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Culture can be regarded as the sum total of learned beliefs, values, and customs that serve to direct the consumer behavior of members of a particular society. Within a national culture,there exist different cultural segments called subcultures, which are formed based on distinct and homogenous characteristics. Beliefs, values and customs are factors influencing consumers to choose what ways to satisfy their needs.Culture provides reliable reference by which people behave properly and acceptably while striving to satisfy their needs in a particular situation. Apart from satisfying personal needs,culture also shapes the framework within which people interact with other members in a society.
Culture keeps evolving rather than remaining static, leading to altered beliefs, values and customs, one typical example is the acceptance of cosmetic surgery, which contradicts the traditional value of keeping your body intact as a way of respecting nature and your parents.
Marketers can adopt two ways to communicate with consumers and thus swing their behavior.On one hand, they share beliefs, values and customs with consumers. Cultural messages are included in the marketing claims, and then become internalized and popularized among consumers. On the other hand, they teach beliefs, values and customs to consumers. This strategy is applied frequently to those products or services that involve specialty such as high-tech products and medical consultation. Producers or marketers are usually at a superior position,knowing more and better than consumers.Thus, they automatically have the advantage to influence consumers.
Members in a society need to use a common language to communicate with each other in order to acquire a common culture. Marketers also need to communicate with their audience effectively with a “language”, which are usually symbols that help convey the desired product images or features. Apart from the verbal or nonverbal symbols, advertisers can use ritualized experiences to communicate with their audience so as to influence their behavior.
Depending on different theoretical preferences and standards, people may adopt different approaches to examine culture. A convenient way would be to take into account the common cultural characteristics shared by a particular population and position culture at different levels.
Subcultures have distinct beliefs, values,customs, and traditions that distinguish them from the larger cultural mainstream, only some of which are important in terms of advertising and marketing, because they orientate the advertisers and marketers to the right market segments.Gender subcultures, age subcultures, and geographic and regional subcultures all possess distinctive characteristics and have significant implications for marketers.
Harmony, filial piety, achievement and success, face and health are essential values upheld by most Chinese, which are pervasive,enduring and consumption-related.