BU432 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Reference Group, Observability, Communications System
BU432
Chapter 15: The Creation and Diffusion of Culture
Cultural Selection
Ho do e ko hat’s i?
• cultural selection is the winnowing-out process by which the possibilities of mixed alternatives
are dropped as they make their way down the path from conception to consumption
• Our tastes and product preferences are driven by the images presented to us in mass media, by
our observations of those aroun us, and by our desire to live in the fantasy worlds created by
marketers
• Characteristics of fachion & popculture:
o Styles are often rooted in and reflect deeper societal trends
o Styles usually originate as an interplay between the deliberate inventions of designers
and businesspoeple and the spontaneous actions of ordinary consumers. Designers,
manufacturers, and merchandisers who can anticipate what consumers will want will
succeed in the marketplace (also encourage mass distribution)
o These trends can travel widely, often between countries and continents
o Influential people in the media play a large role in deciding which of these trends will
succeed
o A style begins as a risky or unique statement by a relatively small group of people and
spreads as others become increasingly aware of the style and feel confident about trying
it
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o Most styles eventually wear out, as people continually search for new ways to express
themselves and marketers scramble to keep up with these desires
o The cultural selection process never stops, so when styles become obsolete others wait
to replace them in pop culture
Culture Production Systems
• The set of individuals and organizations responsible for creating and marketing a cultural
product is a culture production system (CPS)
o Helps determine the types of products that eventually emerge from them
o Important factors: the # & diversity of competing systems and the amount of innovation
s. oforit that’s eouraged
• A CPS has 3 major subsystems:
o A creative subsystem responsible for generating new symbols or products
o A managerial subsystem responsible for selecting, making tangible, mass-producing, and
managing the distribution of new symbols or products
o A communications subsystem responsible for giving meaning to new products and
providing them with symbolic sets of attributes that are communicated to consumers
Cultural Gatekeepers
• Cultural Gatekeepers are the judges or tasteakers that ifluee the produts that are
eventually offered to consumers. They filter the overflow of information and materials intended
for consumers (known as the throughput sector)
• The shift from a top-down to a bottom-up process is a symptom of the transition away from
marketerspace, in which companies exert total control over the market. Instead, we now live in
consumerspace, in which customers act as partners with companies to decide what the
marketplace will offer
o Most prevalent in high-tech industries that routinely invite their most experienced and
knowledgeable (or lead users) to suggest ideas
High Culture and Popular Culture
• CP“’ reate a dierse kids of produts, ut soe asi distitios a e offered regarding
their characteristics
• An art product is viewed primarily as an object of aesthetic contemplation without any
functional value
• A craft product is admired because of the beauty with which it performs some function
Cultural Formulae
• Many popular art forms generally follow a cultural formula, where certain roles and props often
occur consistently
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Document Summary
Chapter 15: the creation and diffusion of culture. Designers, manufacturers, and merchandisers who can anticipate what consumers will want will succeed in the marketplace (also encourage mass distribution: these trends can travel widely, often between countries and continents. Culture production systems: the set of individuals and organizations responsible for creating and marketing a cultural product is a culture production system (cps, helps determine the types of products that eventually emerge from them. Cultural gatekeepers: cultural gatekeepers are the judges or (cid:862)taste(cid:373)akers(cid:863) that i(cid:374)flue(cid:374)(cid:272)e the produ(cid:272)ts that are eventually offered to consumers. Diffusion of innovations refers to the process whereby a new product, service, or idea spreads through a population: an innovation is any product or service that consumers perceive to be new or novel in some way. Prerequisites for successful adoption: compatibility, trialability reduce risk if you can experiment with it prior to committing, complexity should be low; requires less effort from the customer, lowering perceived risk, observability, relative advantage.
