The important question: How does culture influence consumers?
One approach that explains individuals' needs is the hierarchy of needs by Maslow. What Maslow basically says is that our most important needs are the ones, that keep us alive: like food and water. If we have fulfilled these needs, we develop new needs, especially social needs, such as prestige, succes and achievement. Once these needs are met too, we feel that we need to sell-fulfill ourselves.
Briefly: Whenever we satisfy our needs, we develop new ones - and therefore we will never be satisfied. Just think about major income changes (to your advantage). Alltough earning more money, there's not more money left after a month. Right?
What do consumers buy, how much and who makes the decision?
It is essential to understand the impact of cultural specifics on purchase decisions. It might sound obvious but consumers buy products, that fits their everyday life. Think about it. You are in Spain, the sun is burning down on you and you are thirsty. How about some ice cold coke? You enter the kitchen, you open the fridge only to realize that there is no coke in it. Damn it! You spend a moment of anger and disappointment before you realize: you was going to put the coke in the fridge, but unfortunately, the bottle is too big. It doesn't fit in there. Shame on you coke, why did you do that? (If you happen to be from Spain and recognize yourself in that story, let me tell you this: Coke wasn't doing it on purpose. They just didn't think about the fact that fridges in Spain are a lot smaller than elsewhere and that their big bottles wouldn't fit in there). But there's not only the problem of size. If you want your ads to be effective, you need to know who is your target audience. And who is the target audience? Right: those who buy the product. And these decision makers vary depending on what culture you have. In Japan it is the housewife who makes the decision, whereas in the States it is more and more the teens and young adults who determine what is bought and what's not.
What do consumers buy, how much and who makes the decision?
It is essential to understand the impact of cultural specifics on purchase decisions. It might sound obvious but consumers buy products, that fits their everyday life. Think about it. You are in Spain, the sun is burning down on you and you are thirsty. How about some ice cold coke? You enter the kitchen, you open the fridge only to realize that there is no coke in it. Damn it! You spend a moment of anger and disappointment before you realize: you was going to put the coke in the fridge, but unfortunately, the bottle is too big. It doesn't fit in there. Shame on you coke, why did you do that? (If you happen to be from Spain and recognize yourself in that story, let me tell you this: Coke wasn't doing it on purpose. They just didn't think about the fact that fridges in Spain are a lot smaller than elsewhere and that their big bottles wouldn't fit in there). But there's not only the problem of size. If you want your ads to be effective, you need to know who is your target audience. And who is the target audience? Right: those who buy the product. And these decision makers vary depending on what culture you have. In Japan it is the housewife who makes the decision, whereas in the States it is more and more the teens and young adults who determine what is bought and what's not.
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