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Denise T. Ogden is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Penn State Berks/Lehigh Valley. James R. "Doc" Ogden is Chair of the Marketing Department and a Professor of Marketing at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Hope Jensen Schau is an Assistant Professor at the Fox School of Business and Management, Temple University. All correspondence should be addressed to Denise T. Ogden, Penn State Berks/Lehigh Valley, 8380 Mohr Lane, Fogelsville, PA 18051; 610 285-5156; [email protected]. The authors would like to express their gratitude for the thorough, helpful, and encouraging comments of the Special Issue Editor, John Ford, and the anonymous reviewers. This article is part of a special issue on "Conceptual/Theoretical Issues in Marketing in a Cross-Cultural Context" edited by John B. Ford.
Over the last ten years, the body of literature that explores the complex relationship between culture and consumption has grown exponentially. One of the lessons learned from studying social psychology is that cultural variations have significant impact on the way people view the world and that these views ultimately affect behavior (Manstead 1997). Seemingly, there is agreement in the marketing literature that culture greatly influences the way consumers perceive and behave (Hall 1977; McCracken 1988; Clark 1990). The dramatic demographic shifts that are occurring in the United States serve as a catalyst to the study of how intra-country cultural differences affect consumption behavior (Wellner 2002). Although studies dealing with aggregate national cultures help to gain an understanding of subcultures (Clark 1990) or microcultures, the focus of this research is not international; rather the intent is to understand the impact of subcultures, often referred to as ethnicities, within a national boundary. This paper seeks to explicate the impact of intra-national cultural differences within the specific context of the United States on consumption-oriented behavior. From a managerial perspective, many companies are discovering that success depends on utilizing opportunities to meet the needs of previously ignored microcultural groups. Marketers, in order to more effectively reach their target markets, must have an understanding of how intra-national cultures impact product-specific purchases by consumers. The terms subculture will be used to indicate the ethnic subgroup within the United States. The term microculture will be used to indicate smaller segments within subcultural groups. Both terms imply a theoretical relationship to...