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Understand core American cultural values.

Summarize changes in self, environment, and other-oriented values.

Discuss values as they relate to green marketing.

LO1

LO2

LO3

Discuss values as they relate to cause-related marketing.

Discuss values as they relate to marketing to gay and lesbian consumers.

Discuss values as they relate to gender-based marketing.

LO4

LO5

LO6

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Gender roles continue to evolve in the United States with more women taking on traditionally male-oriented tasks and more men taking on traditionally female-oriented tasks.1 One area that has recently gotten the attention of mar- keters is grocery shopping. A recent Yahoo! study finds that 51 percent of adult men in the United States report being the primary grocery shopper for their home. And, while men may be inflating their participation, other research supports the fact that men, indeed, are involved in the grocery shopping task more than ever before. You might wonder what has caused this shift. Many factors are likely to be involved, a few of which are discussed next. First, generational shifts are occurring, where younger women are now more educated than their male counterparts. This is changing career and family dynamics and causing cou- ples to revisit how household duties should be divided up. Second is economic. Nearly three out of every four jobs lost in the most recent recession were those of men, another dynamic that has led couples to revisit house- hold duties. A third aspect is the masculine/ feminine value itself. This value appears to be shifting in the United States away from the tra- ditional masculine- dominated value to a more balanced masculine/feminine value. As this

shift has occurred, role differentiation between men and women has reduced. Consider the following excerpt:

In masculine cultures, household work is less

shared between husband and wife than in

feminine cultures. Men also do more household

shopping in the feminine cultures. Data from

Eurostat . . . show that low masculinity explains

52% of variance of the proportion of men who

spend time on shopping activities.

Given the increased participation by men in the grocery shopping task, several marketing factors become critical. First is to understand differences in how men and women shop. A recent RIVET survey indicates the following differences:

MEN are (a) more likely to stick to brand names they recognize, (b) less likely to shop with a list, and (c) less likely to look for in-store bargains. WOMEN are (a) more likely to change brands for the sake of variety, (b) more likely to make unplanned purchases, and (c) more likely to shop every aisle.

Such differences have implications for retailers ranging from the role of coupons (probably less pronounced for men) to the appeal of store brands (probably more

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Part Two External Influences78

pronounced for women). Understanding such dif- ferences for grocery retailers is critical. A second critical marketing factor is adjusting numerous aspects of grocery retailing toward men. This may include a range of issues including store layout, in-store promotions, and advertising for grocery products. For example, “themed events” catering to men’s interests such as beer-tasting nights may

help make the grocery shopping task more engag- ing. Providing free samples may also be effective because it is a major factor cited by men in terms of influencing them to switch brands. Finally, appropri- ate inclusion of male-oriented themes in advertising is critical. Only a quarter of men currently feel that ads in the grocery category are designed to speak to them.

Chapter 2 discussed how variations in values influence consumption patterns across cultures. Here, we describe how changes in values within culture over time influence consumption patterns, with a specific focus on the United States. The changing role of men and women in American society, highlighted in the chapter opener, reflects changes in the “masculine/feminine” value described in Chapter 2. As this example makes clear, cultural values are not constant. Rather, they evolve over time.2 We begin by examining the evolution of American values in general. Next, we examine four marketing trends that have evolved in response to changing values: green marketing, cause-related marketing, marketing to gay and lesbian consumers, and gender-based marketing.

CHANGES IN AMERICAN CULTURAL VALUES Observable shifts in behavior, including consumption behavior, often reflect shifts in cultural values, widely held beliefs that affirm what is desirable. Therefore, it is neces- sary to understand the underlying value shifts to understand current and future consumer behavior. Although we discuss American values as though every American has the same values, in fact there is substantial variance in values across individuals and groups. In addi- tion, changes in values tend to occur slowly and unevenly across individuals and groups. While traumatic events such as the 9/11 attacks and the recent major recession can produce value shifts, a slow evolution is more common. Caution should be used in assuming that short-term behavioral or attitudinal changes in response to such events represent long- lasting value shifts.

Figure 3–1 presents our estimate of how American values are changing. These are the same values used to describe different cultures in Chapter 2. It must be emphasized that Figure 3–1 is based on the authors’ subjective interpretation of the American society. You should feel free, indeed compelled, to challenge these judgments.

Self-Oriented Values Traditionally, Americans have been active, materialistic, hardworking, religious people inclined toward abstinence and postponed gratification. Beginning after the end of World War II and accelerating rapidly during the 1970s and early 1980s, Americans placed increased emphasis on leisure, immediate gratification, and sensual gratification. While these changes have remained relatively intact, we discuss what role, if any, the most recent recession (dubbed by some as the Great Recession) has had on specific values such as materialism and immediate gratification.