TÜKETİCİ DAVRANIŞLARI - Deneme Sınavı - 1

A culture production system has three primary subsystems (Solomon, 2017, p.518):

1. A creative subsystem to create new symbols and products.

2. A managerial subsystem to choose, materialize, produce, and manage the distribution of new symbols and products.

3. A communications subsystem to give meaning to the new product and assign a set of symbolic attributes to it.

Culture is not static as mentioned above. It constantly evolves by synthesizing old ideas with new ones. A cultural system consists of following functional areas. It is possible to mention three major functional areas that shape the culture of a particular society as a system (Solomon, 2017):

• Ecology—It is the way a system adapts to its habitat. It is the primary among the factors that shape the biological culture of geography. The technology a culture uses to obtain and transmit resources shapes its ecology.

A limitation to behavior defined by culture is named as a norm. For example taking shoes off when entering homes, offering drinks to guests, and starting serving from the oldest in the room. If the individual does not comply with the norms of society, the social groups do not approve his/her behavior and thus, he/she is excluded. Conformity to norms is sometimes rewarded (İslamoğlu and Altunışık, 2017, p.179). Norms are the standards accepted by a society and its individuals are expected to comply with them. They are the rules that define appropriate and inappropriate behavior (Bradley, 2002, p.94). Norms provide guidelines that regulate social life.

A ritual is a set of multiple, symbolic behaviors that are practiced in a fixed sequence and repeated periodically (Solomon, 2017, p.523). Ritual is some sort of a symbolic sequence of actions that help one to establish a connection with a material item. Actions in rituals have become socially standardized and continuously repeated. However, they require using the socially approved and adopted symbols (Odabaşı, 2006, p.74). Weddings, funerals, religious festive times, national days, bank holidays, baptizing, grooming, graduations are all examples of rituals. As a religious activity that is practiced in a fixed sequence and repeated yearly, the act of fasting is therefore considered a ritual.

Generation Z is the first generation of the 21st century. They are “Digital Natives” who spend a substantial chunk of their time online, so they expect brands to engage them in two-way digital conversations. Owing to the era they were born, they are a visual generation, so they love visuality as a form of sending messages.

Culture is also associated with what the members of a society regard as a necessity and what they consider as a luxury. For instance, when asked whether a cell phone or an iPod is a necessity or a luxury, the participants’ answers will vary depending on cultures (Schiffman, Hansen and Kanuk, 2012, p.343).

Global consumption culture, as a concept on which all the countries today try to dwell and which is sometimes described ironically as “McDonaldization” and “Coca-Colonization”, refers to the acceptance of the same patterns, trends, and actions of consumption all over the world (Odabaşı, 2006). Global consumption culture describes the cultural identities of larger groups that are not merely related to one single country, that are generally international and whose members are not confined with their own national cultures. More and more advancing technology every day; the standardization of senses of eating, drinking, entertainment, and dressing regardless of border, religion, language, and race owing to easy transportation and the media; and the uniformity across the globe are the most important outcomes of the term globalization. Global culture involves enhanced lifestyle, increased consumption, and products and identities bought and sold across the globe. From the perspective of consumption, global culture means the sharing of symbols related to consumption such as product categories, brands, and typical consumption activities.

The content analysis of certain messages may help understand the dynamics of a given society in comparison with those of other societies. Content analysis focuses on the content of verbal, written, and visual communications,such as the copy and art composition of an advertisement (Schiffman, Hansen and Kanuk, 2012, p. 349). By using content analysis, it is possible to determine the typical characteristics or specific aspects of a culture and to make intercultural comparisons. Content analysis is useful to both marketers and public policymakers focusing on comparing the advertising claims of competitors within a specific industry. It is also efficient in evaluating the nature of advertising claims targeted to specific audiences (e.g. women, elders, or children) (Schiffman, Hansen and Kanuk, 2012, p.350). Content analyses make possible the identification of changes that occurred in a specific period, society, or culture.

Value scales are the tools that aim to measure values and attitudes that define consumers’ behavior by using survey studies. On the other hand, The prominent characteristics of field observation are as follows (Schiffman, Hansen and Kanuk, 2012, p.350): 1. It takes place in a natural environment; 2. Sometimes it is conducted without the subject’s awareness; 3. It focuses on the observation of behavior. Since the emphasis is placed on a natural environment and observable behavior, field observation concerned with consumer behavior usually focuses on in-store shopping behavior and, less frequently, on in-home preparation and consumption (Schiffman, Hansen and Kanuk, 2012, p.350). In such studies, researchers obtain data by making observations on the behavior of consumers.

People of the same race, religion, social status, and even of the same age may gather in the same geographic regions. There are regional subcultures whose members share similarities in values, beliefs, and norms. Such subcultures play a crucial role in building identities. People continue to keep alive the attitudes, behaviors, customs, traditions, manners, and religious and national heritage of the region they live in. Therefore, consumption behavior is shaped not only by demographic features of a region, such as age, gender, or race but also by geographic features. In the case of spicy food, the use of spice in cuisine is a regional subculture.