International Marketing Issues. Проблемы международного маркетинга, страница 22

Many of the developing nations throughout the world have inner-directed social structures. The foreign marketer who seeks to sell products in these markets must identify the social leaders and adjust strategy, at least to some extent, to their wants and desires. The extent of the necessary adjustment depends on the impact of social factors on consumption behavior for the particular products. Thus, publicly consumed products might require more adjustment than privately consumed products.

Other-Directed Societies and Conformity. An other-directed social structure is usually found in only the most highly developed and affluent societies. As the name implies, individuals are strongly affected by the actions and values of others. These "others" are described as reference groups – people with whom the individual wants to be compared. The reference groups will vary with individuals, and even at different times with the same individual. Thus, college students (or high-school students) identify with other students and want to dress like them, eat the same food, listen to the same music, and so forth. When these students leave school, they identify with an entirely different reference group – usually other people with whom they work or the superior whose job they someday hope to have. These same individuals' behavior away from the job may be influenced by entirely different reference groups, such as hobbyists with common interests (other golfers, tennis players, surfers, and so forth).

The marketer selling in an other-directed market has a more difficult job of identifying buying motives of target markets. Such markets are highly segmented, since the reaction of each individual toward a particular product depends on the relevant reference group or groups involved.

The Role of Consumption.The social structure of a society affects the place that consumption has in that society. In a traditional society consumption is viewed as a means of serving basic human needs, but not as a contributor to one's role in the society. In such societies, big business and excessive consumption may be viewed as undesirable, and social sanctions may be declared against them. In an inner-directed society, consumption can serve as a means for the individual to establish a unique identity, and business is the means by which the individualist increases his or her impact. In an other-directed society consumption provides a means of identification with peer

1.  Explain national ideology and the way it influences attitudes toward international businesses and their products.

2.  What factors contribute to cultural nationalism?

3.  Discuss the differences among the adopter groups shown in Figure 5-3.

4.  Differentiate between traditional, inner-directed, and other-directed societies and the role of consumption in each one.