information sources
normative influences
an expression of self-value
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Conformity Pressure and
Marketplace behavior
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The influence of reference groups varies
Groups tend to be more influential on product
decisions than they are on either brand or
outlet choices
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Conspicuousness “based on exclusivity” -- product
decisions (bikers and black leather jackets)
Conspicuousness “associated with the individual” - brand decisions possible within product class,
“allowed personal expression”
Visibility of consumption (Exh. 14-10)
Level of product necessity (Exh. 14-10)
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002
Social Power
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Power of reward – praise, approval,
acceptance, status, recognition, etc.
Coercive power – unacceptable
behavior strongly discouraged
Expert power – informational attraction
Referent power – closer the match
between person and group, more
willingness to conform
Copyright Atomic Dog Publishing, 2002